FLYING-BOMB SITES
739 aircraft - 535 Lancasters, 165 Halifaxes, 39 Mosquitoes - from all groups attacked 7 sites, causing fresh damage at most of the targets. (The flying-bomb sites were now becoming so cratered by R.A.F., 8th Air Force and 2nd Tactical Air Force bombing that results for individual raids were becoming difficult to determine.)
22 Lancasters were lost from these raids; it was a clear, moonlit night and most of the bomber casualties were caused by German night fighters, often operating with the help of searchlights. It is not known why all of the casualties were Lancasters.
Minor Operations: 27 Mosquitoes to Berlin, 7 R.C.M. sorties, 34 Mosquito patrols, 13 aircraft minelaying off French ports and in the Kattegat. 1 Mosquito lost from the Berlin raid.
Total effort for the night: 820 sorties, 23 aircraft (2.8 percent) lost.
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FLYING-BOMB SITES
323 aircraft - 202 Halifaxes, 106 Lancasters, 15 Mosquitoes - of 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups attacked 3 sites. The weather was clear and it was believed that all 3 raids were accurate. 2 Halifaxes of 4 Group were lost from the raid on the Montorgueil site.
617 Squadron sent 17 Lancasters, 2 Mosquitoes and 1 Mustang to bomb the Siracourt flying-bomb store. The Mustang was flown by Wing Commander Cheshire and used as a low-level marker aircraft. The Mustang had only arrived at Woodhall Spa that afternoon, by courtesy of the Eighth Air Force, and this was Cheshire's first flight in it. The Lancasters scored 3 direct hits on the concrete store with Tallboy bombs and no aircraft were lost. Cheshire had to make his first landing in the unfamiliar Mustang when he returned to his home airfield after dark.
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HOMBERG
42 Mosquitoes of 8 Group to bomb the Rheinpreussen synthetic-oil plant at Homberg/Meerbeck; photographs showed that no new damage was caused. No aircraft lost.
Minor Operations: 8 Mosquitoes flew R.C.M. sorties and 16 Mosquitoes carried out Serrate patrols. No aircraft lost.
