MINOR OPERATIONS
16 Halifaxes and 12 Stirlings minelaying off Channel and Biscay ports, 30 aircraft on Resistance operations, 6 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.
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MANTES-LA-JOLIE
149 aircraft - 77 Halifaxes, 64 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes - of 4 and 8 Groups attacked railway installations in the Gassicourt suburb. 2 Lancasters and 1 Halifax lost.
Bomber Command's records state that 'stores depots and locomotive sheds' were severely damaged but the local report shows that some of the bombing fell outside the railway objective. The western part of the town - including 'old Mantes', the suburb of Gassicourt and the hamlet of Dennemont - were all bombed. The church, the old town hall and the school at Gassicourt were destroyed, together with 128 houses. 740 other houses were damaged. 54 civilians were killed.
SABLE-SUR-SARTHE
64 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes of 5 Group attacked an ammunition dump which was destroyed by 'enormous explosions'. No aircraft lost.
AUBIGNE
52 Lancasters of 1 Group attacked an ammunition dump accurately and the entire target was destroyed. 1 aircraft lost.
The only Lancaster shot down on this raid, from 576 Squadron, contained a senior officer who was flying as second pilot. This was Air Commodore R. Ivelaw-Chapman, who was commanding a 'base' (usually 3 airfields) in 1 Group. Ivelaw-Chapman had only just taken up this position after a staff job in which he had had access to details of the coming invasion. There was great anxiety in England that, if Ivelaw-Chapman became a prisoner of war, the Germans might hand him over to the Gestapo for questioning. He was taken prisoner but the Germans never realized his importance and he was treated in the normal manner.
Minor Operations: 28 Mosquitoes to Ludwigshafen, 5 to Leverkusen and 2 to Chteaudun, 9 R.C.M. sorties, 9 Serrate and 5 Intruder patrols, 8 Halifaxes and 6 Stirlings minelaying off Biscay ports. 33 aircraft on Resistance operations, 6 O.T.U. sorties. 1 Mosquito lost from the Leverkusen raid.
Total effort for the night: 380 sorties, 5 aircraft (1.3 percent) lost.
