MINOR OPERATIONS
33 Mosquitoes to Scholven/Buer and 3 to Mzires railway junction, 6 Intruder and 16 flying-bomb patrols, 4 Stirlings minelaying off the Belgian and Dutch coasts. No aircraft lost; Mosquitoes shot down 6 flying bombs, their best success of the war.
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NORMANDY BATTLE AREA
467 aircraft - 283 Lancasters, 164 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitoes - of 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups in a major effort to assist in the Normany land battle.
The Canadian 1st and British 2nd Armies were held up by a series of fortified village strongpoints north of Caen. The first plan was for Bomber Command to bomb these villages but, because of the proximity of friendly troops and the possibility of bombing error, the bombing area was moved back nearer to Caen, covering a stretch of open ground and the northern edge of the city. The weather was clear for the raid, which took place in the evening, and two aiming points were well marked by Oboe Mosquitoes and other Pathfinder aircraft. The Master Bomber, Wing Commander S. P. (Pat) Daniels of 35 Squadron, then controlled a very accurate raid. Dust and smoke soon obscured the markers but the bombing always remained concentrated. 2,276 tons of bombs were dropped.
It was afterwards judged that the bombing should have been aimed at the original targets. Few Germans were killed in the area actually bombed, although units near by were considerably shaken. The northern suburbs of Caen were ruined. No German fighters appeared and only 1 Lancaster, of 166 Squadron, was shot down by Flak. 2 further Lancasters and 1 Mosquito crashed behind the Allied lines in France. (For statistical purposes, Bomber Command aircraft which were recorded as having crashed in France, and later in other reoccupied countries in Europe, will be considered as 'lost', as it was unlikely that the aircraft would be salvaged for later use, although the crews often returned safely to England.)
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ST-LEU-D'ESSERENT
208 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitoes, mainly from 5 Group but with some Pathfinder aircraft, attacked a flying-bomb storage dump in a group of tunnels (formerly used for growing mushrooms). The bombing was accurately directed on to the mouths of the tunnels and on to the approach roads, thus blocking access to the flying bombs stored there.
German night fighters intercepted the bombing force and 29 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitoes were lost, 14.0 percent of the force. 106 Squadron, from Metheringham, lost 5 of its 16 Lancasters on the raid and 630 Squadron, from East Kirkby, lost its commanding officer, Wing Commander W. I. Deas, who was flying his 69th operation. Wing Commander Deas was killed and is buried in a small cemetery at Omer-ville, north-west of Versailles.
VAIRES
123 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitoes of 1 and 8 Groups carried out an accurate raid on the railway yards without the loss of any aircraft.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
106 aircraft of 1, 3, 5 and 93 Groups on a diversionary sweep almost to the coast of Holland, 7 Mosquitoes of 5 Group dropping 'spoof' markers in support of the St-Leu-d'Esserent raid, 32 Mosquitoes to Berlin and 9 to Scholven/Buer, 48 aircraft on R.C.M. sorties or Resistance operations (no breakdown available), 83 Mosquito patrols. 2 Mosquitoes were lost from the Berlin raid and 1 aircraft (type not recorded) was lost from a Resistance flight.
Total effort for the night: 634 sorties, 34 aircraft (5.3 percent) lost.
