9 R.C.M. sorties and 5 Mosquito Intruder patrols were flown without loss.
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WALCHEREN
50 aircraft - 34 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitoes, 6 Lancasters - of 1 and 6 Groups carried out a good attack on the Domburg coastal batteries without loss. One particularly large explosion was seen.
Minor Operations: 6 R.C.M. sorties, 2 Mosquitoes on Ranger patrols, 5 Hudsons on Resistance operations. No losses.
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NEUSS
549 aircraft - 378 Lancasters, 154 Halifaxes, 17 Mosquitoes - of 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups. 5 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes lost. Bomber Command's report states that most of the bombing fell in the dock and factory areas. A short local report only says that 617 houses and 14 public buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged, and that 289 people were killed and 150 injured.
DORTMUND-EMS CANAL
136 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitoes of 5 Group to bomb the banks of the 2 parallel branches of the canal at a point near Ladbergen, north of Mnster, where the level of the canal water was well above the level of the surrounding land. Despite the presence of 7/10ths cloud in the target area, breaches were made in the banks of both branches of the canal and a 6-mile stretch of it was drained. Most of this damage was caused by 2 direct hits by 12,000-lb Tallboy bombs dropped by aircraft of 617 Squadron at the opening of the raid.
14 Lancasters - more than 10 percent of the Lancaster force - were lost.
MNSTER/HANDORF AIRFIELD
113 aircraft - 107 Lancasters, 5 Mosquitoes, 1 Lightning - of 5 Group carried out a supporting raid on the local German night-fighter airfield just outside Mnster. 1 Lancaster lost. No photographic reconnaissance flight was carried out after this raid. Some of the bombs fell in Mnster itself; the town records 100 high-explosive bombs but no fatal casualties.
Minor Operations: 38 Mosquitoes to Bochum and 6 to Rheine night-fighter airfield, 31 R.C.M. sorties, 45 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 923 sorties, 22 aircraft (2.4 percent) lost.
