The 7 Sqdn left from Oakington at 1941-11-08 at 17:31. Loc or duty Berlin

On Saturday 08 November 1941, a member of the 7 Sqdn, Flying Officer D B Van Buskirk, 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 17:31.

He flew with a Short Stirling (type I, serial N3677, code MG-J).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

No report

Campaign report of the RAF:

November

A new record number of sorties was flown during the night of the 7th/8th, when 392 aircraft were despatched with the main objectives being Berlin (169 aircraft), Cologne (75) and Mannheim (55). The Berlin raid suffered not only from cloud obscuring the target, but also at the hands of flak and fighters. 21 aircraft (12.4%) were lost (10 Wellingtons, 9 Whitleys and 2 Stirlings). Overall, 37 aircraft failed to return, a rate of 9.4%. These losses were rapidly swinging the balance against Bomber Command - indeed, no air force could sustain this amount of losses for any length of time and, in an attempt to rebuild the Command's confidence, less well-defended targets were chosen for future attacks. In four months, Bomber Command had lost the equivalent of its entire frontline strength, 526 aircraft, and morale on the squadrons was low.

On the 13th, the Air Ministry dropped the bombshell to the Command's AOCinC, Air Marshal Sir Richard Pierse, that the bomber offensive in its present form was to be stopped whilst the future shape and tactics of Bomber Command was debated. With the exception of a few minor raids in the following months this is exactly what happened and, by early January, Pierse had been posted from his position.

With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!

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