The story
Minor Operations
20 Halifaxes on Resistance operations, 6 O.T.U. sorties. No aircraft lost.
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JOIGNY-LA-ROCHE
127 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes of 1 and 5 Groups carried out an accurate raid on the railway yards in clear conditions. 1 Lancaster lost.
RILLY-LA-MONTAGE
97 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitoes of 5 and 8 Groups attacked the ends of a railway tunnel being used as a flying-bomb store. 617 Squadron caved in both ends of the tunnel with their Tallboy bombs and the other part of the bombing force cratered all the approach areas. 2 Lancasters were lost, including the 617 Squadron aircraft of Flight Lieutenant William Reid, who had won a Victoria Cross in 1943 in a raid on DÜSSELDORF while flying with 61 Squadron. Flight Lieutenant Reid survived.
LE HAVRE
52 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitoes of 1 and 8 Groups bombed the port area but the target soon became smoke-covered and results were uncertain, though one U-boat was believed to have been hit. 1 Lancaster lost.
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. Re-formed the following day as a Mosquito squadron for the Light Night Striking Force in 8 Group and flew from Downham Market until the end of the war.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
608 Squadron flew 1,726 Mosquito sorties and lost 9 aircraft (0.5 percent) in 246 bombing raids.
POINTS OF INTEREST
The only Auxiliary Air Force squadron to serve in Bomber Command, but there was little trace of the pre-war Auxiliary character at the time of the Bomber Command service.
617 SQUADRON
SERVICE
Formed on
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