ST-LEU-D'ESSERENT
208 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitoes, mainly from 5 Group but with some Pathfinder aircraft, attacked a flying-bomb storage dump in a group of tunnels (formerly used for growing mushrooms). The bombing was accurately directed on to the mouths of the tunnels and on to the approach roads, thus blocking access to the flying bombs stored there.
German night fighters intercepted the bombing force and 29 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitoes were lost, 14.0 percent of the force. 106 Squadron, from Metheringham, lost 5 of its 16 Lancasters on the raid and 630 Squadron, from East Kirkby, lost its commanding officer, Wing Commander W. I. Deas, who was flying his 69th operation. Wing Commander Deas was killed and is buried in a small cemetery at Omer-ville, north-west of Versailles.
VAIRES
123 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitoes of 1 and 8 Groups carried out an accurate raid on the railway yards without the loss of any aircraft.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
106 aircraft of 1, 3, 5 and 93 Groups on a diversionary sweep almost to the coast of Holland, 7 Mosquitoes of 5 Group dropping 'spoof' markers in support of the St-Leu-d'Esserent raid, 32 Mosquitoes to Berlin and 9 to Scholven/Buer, 48 aircraft on R.C.M. sorties or Resistance operations (no breakdown available), 83 Mosquito patrols. 2 Mosquitoes were lost from the Berlin raid and 1 aircraft (type not recorded) was lost from a Resistance flight.
Total effort for the night: 634 sorties, 34 aircraft (5.3 percent) lost.
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MINOR OPERATIONS
10 Mosquitoes to Scholven/Buer, 8 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off Biscay coasts, 7 aircraft on Resistance operations, 8 Mosquitoes on flying-bomb patrols. No aircraft lost.
