The 7 Sqdn left from Oakington at 1941-05-03 at 21:07. Loc or duty Hamburg

On Saturday 03 May 1941, a member of the 7 Sqdn, Flight Lieutenant A Cruickshank, took off from Oakington in the United Kingdom. His mission is mentioned elsewhere on Back to Normandy. You can find the other details of this mission by searching here. Training and cargo flights are not separately mentioned as a mission. The plane left at 21:07.

He flew with a Short Stirling (type I, serial N6012, code MG-D).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

No report

Campaign report of the RAF:

May

The daylight Channel Stop sorties claimed their first success when 2 vessels were claimed as sunk by Blenheims operating between France and Norway. Night-time raids were increasing in size and intensity with raids on Cologne, Hamburg, Mannheim and Bremen receiving repeated visits throughout the month. Over 100 aircraft were now regularly used against a single target in contrast to earlier months but the success of these raids was still limited and frequently suffered at the hands of the weather and, ironically, lack of moonlight. The most intensive night was that of 11th/12th May when 92 aircraft (91 Wellingtons and a solitary Stirling) went to Hamburg while 81 aircraft (48 Whitleys, 31 Hampdens and 2 Manchesters) raided Bremen. Although very little damage as done to industrial targets in either city, the new objective of area bombing in order to dampen enemy morale saw many houses hit. German Navy warships also figured in the planners' minds. Further attempts were made to dispose of the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in Brest and, on the 27th, 52 Wellingtons and 12 Stirlings were despatched to locate the Prinz Eugen, sister ship to the Bismarck (which had just been sunk in the Atlantic), but nothing was found. At the end of the month, 14 Whitleys were sent to bomb the Tirpitz at Kiel, but only three found the target in storms and thick cloud. The vessel survived unscathed.

With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!

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