The 627 Sqdn left from Woodhall Spa at 1944-12-30 at 19:23. Loc or duty Gardening
He flew with a de Havilland Mosquito (type IV, serial DZ650, code AZ-Q).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): 2 missions are flown.
Mission 770: 1,315 bombers and 572 fighters are sent to attack rail and communications targets in W Germany; 4 bombers and 2 fighters are lost:
1. 526 B-17s are dispatched to hit marshalling yards at Kassel (314) and Mannheim (181); 9 other hit a targets of opportunity; 3 B-17s are lost and 37 damaged; 24 airmen are MIA.
Escorting are 301 of 325 P-51s; 2 are lost (pilots MIA).
2. 414 B-17s are sent to hit rail bridges at Bullay (72) and Kaiserslautern (72) and the marshalling yard at Bischoffsheim (35); secondary targets are the marshalling yards at Kaiserslautern (144) and Mainz (45); and 25 hit the city of Kassel; 1 B-17 is lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 24 damaged; 12 airmen are KIA and 6 MIA.
Escort is provided by 144 of 154 P-51s without loss.
3. 369 B-24s are sent to hit rail bridges at Altenahr (61), Auskirchen (91), and Irlich (58), the Irlich rail bridge (58), the Remagen Bridge (57) and the marshalling yard at Mechernich (87); 1 B-24 is damaged.
The escort is 63 of 72 P-47s without loss.
4. 6 of 6 B-17s fly a screening mission.
5. 20 of 21 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
Mission 771: 8 B-24s and 3 B-17s drop leaflet in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Germany during the night.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): Weather forces the recall and cancellation of the 9th Bombardment Division and IX Tactical Air Command missions; the XXIX Tactical Air Command (Provisional) flies armed reconnaissance over the battle area and around Wallersheim, Germany and the XIX Tactical Air Command covers large areas of France, Belgium, and Germany hitting numerous ground targets and supports the US III, VIII, and XII Corps in the Saint-Hubert and Bastogne, Belgium and the Diekirch, Luxembourg areas.
Campaign report of the RAF:
29/30 December 1944
Scholven/Buer: 324 Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 6 and 8 Groups. 4 Lancasters lost. The raid took place in difficult conditions. There was thick cloud over the target but Oboe skymarkers were accurately placed and the oil refinery was badly hit. The local report says that 300 high-explosive bombs fell within the oil-plant area. There were two large and 10 small fires and much damage to piping and storage tanks.
197 aircraft - 159 Halifaxes, 24 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitos - of 6 and 8 Groups attempted to bomb the railway yards at Troisdorf but most of the attack missed the target. No other details are available. No aircraft lost.
28 RCM sorties, 28 Mosquito patrols, 16 aircraft of No 6 Group minelaying in the River Elbe, 8 Mosquitos of No 5 Group minelaying off Oslo. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 623 sorties, 4 aircraft (0.6 per cent) lost.
30 December 1944
13 Lancasters of No 617 Squadron set out to bomb the U-boat pens at Ijmuiden but the raid was abandoned because of bad weather.
30/31 December 1944
Cologne: 470 aircraft - 356 Halifaxes, 93 Lancasters, 21 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups to attack the area in which the Kalk-Nord railway yards were situated. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster lost. The presence of cloud caused difficulties for the Pathfinders and the outcome of the raid could not be observed. But the local report shows that the Kalk-Nord yards, as well as the 2 passenger stations near by, were severely damaged. At least 2 ammunition trains blew up. Nearby Autobahns were also badly damaged, all adding to the effect upon the German transportation system.
154 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of No 5 Group attacked a German supply bottleneck in a narrow valley at Houffalize. The results of the raid are not known. 1 Lancaster crashed in France.
68 Mosquitos to Hannover, 9 to Bochum and 8 to Duisburg, 32 RCM sorties, 36 Mosquito patrols, 11 Lancasters minelaying off Heligoland, 21 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 821 sorties, 3 aircraft (0.4 per cent) lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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