He flew with a Vickers Wellington (type IV, serial Z1277, code GR-Z).
November
A new record number of sorties was flown during the night of the 7th/8th, when 392 aircraft were despatched with the main objectives being Berlin (169 aircraft), Cologne (75) and Mannheim (55). The Berlin raid suffered not only from cloud obscuring the target, but also at the hands of flak and fighters. 21 aircraft (12.4%) were lost (10 Wellingtons, 9 Whitleys and 2 Stirlings). Overall, 37 aircraft failed to return, a rate of 9.4%. These losses were rapidly swinging the balance against Bomber Command - indeed, no air force could sustain this amount of losses for any length of time and, in an attempt to rebuild the Command's confidence, less well-defended targets were chosen for future attacks. In four months, Bomber Command had lost the equivalent of its entire frontline strength, 526 aircraft, and morale on the squadrons was low.
On the 13th, the Air Ministry dropped the bombshell to the Command's AOCinC, Air Marshal Sir Richard Pierse, that the bomber offensive in its present form was to be stopped whilst the future shape and tactics of Bomber Command was debated. With the exception of a few minor raids in the following months this is exactly what happened and, by early January, Pierse had been posted from his position.
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