AIRFIELDS
401 aircraft - 206 Lancasters, 175 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitoes - of 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups bombed airfields at Fiers, Le Mans, Laval and Rennes, all situated south of the Normandy battle area. Bomber Command documents do not give any reason for these raids; it is possible that the intention was to prevent these airfields being used for German reinforcements being brought in by air because the railways were blocked. All the attacks were successful. 2 Halifaxes were lost on the Laval raid.
TAMPES
108 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes of 5 Group, with 5 Pathfinder Mosquitoes, attempted to bomb a railway junction at tampes, south of Paris. 6 Lancasters lost. The marking was accurate but late and the bombing spread from the railway junction into the town. The local report states that a quarter of the small town was affected by the bombing; between 400 and 500 houses were destroyed and 133 people were killed and 51 injured.
Minor Operations: 36 Mosquitoes to Berlin, 13 R.C.M. sorties, 2 Serrate patrols, 24 Halifaxes and 4 Stirlings minelaying off Brest. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 597 sorties, 8 aircraft (1.3 percent) lost.
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RAILWAYS
432 aircraft - 323 Lancasters, 90 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitoes - attacked railway targets at Achres, Dreux, Orlans and Versailles. All targets were believed to have been hit but few further details are available. 15 Lancasters and 3 Halifaxes lost.
Minor Operations: 32 Mosquitoes to Berlin, 13 R.C.M. sorties, 7 Serrate and 18 Intruder patrols, 30 aircraft minelaying off France on the flanks of the invasion area. 2 Mosquitoes lost from the Berlin raid.
Total effort for the night: 532 sorties, 20 aircraft (3.8 percent) lost.
