DUISBURG
Bomber Command continued Operation Hurricane by dispatching 1,005 aircraft - 498 Lancasters, 468 Halifaxes, 39 Mosquitoes - to attack Duisburg again in 2 forces, 2 hours apart. 941 aircraft dropped 4,040 tons of high explosive and 500 tons of incendiaries during the night. 5 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes were lost.
Nearly 9,000 tons of bombs had thus fallen on Duisburg in less than 48 hours. Local reports are difficult to obtain. The Duisburg Stadtarchiv does not have the important Endbericht - the final report. Small comments are available: 'Heavy casualties must be expected.' 'Very serious property damage. A large number of people buried.' 'Thyssen Mines III and IV: About 8 days loss of production.' 'Duisburg-Hamborn: All mines and coke ovens lay silent.'
BRUNSWICK
Not only could Bomber Command dispatch more than 2,000 sorties to Duisburg in less than 24 hours, but there was still effort to spare for 5 Group to attack Brunswick with 233 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitoes. The various diversions and fighter support operations laid on by Bomber Command were so successful that only 1 Lancaster was lost from this raid.
Bomber Command had attempted to destroy Brunswick 4 times so far in 1944 and 5 Group finally achieved that aim on this night, using their own marking methods. It was Brunswick's worst raid of the war and the old centre was completely destroyed. A local report says 'the whole town, even the smaller districts, was particularly hard hit'. It was estimated by the local officials that 1,000 bombers had carried out the raid. Reliable statistics on damage are sparse; instead of quoting the normal number of buildings destroyed, the destruction was measured by hectares (150 hectares of the historic town area is mentioned). 561 people are believed to have died but there were near miraculous escapes when, 4 hours after the raid, firemen reached the first of 8 large public shelters which had been cut off in the 'sea of fire' in the centre of the town. An estimated 23,000 people were in these shelters and all but about 200 of them were rescued. Among the relief which arrived to help the 80,000 people bombed out was the Hilfzug Bayern, a train from far-away Bavaria equipped with technical help and kitchens for mass-feeding arrangements.
Brunswick was not raided again in strength by Bomber Command.
SUPPORT AND MINOR OPERATIONS
141 training aircraft on a diversionary sweep to Heligoland, 20 Mosquitoes to Hamburg, 16 to Berlin, 8 to Mannheim and 2 to DÜSSELDORF, 132 aircraft of 100 Group on R.C.M., Serrate and Intruder flights (no sub-totals are available), 8 aircraft on Resistance operations. 1 Halifax was lost on the diversionary sweep - it was seen to dive into the sea in flames - and 1 Mosquito was lost from the Berlin raid.
Total effort for the night: 1,572 sorties, 10 aircraft (0.6 percent) lost. Total effort for the 24 hours: 2,589 sorties, 24 aircraft (0.9 percent) lost. Total tonnage of bombs dropped in 24 hours: approximately 10,050 tons. These record totals would never be exceeded in the war.
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Sorpe Dam
18 Lancasters of 9 Squadron, 5 Group, to attack the dam at the Sorpe reservoir, the second most important supply of water for the Ruhr and one of the targets for the original Dams Raid by 617 Squadron in 1943. 16 aircraft dropped Tallboys or other bombs from 15,000 ft and hits were seen on the face of the earth dam but no breach was made. No aircraft lost.
Minor Operations: 3 R.C.M. sorties, 4 Hudsons on Resistance operations. No losses.
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WILHELMSHAVEN
506 aircraft - 257 Halifaxes, 241 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes - from all groups except 5 Group on the last of 14 major Bomber Command raids on Wilhelmshaven that began in early 1941.
Bomber Command claimed 'severe damage' to the business and residential areas. A short local report mentions only that the Rathaus was completely destroyed and that 30 people were killed and 92 injured. A further report from Wilhelmshaven, giving overall air-raid details, shows that this port town - a major naval base - escaped relatively lightly in the war. In 26 R.A.F. and American raids, only 510 civilians, 24 servicemen and 30 foreign workers were killed.
Minor Operations: 44 Mosquitoes to Hamburg, 6 to Saarbrcken and 2 each to DÜSSELDORF and Kassel, 33 R.C.M. sorties, 42 Mosquito patrols, 22 Halifaxes and 15 Lancasters minelaying off Denmark, 2 aircraft on Resistance operations. 2 Halifaxes and 2 Lancasters lost from the minelaying operation.
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in 1 Group and flew Lancasters from Kelstern, Dunholme Lodge and Hemswell until the end of the war.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
170 Squadron flew 980 sorties and lost 13 aircraft (1.3 percent) in 63 bombing raids,
1 Lancaster was destroyed in a crash.
171 SQUADRON
SERVICE
Formed in September 1944 for R.C.M. operations in 100 Group and flew Stirlings and Halifaxes from North Creake until the end of the war.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
171 Squadron flew 87 Stirling sorties without loss in 33 R.C.M. operations and 1,496 Halifax sorties with the loss of 4 aircraft (03 percent) in 95 R.C.M. operations.
180 SQUADRON
SERVICE
Formed in 2 Group on
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and flew Lancasters from Bardney and Fulbeck until the end of the war.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
189 Squadron flew 652 Lancaster sorties and lost 16 aircraft (2.5 percent) in 48 bombing raids. 2 Lancasters were destroyed in crashes.
192 SQUADRON
SERVICE
Formed from 1474 Flight on
