RSSELSHEIM
412 Lancasters of 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups attacked the Opel motor factory. 15 Lancasters were lost, 3.6 percent of the force.
The Pathfinder marking was accurate and the raid was successfully completed in 10 minutes. An official German report says that the forge and the gearbox assembly departments were put out of action for several weeks, but 90 percent of the machine tools in other departments escaped damage. The assembly line and part of the pressworks were able to recommence work 2 days later and lorry assembly was unaffected because of considerable stocks of ready-made parts. 179 people were killed in the raid but their nationalities were not recorded.
DARMSTADT
190 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitoes of 5 Group to this target which had not been seriously attacked by Bomber Command before. 7 Lancasters lost.
This '5 Group method' raid was a failure. The Master Bomber had to return early; his 2 deputies were shot down; the flares were dropped too far west and the low-level Mosquito marker aircraft could not locate the target. 95 buildings were hit and 8 people were killed by the scattered bombs which did hit Darmstadt. 33 of the Lancasters bombed other targets, including at least 13 aircraft which joined in the successful raid on nearby Rsselsheim.
BREST
334 aircraft - 284 Halifaxes, 32 Lancasters, 18 Mosquitoes - of 4, 6 and 8 Groups attacked 8 coastal battery positions near Brest. Most of the bombing was accurate. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster lost.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
2 Mosquitoes in preliminary reconnaissance of targets, 182 training aircraft on a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 36 Mosquitoes to Berlin and 22 to five other targets, 47 R.C.M. sorties, 68 Mosquito patrols, 6 Halifaxes minelaying off La Pallice, 6 aircraft on Resistance operations. This was the first occasion on which 100 Group dispatched more than 100 aircraft, 1 R.C.M. Fortress lost.
Total effort for the night: 1,311 sorties, 25 aircraft (1.9 percent) lost and 8 more aircraft crashed in England, including 3 O.T.U. Wellingtons from the diversionary sweep. The total effort for this night was a new record for Bomber Command, exceeding by exactly 100 the number of aircraft dispatched on 5/6 June, the eve of D-Day.
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KIEL
372 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitoes of 1, 3 and 8 Groups. 17 Lancasters lost, 4.6 percent of the Lancaster force.
The Pathfinder marking was hampered by smoke-screens but the local report tells of a very serious raid with heavy bombing in the town centre and surrounding districts and widespread fires fanned by a strong wind. The Rathaus was completely burnt out and many other public buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged. A large public shelter, the Waisenhof bunker, was cut off by fire but the report does not say whether the people inside were eventually rescued. 134 people were killed and 1,002 were injured.
KNIGSBERG
174 Lancasters of 5 Group to this target, which was an important supply port for the German Eastern Front. The route to the target was 950 miles from the 5 Group bases. Photographic reconnaissance showed that the bombing fell in the eastern part of the town but no report is available from the target, now Kaliningrad in Russian Lithuania. 4 Lancasters lost.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
108 training aircraft on a diversionary sweep to Normandy, 21 Mosquitoes to Berlin, 13 to Hamburg and 12 to five other targets, 19 R.C.M. sorties, 70 Mosquito patrols, 30 Lancasters and 15 Halifaxes minelaying off Danzig and Kiel. 7 aircraft lost - 5 Lancaster minelayers, 1 Mosquito R.C.M. aircraft and 1 Mosquito Serrate aircraft.
Total effort for the night: 844 sorties, 28 aircraft (3.3 percent) lost.
