NORMANDY COASTAL BATTERIES
1,012 aircraft - 551 Lancasters, 412 Halifaxes, 49 Mosquitoes - to bomb coastal batteries at Fontenay, Houlgate, La Pernelle, Longues, Maisy, Merville, Mont Fleury, Pointe-du-Hoc, Ouisterham and St-Martin-de-Varreville. 946 aircraft carried out their bombing tasks. 3 aircraft were lost - 2 Halifaxes of 4 Group on the Mont Fleury raid and 1 Lancaster of 6 Group on the Longues raid. Only two of the targets - La Pernelle and Ouisterham - were free of cloud; all other bombing was entirely based on Oboe marking. At least 5,000 tons of bombs were dropped, the greatest tonnage in one night so far in the war.
SUPPORT OPERATIONS
110 aircraft of 1 and 100 Groups carried out extensive bomber-support operations: 24 A.B.C.-equipped Lancasters of 101 Squadron patrolled all likely night-fighter approaches, so that their German-speaking operators could jam the German controllers' instructions; 100 Group flew 34 R.C.M. sorties and 27 Serrate and 25 Intruder Mosquito patrols. 2 Intruders and 1 A.B.C. Lancaster were lost.
DIVERSION OPERATIONS
58 aircraft of 3 and 5 Groups carried out a variety of operations to conceal the true location of the invasion for as long as possible. 16 Lancasters of 617 Squadron and 6 G-H fitted Stirlings of 218 Squadron dropped a dense screen of Window, which advanced slowly across the Channel, to simulate a large convoy of ships approaching the French coast between Boulogne and Le Havre, north of the real invasion coast. These flights required exact navigation; both squadrons had been practising for this operation for more than a month. The second diversion was carried out by 36 Halifaxes and Stirlings of 90, 138, 149 and 161 Squadrons. These aircraft dropped dummy parachutists and explosive devices to simulate airborne landings over areas not being invaded. 2 Stirlings of 149 Squadron were lost while carrying out this duty.
Osnabrck
31 Mosquitoes bombed Osnabrck without loss.
Total Bomber Command effort for the night: 1,211 sorties, 8 aircraft (0.7 percent) lost. The number of sorties flown was a new record. British, American and Canadian divisions landed on five Normandy beaches early the next morning.
---
COMMUNICATIONS
1,065 aircraft - 589 Lancasters, 418 Halifaxes, 58 Mosquitoes - to bomb railway and road centres on the lines of communication behind the Normandy battle area. All of the targets were in or near French towns. 3,488 tons of bombs were dropped on targets at Achres, Argentan, Caen, Chteaudun, Cond-sur-Noireau, Coutances, St-L, Lisieux and Vire. Every effort was made to bomb accurately but casualties to the French civilians were inevitable. Cloud affected the accuracy of the bombing at many of the targets and, at Achres, the Master Bomber ordered the raid to be abandoned because of cloud and no bombs were dropped.
10 Lancasters and 1 Halifax were lost in these raids; 6 of the Lancasters were lost in the 5 Group raid at Caen, where the main force of bombers had to wait for the target to be properly marked and then fly over an area full of German units and guns at bombing heights below 3,000 ft.
Some details are available of the effects of the bombing. At Argentan, Chteau-dun and Lisieux, much damage was done to railways, although the towns, Lisieux in particular, were hit by many bombs. Important bridges at Coutances were badly damaged but the town was hit and set on fire; approximately 65 percent of the buildings were destroyed and 312 civilians were killed. The town centres of Caen, Cond-sur-Noireau, St-L and Vire were all badly bombed and most of the roads through those towns were blocked.
Minor Operations: 32 Mosquitoes to Ludwigshafen, 18 Serrate patrols, 19 aircraft minelaying in the Brest area, 26 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 1,160 sorties, 11 aircraft (0.9 percent) lost.
