BERLIN
534 aircraft - 440 Lancasters, 82 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitoes. There were no preliminary diversions on this night and the attempt by the German controllers to intercept the bomber stream over the sea failed. The bombers were, therefore, well on the way to Berlin before meeting any fighters but the Germans were then able to follow the bomber stream until well into the return flight. 33 aircraft - 32 Lancasters and 1 Halifax - lost, 6.2 percent of the force.
The raid took place through complete cloud cover but Bomber Command claimed another concentrated attack. The local report repeats a recent trend - heavy damage in the city at the same time as widespread bombing in the country areas outside. 79 towns and villages reported various numbers of bombs but most of these fell in open country; 17 people were killed and 28 injured outside Berlin.
The main concentration of damage in the city was in the centre and in the southwestern quarter, though many other districts were also hit. The seriousness of fire damage on this night is stressed. Once again, overall figures for domestic property damage and casualties are not available but, by a process of deduction from an overall report for this period, it is certain that at least 1,000 people died. Some details of individual property damage were recorded: 2 industrial premises were completely destroyed and 15 were seriously damaged; many public buildings are mentioned, including Goebbels's Propaganda Ministry; the Berlin transport system suffered, not only by the destruction of 94 U-Bahn carriages at the Kreuzberg depot.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
22 Mosquitoes to Elberfeld and 5 to Brunswick, 8 R.C.M. sorties, 7 Serrate patrols, 12 Stirlings minelaying in the River Gironde, 22 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.
Total effort for the night: 610 sorties, 33 aircraft (5.4 percent) lost.
