LA SPEZIA
208 Lancasters and 3 Halifaxes bombed the dock area of La Spezia and caused heavy damage. 4 Lancasters were lost and 3 more, either damaged or in mechanical difficulty, flew on to land at Allied airfields in North Africa. It is believed that this was the first occasion that the recently captured North African airfields were used for Bomber Command aircraft in distress. The 3 Lancasters flew back to England later.
MOSQUITO NUISANCE RAID
6 Mosquitoes of 105 Squadron, 2 Group, carried out nuisance raids to Bremen, Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven, 2 aircraft being sent to each target. These were the first non-Oboe Mosquito night raids and were the forerunners of Light Night Striking Force operations; the Germans hated the nuisance and harassing effect of the Mosquito raids and could rarely shoot down any of these fast, high-flying aircraft. The Mosquito was later modified to carry a 4,000-lb bomb as far as Berlin - a favourite Mosquito target - and, in winter, individual Mosquitoes were sometimes able to make 2 flights to Berlin under the cover of darkness in the same night, changing crews after the first landing.
Minor Operations: 10 Lancasters minelaying off Germany, 18 O.T.U. sorties. 1 O.T.U. Wellington was lost in the sea.
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STUTTGART
462 aircraft - 146 Wellingtons, 135 Halifaxes, 98 Lancasters, 83 Stirlings. 23 aircraft - 8 Stirlings, 8 Wellingtons, 4 Halifaxes, 3 Lancasters - lost, 5.0 percent of the force.
The Pathfinders claimed to have marked the centre of this normally difficult target accurately but the main bombing area developed to the north-east, along the line of approach of the bombing force. This was an example of the 'creepback', a feature of large raids which occurred when Main Force crews - and some Pathfinder backers-up - failed to press through to the centre of the marking area but bombed - or re-marked - the earliest markers visible. Bomber Command was never able to eliminate the creepback tendency and much bombing fell outside city areas because of it.
On this night the creepback extended over the suburb of Bad Canstatt, which was of an industrial nature, and some useful damage was caused, particularly in the large railway-repair workshops situated there. The neighbouring districts of Mnster and Mhlhausen were also hit and the majority of the 393 buildings destroyed and 942 severely damaged and the 200-plus civilian casualties were in these northern areas.
Only a few bombs fell in the centre of Stuttgart but the old Gedchtnis church was destroyed. In the district of Gaisburg, just east of the centre, 1 bomb scored a direct hit on an air-raid shelter packed with French and Russian prisoners of war. 257 Frenchmen and 143 Russians were killed. This tragedy brought the total death roll in Stuttgart to 619, a new record for raids to Germany.
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) - 135 bombing, 42 minelaying
8
Group Lancasters - 96 bombing
5
Group Lancasters (April 1944 to May 1945) - 111 bombing, 4 minelaying
Total - 375 bombing, 49 minelaying = 424 raids
(In July 1941, the squadron's Manchesters were grounded and, in the next six weeks, 97 Squadron aircrew flew operations in 106 Squadron Hampdens; these raids, sorties and losses have been included in 106 Squadron's totals.)
Sorties and Losses
5
Group Manchesters - 151 sorties, 8 aircraft lost (5.3 percent)
5
Group Lancasters - (to
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) - 998 sorties, 23 aircraft lost (2.3 percent)
8
Group Lancasters - 1,465 sorties, 58 aircraft lost (40 percent)
5
Group Lancasters (April 1944 to May 1945) - 1,320 sorties, 20 aircraft lost (1.5 percent)
Total - 3,934 sorties, 109 aircraft lost (2.8 percent)
26 Lancasters were destroyed in crashes.
POINTS OF INTEREST
The squadron broke no records but performed a valuable bombing and pathfinding service over a long period. It was not a lucky squadron and often suffered heavy losses until the last few months of the war.
98 SQUADRON
SERVICE
98 Squadron was re-formed as a day-bomber squadron in 2 Group on
