KIEL
372 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitoes of 1, 3 and 8 Groups. 17 Lancasters lost, 4.6 percent of the Lancaster force.
The Pathfinder marking was hampered by smoke-screens but the local report tells of a very serious raid with heavy bombing in the town centre and surrounding districts and widespread fires fanned by a strong wind. The Rathaus was completely burnt out and many other public buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. A large public shelter, the Waisenhof bunker, was cut off by fire but the report does not say whether the people inside were eventually rescued. 134 people were killed and 1,002 were injured.
KNIGSBERG
174 Lancasters of 5 Group to this target, which was an important supply port for the German Eastern Front. The route to the target was 950 miles from the 5 Group bases. Photographic reconnaissance showed that the bombing fell in the eastern part of the town but no report is available from the target, now Kaliningrad in Russian Lithuania. 4 Lancasters lost.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
108 training aircraft on a diversionary sweep to Normandy, 21 Mosquitoes to Berlin, 13 to Hamburg and 12 to five other targets, 19 R.C.M. sorties, 70 Mosquito patrols, 30 Lancasters and 15 Halifaxes minelaying off Danzig and Kiel. 7 aircraft lost - 5 Lancaster minelayers, 1 Mosquito R.C.M. aircraft and 1 Mosquito Serrate aircraft.
Total effort for the night: 844 sorties, 28 aircraft (3.3 percent) lost.
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HOMBERG
243 aircraft - 216 Halifaxes of 4 Group and 14 Mosquitoes and 13 Lancasters of 8 Group - were dispatched on this historic raid, the first major raid by Bomber Command to Germany in daylight since
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MINOR OPERATIONS
30 Mosquitoes to Mannheim, 66 O.T.U. Wellingtons on a diversionary sweep, 19 R.C.M. sorties, 26 Mosquito patrols, 7 aircraft on Resistance operations. 2 Mosquitoes from the Mannheim raid and 1 Intruder Mosquito lost.
