MOSQUITO OPERATIONS
60 Mosquitoes to Berlin and 21 in small numbers to 6 other targets. No aircraft lost.
---
COLOGNE
733 aircraft - 428 Lancasters, 286 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitoes. 4 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters lost.
The bombing took place in 2 separate waves and the local report confirms that enormous damage was caused. The districts of Mlheim and Zollstock, north-east and south-west of the centre respectively, became the centre of the 2 raids and were both devastated. Classed as completely destroyed were: 2,239 blocks of flats, 15 industrial premises, 11 schools, 3 police stations and a variety of other buildings. Much damage was also caused to power-stations, railways and harbour installations on the Rhine. 630 German people were killed or their bodies never found and 1,200 were injured. The number of foreign casualties is not known.
WALCHEREN
277 aircraft - 155 Halifaxes, 86 Lancasters, 36 Mosquitoes - of 4 and 8 Groups carried out raids on gun positions at 5 places on the rim of the newly flooded island. Most of the bombing appeared to be successful. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster lost.
Minor Operations: 4 R.C.M. sorties, 1 Hudson on a Resistance operation. No losses.
Total effort for the day: 1,015 sorties, 9 aircraft (0.9 percent) lost.
---
BERGEN
237 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitoes of 5 Group to attack the U-boat pens. It is probable that 5 Group had been waiting to attack this important target for several days; the Group had not flown any operations since 23 October. Clear conditions were forecast for the target area, although there were some doubts about this. Unfortunately the area was found to be cloud-covered. The Master Bomber tried to bring the force down below 5,000 ft but cloud was still encountered and he ordered the raid to be abandoned after only 47 Lancasters had bombed. 3 Lancasters lost.
The town of Bergen again provides a good report. 4 bombs did hit the roofs of the U-boat pens but the operations of the base were not affected. 35 houses were destroyed and 50 were damaged around the harbour area but the population here may have been evacuated; no one was killed in that area. There was a second bombing area, however, in the town centre. Further houses were hit and 52 civilians and 2 Germans were killed. A particularly sad loss for the people of Bergen was the Engen Theatre, 'an old wooden theatre - a magnificent, large building and the oldest theatre in Europe'.
Minor Operations: 30 Mosquitoes to Cologne, 4 to Karlsruhe and 3 to Rheine, 8 R.C.M. sorties, 5 Mosquito patrols, 14 Lancasters minelaying off Oslo. No aircraft lost.
