The 627 Sqdn left from Woodhall Spa at 1944-10-30 at 11:01. Loc or duty Walcheren
He flew with a de Havilland Mosquito (type IV, serial DZ640, code AZ-U).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): 3 missions are flown.
Mission 693: 1,279 bombers and 978 fighters fly a major mission against German oil production facilities; 2 bombers and 5 fighters are lost:
1. 357 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Harburg oil refinery (72) and Rhenania oil refinery (67) at Hamburg; targets of opportunity are Hamburg (28), Cuxhaven (25), Wesermunde (21), Uetersen (9), Bremen (1) and other (1); 2 B-24s are lost and 30 damaged; 19 airmen are MIA.
Escort is provided by 293 P-47s and P-51s; 4 P-51s are lost (pilots MIA).
2. 463 B-17s dispatched hit secondary targets, the marshalling yards at Hamm (209) and Munster (192); targets of opportunity are Osnabruck (12), Enschede (2) and other (4); 17 B-17s are damaged; 1 airman is WIA and 2 MIA.
Escort is provided by 123 of 135 P-47s; 1 P-47 is lost (pilot MIA).
3. 459 B-17s dispatched to hit the Leuna oil refinery at Merseburg are recalled due to deteriorating weather; 2 B-17s are damaged.
Escort is provided by 482 of 508 P-51s without loss.
Mission 693A: 2 of 5 B-17s make an APHRODITE attack on Heligoland Island, Germany; escort is provided by 7 of 7 P-47s.
26 of 27 B-17s, escorted by 8 of 8 P-47s, fly a cover mission to Heligoland without loss.
Mission 694: 2 B-17s and 7 B-24s drop leaflets in the Netherlands and Germany during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): B-26s are recalled from a mission (mainly against bridges) because of bad weather; fighters fly patrols and armed reconnaissance over NE France and in W Germany around Aachen and the Rhine River; XIX Tactical Air Command escorts B-26s and heavy bombers of the Eighth AF.
In France, HQ 387th Bombardment Group (Medium) moves from Chateaudun to Clastres.
Campaign report of the RAF:
29/30 October 1944
59 Mosquitos to Cologne and 6 to Mannheim, 55 Mosquitos on Serrate and Intruder patrol. No aircraft lost.
30 October 1944
102 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group successfully attacked gun batteries on Walcheren. 1 Mosquito lost. This was the last Bomber Command raid in support of the Walcheren campaign and the opening of the River Scheldt. The attack by ground troops on Walcheren commenced on 31 October and the island fell after a week of fighting by Canadian and Scottish troops, including Commandos who sailed their landing craft through the breaches in the sea walls made earlier by Bomber Command. It required a further 3 weeks before the 40 mile river entrance to Antwerp was cleared of mine and the first convoy did not arrive in the port until 28 November.
102 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H raid on the oil refinery at Wesseling. No results were seen because of the cloud but the bombing was believed to be accurate. No aircraft lost.
7 RCM sorties, 1 Hudson on a Resistance operation. No losses.
30/31 October 1944
Cologne: 905 aircraft - 438 Halifaxes, 435 Lancasters, 32 Mosquitos. No aircraft lost. This was an Oboe-marked raid through cloud, and Bomber Command estimated that only 'scattered and light' damage was caused in the western parts of the city. But the local report shows that enormous damage was caused in the suburbs of Braunsfeld, Lindenthal, Klettenberg and Sülz, which were 'regelrecht umgepflügt' - 'thoroughly ploughed up' - by the huge tonnage of high explosive dropped (3,431 tons of high explosive and 610 tons of incendiaries were dropped). A vast amount of property, mostly civilian housing, was destroyed but railways and public utilities were also hit. There was little industry in the area which was bombed.
62 Mosquitos to Berlin and 3 each to Heilbronn and Oberhausen, 42 RCM sorties, 57 Mosquito patrols. 2 Mosquitos were lost - 1 from the Berlin raid and 1 Intruder.
Total effort for the night: 1,072 sorties, 2 aircraft (0.2 per cent) lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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