PLITZ
207 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of 5 Group attacked the synthetic-oil refinery at Plitz, near Stettin. 3 Lancasters were lost and 5 more crashed in England.
Post-raid reconnaissance showed that the power-station chimneys had collapsed and that other parts of the plant were damaged.
COLOGNE/NIPPES
136 aircraft - 67 Lancasters, 54 Halifaxes, 15 Mosquitoes - of 4, 6 and 8 Groups attacked the important Nippes marshalling yards which were being used to serve the German offensive in the Ardennes. No aircraft lost.
The target was cloud-covered and only a few bombs hit the railway yards but these caused the destruction of 40 wagons, a repair workshop and several railway lines. The city slaughterhouse in nearby Ehrenfeld was also destroyed. 14 people were killed and 13 injured.
BONN
97 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitoes of 1 and 8 Groups attempted to attack railway areas but thick cloud cover prevented an accurate raid and later reconnaissance showed that the railway target was not hit. No other details are available. No aircraft lost.
Minor Operations: 4 Lancasters of 5 Group to Schneidmhl as a diversion for the Plitz raid, 15 R.C.M. sorties, 12 Mosquito patrols, 30 Lancasters and 23 Halifaxes minelaying in the Kattegat. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 542 sorties, 3 aircraft (0.6 percent) lost.
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KOBLENZ
166 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitoes, mostly from 1 Group but with some Pathfinders. No aircraft lost.
The aiming point was the Mosel railway yards. There was some cloud in the target area and the local report says that the main weight of the attack fell in farming areas between 2 and 4 kilometres to the west, where the villages of Gls and Rbenach were badly hit. But the fringes of the bombing fell on the railway yards, several main lines and 2 important road bridges. Fatal casualties were: 40 people in Koblenz (including 34 policemen and air-raid workers and a French labourer), 90 in Gls and 19 in Rbenach.
BINGEN
106 aircraft - 90 Halifaxes of 4 Group and 14 Lancasters and 2 Mosquitoes of 8 Group. 2 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster lost.
The railway yards were again the objective of the raid. The attack was extremely accurate and all the bombs fell into the yards or into the nearby Rhine, where 2 barges were sunk. All movement of supplies by rail through Bingen to the Ardennes battle front ceased. About 150 houses in the town suffered blast damage but not one civilian was killed or injured. The town wine store was, however, hit.
Minor Operations: 44 aircraft of 100 Group flew R.C.M. sorties and Mosquito patrols (the figure cannot be broken down). No aircraft lost.
