He flew with a Avro Lancaster (type I, serial W4192, code QR-E).
(Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command Mission 29: The primary targets are the steel and locomotive works and marshaling yard at Lille, France. The 1st Bombardment Wing dispatches 72 B-17s; 64 drop 125 tons of bombs on the targets between 1427 and 1430 hours local. Locomotive construction and repair work is seriously imparied. We claim 3 enemy aircraft destroyed, 4 probably destroyed and 5 damaged; three B-17s are lost, 15 are damaged; human casualties are 2 KIA, 9 WIA and 30 MIA. Sixteen B-24s of the 4th Bombardment Wing fly a diversionary raid. Escort for the raid plus two raids by RAF Bostons against St Omer, France is provided by 69 Spitfire Mk Vs of the 4th Fighter Group. They claim 3 destroyed, 4 probably destroyed and 5 damaged; one Spitfire is lost. One Spitfire is forced down at Tangmere due to engine failure and sustained major damage. Two other Spitfire Mk Vs also flew an uneventful fighter patrol. HQ 56th Fighter Group and its subordinate 61st and 62d Fighter Squadrons are established at Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, England upon arrival from the US; the 63d Fighter Squadron is established at Wittering, Northamptonshire. The group will be equipped with P-47C-2 and P-47C-5 aircraft in Feb. The ground echelon of the 1st Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) joins the air echelon at St Eval, Cornwall, England. The air echelon with B-24s has been operating from St Eval since 10 Nov 42.
4 Pathfinder Mosquitos and 55 Lancasters of Nos 1 and 5 Groups in problematical attack on Essen. 1 Lancaster lost.
The Oboe equipment of the first Mosquito to arrive failed and the other 3 Mosquitos were all late. Because of this, many of the Lancasters bombed on dead reckoning. Some bombs did fall in Essen, where 20 houses were destroyed or seriously damaged and 9 people were killed, but other bombs fell in Neviges, Remscheid, Solingen and Wuppertal, a group of towns 12-20 miles south of Essen. 19 people were killed in Remscheid.
32 aircraft minelaying of Biscay ports without loss.
36 aircraft of No 2 Group - 18 Venturas, 12 Bostons, 6 Mosquitos - attacked airfield and railway targets in France. 6 Wellingtons laid mines in the Frisian Islands. No aircraft lost.
Another trial raid on Essen by 3 Mosquitos and 66 Lancasters. 4 Lancasters lost.
Another poor raid for Oboe aircraft - 2 aircraft had to return without marking and the skymarkers of the third aircraft failed to ignite above the cloud. German aircraft also appeared to have dropped decoy flares to distract the Lancasters. Despite all this, Essen reports a sharp raid with 63 people killed, including 11 French prisoners of war and 6 other foreigners.
This raid concluded the Oboe trials.
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