MINELAYING
70 aircraft to many places from Brest to the Frisian Islands. 2 Halifaxes and 2 Wellingtons lost.
LEAFLETS
26 Stirlings of 3 Group carried out a special operation to drop leaflets over many towns in France giving news of the latest successes of the Allied forces in North Africa, following the successful invasion of the French territories there. No aircraft were lost.
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12 Bostons bombed Le Havre and scored a hit on the large German merchant ship which had been the objective of recent raids. The ship was put out of action for several months. No Bostons were lost.
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HAMBURG
213 aircraft - 74 Wellingtons, 72 Lancasters, 48 Halifaxes, 19 Stirlings. 15 aircraft - 5 Lancasters, 4 Stirlings, 4 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes - lost, 7.0 percent of the force.
The bombers encountered cloud and icing and winds which had not been forecast. No clear identification or marking of Hamburg was made. 150 crews reported bombing, 133 believing themselves to be in the Hamburg area, 17 claiming attacks in other places. Hamburg reports thick cloud and heavy rain and says that many bombs fell in the Elbe or in open country. There were, however, 26 fires in Hamburg of which 3 were large ones. Casualties were 3 people killed and 16 injured. 1 bomber crashed in the city's main cemetery, in the Ohlsdorf district; this is where many R.A.F. men who died while raiding this part of Germany are buried in a Commonwealth War Graves Commission section.
15 Stirlings carried more leaflets to France without loss.
