COLOGNE
64 Wellingtons and 5 Stirlings, all equipped with Gee, were dispatched on an experimental raid, with orders to use Gee as a blind-bombing aid. Some bombs were dropped accurately into Cologne but others were up to 10 miles from the target. 2 Wellingtons lost.
Cologne records show that 44 high-explosive and 1,200 incendiary bombs fell in the city, perhaps 12 to 15 aircraft loads. 4 people were killed and 8 injured and minor property damage was caused, although 6 industrial buildings are shown as having been damaged.
Minor Operations: 23 aircraft to Le Havre, 63 aircraft minelaying off Germany and Denmark, 1 leaflet flight to France. 1 Wellington on the Le Havre raid and 1 Hampden minelayer lost.
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ROSTOCK
161 aircraft-93 Wellingtons, 31 Stirlings, 19 Whitleys, 11 Hampdens, 6 Manchesters, 1 Lancaster. 4 aircraft - 2 Wellingtons, 1 Manchester, 1 Whitley - lost.
This was the first of a series of 4 raids on this Baltic port town. These raids had many of the characteristics of the successful raid on nearby Lbeck 1 month earlier - a concentrated, incendiary, area-bombing attack on the narrow-street Altstadt of a town with only light defences. An added feature on each night, however, was the inclusion of a small force of bombers, from 5 Group on the first 3 nights, to attempt a precision attack on the Heinkel aircraft factory on the southern outskirts of Rostock.
On this first night, 143 aircraft were sent to bomb the town and 18 the Heinkel factory. Bombing conditions were good but the results of the raid were disappointing. The Heinkel factory was not hit and most of the main bombing intended for the Altstadt fell between 2 and 6 miles away. (Details of damage and casualties can only be given in combined totals for the series of raids; these are included in the fourth and last raid of the series, on
