KIEL
490 aircraft - 310 Lancasters, 173 Halifaxes, 7 Mosquitoes - of 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 4 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters lost.
The evidence of returning crews and of photographs caused Bomber Command to record this as 'a highly concentrated raid' with 'the old town and modern shopping centre devastated'. The local report confirms this as a heavy attack, and records damage in the centre and port areas, but describes how much of the bombing fell outside Kiel. Unusually low numbers of 12 deaths and 28 people injured were recorded.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
164 aircraft on a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 27 Mosquitoes to Berlin, 9 to Lbeck and 8 to Rheine airfield, 34 R.C.M. sorties, 56 Mosquito patrols, 68 Halifaxes and Lancasters minelaying near Oslo, in the Kattegat and in the River Elbe. 5 aircraft lost - 3 Mosquitoes and 1 Stirling of 100 Group and 1 Mosquito from the Berlin raid.
Total effort for the night: 856 sorties, 11 aircraft (1.3 percent) lost.
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MINOR OPERATIONS
9 aircraft on R.C.M. flights, 2 Mosquitoes on Ranger patrols, 14 Stirlings and 4 Hudsons on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
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OPERATION MARKET GARDEN
Bomber Command's main operations on this night were in support of the landings by British and American airborne troops at Arnhem and Nijmegen which took place the following morning.
200 Lancasters and 23 Mosquitoes of 1 and 8 Groups bombed the airfields at Hopsten, Leeuwarden, Steenwijk and Rheine, and 54 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitoes of 3 and 8 Groups bombed a Flak position at Moerdijk. The runways of all the airfields were well cratered but there were only near misses at the Flak position, although its approach road was cut. 2 Lancasters lost from the Moerdijk raid.
Minor Operations: 29 Mosquitoes to Brunswick and 4 to Dortmund, 14 R.C.M. sorties, 29 Mosquito patrols. 1 Mosquito lost from the Brunswick raid.
