The story
NORTH SEA-HELIGOLAND
24 Wellingtons attacked German warships, claiming 1 hit on a cruiser. Me 109s and HQS, believed to have been alerted by a patrol ship, appeared and attacked the Wellington formations. In the ensuing combats, no bombers were lost but one Me 109 was hit and possibly shot down.
1 Wellington, from 115 Squadron, suffered a bomb 'hang-up' on its bombing run and this bomb later dropped accidentally on the island of Heligoland. This was the first bomb to drop on German soil during the war.
3 further Wellingtons sent out later to attack these German ships failed to make contact. There were no R.A.F. losses during this day's operations.
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You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.