AACHEN
341 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitoes of 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups. 9 Lancasters lost, 2.6 percent of the force.
This raid was accurate and caused widespread damage and fires in the centre of Aachen and in the southern part of the town, particularly in the suburb of Burtscheid. This was Aachen's most serious raid of the war.
Control of the air-raid services was quickly lost when one of the first salvoes of bombs cut communications between the main operations centre and outlying posts. The 5th and 6th Air Raid posts were both destroyed. In the 5th, in the Burtscheid district, the local leader, 15 of his men and several Hitler Youth messengers were all killed. The police headquarters was also hit. The local officials did not make a count of buildings destroyed and no details of industrial damage are given but 6 hospitals were listed as being hit. 80 patients and 11 staff were killed in the town hospital. Much damage was caused to railway and road communications and to power supplies. 1,525 people were killed, this number being broken down as follows: 758 women, 454 male civilians, 212 children, 49 service personnel, 21 police and air-raid workers, 13 prisoners of war, 10 foreign workers and 8 unidentified.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
7 Mosquitoes to bomb night-fighter airfields, 36 Mosquitoes on diversion raid to Hannover and 3 each to Duisburg and Osnabrck, 7 R.C.M. sorties, 7 Serrate patrols, 35 Halifaxes and 8 Stirlings minelaying off Brest and in the Kattegat, 26 aircraft on Resistance operations, 8 O.T.U. sorties. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 492 sorties, 9 aircraft (1.8 percent) lost.
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OSNABRCK
39 Mosquitoes carried out a harassing raid without loss.
Minor Operations: 2 Mosquitoes on Serrate patrols, 40 Halifaxes and 10 Stirlings minelaying in the Frisians and off Heligoland, 21 aircraft on Resistance operations, 11 O.T.U. sorties. 2 Stirlings lost on Resistance operations.
