25 Mosquitoes: 12 to Essen, 9 to Duisburg, 2 to Aachen, 2 to Koblenz. 1 aircraft lost.
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BRUNSWICK
496 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes on the first major raid to Brunswick of the war. 38 Lancasters lost, 7.6 percent of the force. The German running commentary was heard following the progress of the bomber force from a position only 40 miles from the English coast and many German fighters entered the bomber stream soon after the German frontier was crossed near Bremen. The German fighters scored steadily until the Dutch coast was crossed on the return flight. 11 of the lost aircraft were Pathfinders.
Brunswick was smaller than Bomber Command's usual targets and this raid was not a success. The city report describes this only as a 'light' raid, with bombs in the south of the city which had only 10 houses destroyed and 14 people killed. Most of the attack fell either in the countryside or in Wolfenbttel and other small towns and villages well to the south of Brunswick.
FLYING-BOMB SITES
82 aircraft - 59 Stirlings, 13 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitoes - attacked sites at Ailly, Bonneton and Bristillerie without loss.
Minor Operations: 11 Mosquitoes to Magdeburg and 6 to Berlin, 9 R.C.M. sorties, 2 Serrate patrols, 29 aircraft minelaying off Brest and in the Frisians, 36 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.
Total effort for the night: 673 sorties, 38 aircraft (56 percent) lost.
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and flew Halifaxes from Snaith and Burn until the end of the war.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
578 Squadron flew 2,721 Halifax sorties and lost 40 aircraft (1.5 percent) in 155 bombing raids.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Victoria Cross: Pilot Officer C. J. Barton, posthumously, Nuremberg,
