He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type III, serial MZ563, code LK-Y).
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 313: 382 fighters attack airfields and other targets in N France, Belgium and NW Germany; results are generally good:
1. 136 P-38s attack Laon, Tours and Chateaudun Airfields, France using Droopsnoot aircraft; they claim 1-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 2 P-38s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 2 damaged; 2 pilots are MIA.
2. 166 P-47s attack Leningen, Le Culot and Chievres Airfields, Belgium and Denain/Prouvy and Hagenau Airfields, France; they claim 7-0-22 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 5 P-47s are lost and 19 damaged; 5 pilots are MIA.
3. 80 P-51s hit unknown targets; they claim 3-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft on the ground; 2 are damaged; no losses.
Mission 314: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 1.78 million leaflets on Rennes, Brest, Lorient, St Nazaire and Nantes, France at 2354-0012 hours without loss.
9 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.
4th, 7th, 18th and 391st Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 34th Bombardment Group (Heavy), arrive at Mendelsham, England from the US with B-24s (first mission is 23 May).
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): 307 B-26s and 57 A-20s attack NOBALL (V-weapon) targets, gun positions and marshalling yards in the Pas de Calais, France area and in an adjacent area of Belgium. Around 1,000 P-47s and P-51s dive-bomb numerous targets throughout France and the Low Countries.
Düsseldorf: 596 aircraft - 323 Lancasters, 254 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitos - of all groups except No 5. 29 aircraft - 16 Halifaxes and 13 Lancasters - lost, 4.9 percent of the force. 2,150 tons of bombs were dropped in this old-style heavy attack on a German city which caused much destruction but also allowed the German night-fighter force to penetrate the bomber stream. The attack fell mostly in the northern districts of Düsseldorf. Widespread damage was caused.
238 Lancasters and 17 Mosquitos of No 5 Group and 10 Lancasters of No 1 Group despatched to Brunswick. Few German fighters were attracted to this raid and only 4 Lancasters were lost, 1.5 per cent of the force. This raid is of importance to the history of the bombing war because it was the first time that the No 5 Group low-level marking method was used over a heavily defended German city. The raid was not successful. The initial marking by No 617 Squadron Mosquitos was accurate but many of the main force of bombers did not bomb these, partly because of a thin layer of cloud which hampered visibility and partly because of faulty communications between the various bomber controllers. Many bombs were dropped in the centre of the city but the remainder of the force bombed reserve H2S-aimed target indicators which were well to the south.
Laon railway yards: 181 aircraft - 69 Halifaxes, 52 Lancasters, 48 Stirlings, 12 Mosquitos - of Nos 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. 9 aircraft - 4 Lancasters, 3 Stirlings, 2 Halifaxes - lost, 5.0 per cent of the force. The attack was carried out in 2 waves and severe damage was caused. The aircraft of one of the Master Bombers, Wing Commander AGS Cousens of No 635 Squadron, was shot down; Wing Commander Cousens was killed.
17 Mosquitos on diversion raid to Mannheim and 2 more to a flying-bomb store at Wissant, 10 RCM sorties, 19 Serrate and 7 Intruder patrols, 19 aircraft on leaflet flights. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 1,116 sorties, 42 aircraft (3.8 per cent) lost.
Minelaying: 114 aircraft - 70 Halifaxes, 30 Stirlings, 14 Lancasters - to lay mines in 5 areas of the Baltic. 4 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling lost.
25 Mosquitos carried out a harassing raid on Mannheim without loss.
12 G-H Stirlings bombed a signals depot at Brussels without loss.
2 RCM sorties, 4 Serrate patrols, 10 aircraft on Resistance operations, 6 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.
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