continued …

Bomber Command

Some 53 aircraft were assigned to attack German aerodromes (43 carried out their assigned missions). The balance of the Command’s 122 sorties comprised 49 despatched to Berlin (30 apparently reaching the city) and 17 to oil refineries at Hamburg, while three laid mines. Large fires “which could be seen from a considerable distance” were started in the German capital.

Results against the aerodromes were held to be good, Blenheims making the following attacks:

German base

Unit

Sorties

 

German Air Ministry situation report (GMT+2)

Amiens/Glisy

II./KG 26

4

 

20.30: Amiens-Glisy, 6 x HE, attack on the airfield dispersals, 1 aircraft slightly damaged.

Étaples

 

3

 

21.45–23.25: Étaples, several bombs, 2 attacks on airfield, no damage.

Cambrai-Niergnies

III./KG 2

2

 

20.31: Cambrai, 11 x HE, dropped on airfield Cambrai-Süd, 1 soldier injured, 1 aircraft slightly damaged.

Douai

 

2

 

00.45 & 04.20: Vitry-en-Artois, 1 x HE, MG fire, 1 He 111 slightly damaged.

Beauvais

KG 76

2

 

21.25: Beauvais-Tillé, 5 x HE, 1 hit on take-off strip, 4 on landing area.

Vendeville

 

2

 

22.08: Vendeville, 2 x HE, dropped near airfield, no damage.

Le Culot

KG 3

2

 

 

Dunkirk

 

2

 

 

Lendeville & Flers

 

1

 

 

One Blenheim was dispatched to each of Melun, Orly (both KG 51), Béthune-la-Buissière, Estrée, St. Pierre, Corbel, Rennes, Chartres (KG 55) and Knocke. Another attacked Ivry-la-Cataille, Chartres (KG 55) and Châteaudun (LG 1).

The crew attacking Melun reported fires started in the hangars and bursts close to 14 aircraft on the ground. At Chartres an enemy aircraft was reported set alight on the flare path. From 21.16–23.01 GMT, 13 bombers were heading home under control from Chartres when a raid warning was given and they were first diverted to Dreux before being told that Chartres was now clear. Some landed but there was a second alert and the remainder were again directed to Dreux. In coping with these emergencies, the Germans’ security lapsed, revealing the “G1” code of KG 55. The Y-Service also heard how two aircraft were ordered to land at Le Culot since St. Trond was under attack (KG 3 was using both these aerodromes).

Reports from some of the above targets figure in the German situation report (times GMT+2):

 

20.40–22.55

St. Trond

2 x HE

dropped on the airfield near the 9. Staffel [KG 3] dispersals, no damage.

 

21.53–22.25

Corbeil-Melun

several HE

no damage.

 

22.15

[Melun-] Villaroche

2 x HE

dropped on airfield, no damage.

 

22.45

Chartres

1 x HE

dropped on runway, no damage.

 

23.26

Chateaudun

several HE

on airfield, no damage

 

00.44–00.47

Rennes

3 x HE

dropped on field between runway and hangars, no damage.

Perhaps the heaviest attack fell on Épinoy between 21.08 and 22.16, involving 18 x HE (six of which fell on a decoy site) and machine gun fire on two aircraft in the process of landing, but no damage was caused.

Three other Blenheims attacked targets of opportunity: Ostend, Dunkirk and Boulogne; Flak positions at Le Touquet; and a flare path, canal locks and four ships (presumably on a canal) near Brussels.

In Holland, 15 Wellingtons attacked Schiphol and Soesterberg (III./KG 4 and III./KG 30 respectively). At the former, three large white explosions occurred, followed by a large red fire which was seen from 40 miles away. Burst were also reported on hangars, runways and transport showing lights, while buildings were machine-gunned (the Luftwaffe reported several HE dropped on the lighting installation and one building slightly damaged). The fires at Soesterberg were also visible from some distance (five HE reported, three of them delayed-action, falling in the immediate vicinity of the airfield, about 500 m from the “high tower” of the Flak barracks, no damage).

Over Berlin “a heavy attack … was delivered against military objectives” with 17 tons of H.E., 4,000 incendiaries, and six 1,500 lb. land mines. Twelve Wellingtons struck the Schlesischer Bahnhof (Ostbahnhof) and:

Incendiaries were seen to burst on and around the station and marshalling yards, with 12 explosions alongside a train. 3 large explosions caused extensive red fires which in turn caused green explosions. 3 fires seen on the SW edge of the target were seen for 20 minutes by circling aircraft.

Eight Whitleys bombed the Putlitzstraße marshalling yard with “many large and small fires seen in target area”; one attacked the marshalling yard at Tempelhof; and another the Anhalter Bahnhof. The final aircraft bombed an airframe factory. Although the German authorities logged extensive damage to Berlin’s residential blocks with more than 1,150 people made homeless in three incidents in Friedrichshain, there is no mention of any damage to rail installations.

A force of Hampdens had also been dispatched (presumably to Berlin and Hamburg) but their reports were not received in time for inclusion in the briefing paper. All the Blenheims got home but 13 other bombers had been lost. One Wellington had ditched in the sea and Navy vessels and aircraft were searching for its crew. Another Wellington crew had bailed out over enemy territory. Five Whitleys were missing; one crew had ditched and was safe; and one aircraft had crashed at Kings Lynn on its return, with injuries to its crew. Four Hampdens were missing.

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