The story
WANNE-EICKEL
285 Lancasters and 24 Mosquitoes of 1 and 8 Groups. 1 Lancaster lost.
The intention of the raid was to hit the local oil plant. Large explosions seemed to erupt in the plant and post-raid reconnaissance showed that some further damage was caused to it. The local report does not mention the oil plant but states that the Hannibal coal mine was destroyed and that 57 people were killed, 35 of them in a 'Bunkerpanik'.
Minor Operations: 31 Mosquitoes to Wiesbaden (a 'spoof' raid), 21 to Hannover and 6 to Erfurt, 29 R.C.M. sorties, 44 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.
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1 Hudson Resistance flight.
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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.