, just after 78 Squadron converted to Halifaxes. His body is buried at Sage War Cemetery, near Oldenburg.) Several houses were also hit in Nuremberg and 6 people were injured.
12 O.T.U. sorties were flown to France; 2 Wellingtons were lost.
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HAMBURG
On the 100th anniversary of a great fire in Hamburg, Bomber Command sent a comparatively small force of aircraft to attack this city after receiving an unfavourable weather forecast. 81 aircraft were dispatched: 43 Wellingtons, 20 Halifaxes, 13 Stirlings and 5 Hampdens. 3 Halifaxes and 2 Wellingtons were lost. The Bomber Command Operations Record Book contained no reference to the anniversary of the fire.
Hamburg was found to be completely cloud-covered and only 54 aircraft bombed on to its estimated position. Despite these unfavourable circumstances, a success out of all proportion to the numbers of aircraft involved was achieved. 113 fires were started in Hamburg, of which 57 were classed as large. Reported as completely burnt out were a large entertainment palace, a theatre and a cinema (all in the Reeperbahn area), and a dockside warehouse full of goods and vehicles. One 4,000-lb bomb lived up to its 'blockbuster' reputation when it exploded at a street junction in an old residential area near the city centre. 11 blocks of flats in the narrow streets were destroyed by blast, 11 more buildings were severely damaged and 352 slightly damaged. 59 people were killed here and 67 injured. The total casualty list in Hamburg on this night was 77 killed, 243 injured and 1,624 bombed out.
Minor Operations: 9 aircraft to St-Nazaire, 4 Blenheim Intruders, 2 aircraft minelaying off Heligoland, 8 aircraft on leaflet flights to France. No losses.
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6 Bostons to Le Havre power-station, but the only hits were on nearby buildings. No Bostons lost.
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STUTTGART
121 aircraft - 69 Wellingtons, 19 Hampdens, 14 Lancasters, 12 Stirlings, 7 Halifaxes - on the first large raid on this city. 1 Stirling lost.
As on the recent Rostock raids, a proportion of the force was detailed to attack a specific factory target, on this occasion the Robert Bosch factory, which made dynamos, injection pumps and magnetos. The Ministry of Economic Warfare judged this factory to be one of the most important in Germany. But Stuttgart, which straggled along a series of deep valleys, was a notoriously difficult target to find, even in conditions of good visibility. On this night, 10/10ths cloud covered the whole area and the raid was a failure. Bombs were scattered across a wide area of Stuttgart and the surrounding countryside. 13 people were killed and 37 injured in Stuttgart but 12 of the dead were the result of one 4,000-lb bomb in the north-western suburb of Zuffenhausen. The Bosch works were not hit. A decoy site near Lauffen, 15 miles north of Stuttgart, attracted many bombs. This clever decoy was 'defended' by up to 35 searchlights and 50 Flak guns and regularly attracted bombs when targets in Southern Germany were attacked. The town of Lauffen was bombed 37 times in the war because of the decoy; Stuttgart people were not popular there.
Minor Operations: 9 aircraft to Nantes, 5 Stirlings to Pilsen, 8 aircraft minelaying off Heligoland, 6 aircraft on leaflet flights to France. 1 Stirling lost on the Pilsen raid.
