ESSEN
493 aircraft - 342 Lancasters, 133 Halifaxes, 18 Mosquitoes - from all groups except 5 Group. 7 aircraft - 6 Lancasters, 1 Halifax - lost, 1.4 percent of the force. The Bomber Command report states that this was an accurate attack, based on good Pathfinder ground-marking. The only report available from Essen states that 313 people were killed and 1,224 injured.
SCHWEINFURT
206 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitoes of 5 Group and 9 Lancasters of 1 Group. 21 Lancasters lost, 9.3 percent of the force.
This raid was a failure. The low-level marking provided for the first time by Mosquitoes of 627 Squadron was not accurate. Unexpectedly strong head winds delayed the Lancaster marker aircraft and the main force of bombers. German night fighters were carrying out fierce attacks throughout the period of the raid. The bombing was not accurate and much of it fell outside Schweinfurt. Only 2 people were killed in Schweinfurt.
A Victoria Cross was awarded after the war to Sergeant Norman Jackson, a flight engineer in a Lancaster of 106 Squadron which was shot down near Schweinfurt. The Lancaster was hit by a German night fighter and a fire started in a fuel tank in the wing near the fuselage. Sergeant Jackson climbed out of a hatch with a fire extinguisher, with another crew member holding the rigging lines of Jackson's parachute which had opened in the aircraft. Sergeant Jackson lost the fire extinguisher and, as both he and his parachute rigging were being affected by the fire, the men in the aircraft let the parachute go. Sergeant Jackson survived, though with serious burns and a broken ankle received on landing with his partially burnt parachute. The remainder of the crew baled out soon afterwards.
VILLENEUVE-ST-GEORGES
217 aircraft - 183 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitoes - of 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 1 Halifax lost.
Bomber Command claims that the southern end of the railway yards was successfully bombed. The local report states that this raid was more accurate than the one earlier in the month, although civilian areas were again hit and 29 people were killed and 52 were injured.
Support and Minor Operations: 16 Mosquitoes to Hamburg (which reports no casualties, 1 fire and 50 people bombed out), 10 Stirlings to Chambly, 12 R.C.M. sorties, 20 Serrate and 13 Intruder patrols, 16 Halifaxes and 6 Stirlings minelaying off the Dutch coast and in the Frisians, 10 aircraft on Resistance operations, 21 O.T.U. flights. 1 Serrate Mosquito lost.
Total effort for the night: 1,060 sorties, 30 aircraft (2.8 percent) lost.
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FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
322 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups. This was a raid with some interesting aspects. The Air Ministry had urged Bomber Command to attack this relatively small town in moonlight because it contained important factories making engines and gearboxes for German tanks. But the flight to this target, deep in Southern Germany on a moonlit night, was potentially very dangerous; the disastrous attack on Nuremberg had taken place only 4 weeks previously in similar conditions. However, Friedrichshafen was further south and on the fringe of the German night-fighter defences; because of this and the various diversions which confused the German controllers, the bombers reached the target without being intercepted. However, the German fighters arrived at the target while the raid was taking place and 18 Lancasters were lost, 5.6 percent of the force.
1,234 tons of bombs were dropped in an outstandingly successful attack based on good Pathfinder marking; Bomber Command later estimated that 99 acres of Friedrichshafen, 67 percent of the town's built-up area, were devastated. Several factories were badly damaged and the tank gearbox factory was destroyed. When the American bombing survey team investigated this raid after the war, German officials said that this was the most damaging raid on tank production of the war. A civil report states that 136 people were killed and 375 injured in Friedrichshafen, and that 656 houses were destroyed and 421 severely damaged.
AULNOYE
223 aircraft - 191 Halifaxes, 16 Lancasters, 16 Mosquitoes - of 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 1 Halifax lost. Bombing was concentrated and much damage was caused to the railway yards.
MONTZEN
144 aircraft - 120 Halifaxes, 16 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes - of 4, 6 and 8 Groups. The bombing force, particularly the second of the 2 waves, was intercepted by German fighters and 14 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster were shot down. Only one part of the railway yards was hit by the bombing.
The only Lancaster lost was that of Squadron Leader E. M. Blenkinsopp, a Canadian pilot of 405 Squadron who was acting as Deputy Master Bomber. Blenkinsopp managed to team up with a Belgian Resistance group and remained with them until captured by the Germans in December 1944. He was taken to Hamburg to work as a forced labourer and later died in Belsen concentration camp 'of heart failure'. He has no known grave.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
159 O.T.U. aircraft on a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 24 Mosquitoes on diversion raid to Stuttgart, 11 R.C.M. sorties, 19 Serrate and 6 Intruder patrols, 8 Halifaxes minelaying off Brest and Cherbourg, 44 aircraft on Resistance operations. 1 Serrate Mosquito lost.
Total effort for the night: 961 sorties, 35 aircraft (3.6 percent) lost.
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107 SQUADRON
SERVICE
In 2 Group on the outbreak of war and flew Blenheims and Bostons until 2 Group left Bomber Command in May 1943. The squadron was detached to Coastal Command several times and to Malta once. Main bases were at Wattisham and Great Massingham but several other airfields were used for short periods.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Raids Flown
Blenheims - 162 bombing and sweeps, 5 general weather recces
Bostons - 63 bombing
Total - 225 bombing, 5 recces = 230 raids
Sorties and Losses
Blenheims - 1,442 sorties, 61 aircraft lost (4.2 percent)
Bostons - 157 sorties, 23 aircraft lost (14.6 percent)
Total - 1,599 sorties, 84 aircraft lost (5.3 percent)
7 Blenheims and 1 Boston were destroyed in crashes.
POINTS OF INTEREST
An original squadron on the outbreak of war; 5 Blenheims were dispatched on the second day of the war and 4 were lost attacking German warships.
Flew most Blenheim sorties in Bomber Command.
Flew most sorties in 2 Group and probably dropped the greatest tonnage of bombs in 2 Group squadrons; flew only one bombing raid less than 105 Squadron's highest number in 2 Group. Suffered most losses in 2 Group.
109 SQUADRON
SERVICE
From December 1940 was a radio countermeasures unit until transferred to Bomber Command in August 1942. Served with 8 Group as an Oboe Mosquito squadron until the end of the war, being based at Wyton, Marham and Little Staughton.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Raids Flown
Mosquitoes - 522 bombing, mostly using Oboe
Sorties and Losses
Mosquitoes - 5,421 sorties, 18 aircraft lost (0.3 percent)
POINTS OF INTEREST
Introduced Oboe to Bomber Command service.
Carried out most raids and flew most sorties in 8 Group.
Victoria Cross: Squadron Leader R. A. M. Palmer, D.F.C., posthumously, Cologne,
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- Montzen raid. Page 501, line 5:
Squadron Leader E. M. Blenkinsopp should read Squadron Leader E. W. Blenkinsop.
