The 7 Sqdn left from Oakington at 1942-06-29 at 23:29. Loc or duty St-Nazaire

On Monday 29 June 1942, a member of the 7 Sqdn, Sergeant G Collins, 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 23:29.

He flew with a Short Stirling (type I, serial W7539, code MG-K).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

(8th Air Force): Captain Charles C Kegelman [Commanding Officer, 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light)], flying on a mission with 12 RAF Bostons against Hazebrouck marshalling yard, France, becomes the first member of the 8th Air Force drop bombs on enemy-occupied Europe. The first pilot fatality of the 8th Air Force in the ETO is suffered when First Lieutenant Alfred W Giacomini of the 31st Fighter Group crashes a Spitfire while landing at Atcham, England.

Campaign report of the RAF:

28/29 June 1942

Minor Operations 14 aircraft to St Nazaire, 4 Lancasters minelaying in the River Gironde, 1 Stirling on leaflet flight. 1 Stirling on the St Nazaire raid was lost.

29 June 1942

12 Bostons bombed railway yards at Hazebrouck without loss. 1 of the Bostons was manned by Captain Kegelman and his all-American crew, the first Americans of the Eighth Air Force to take part in a bomber operation. Their hosts were 226 Squadron at Swanton Morley.

29/30 June 1942

Bremen

253 aircraft - 108 Wellingtons, 64 Lancasters, 47 Stirlings, 34 Halifaxes - dispatched, the first time that 4-engined bombers provided more than half of the force on a major raid. 11 aircraft - 4 Stirlings, 4 Wellingtons, 3 Halifaxes - were lost.
The Bremen report shows that 48 houses were destroyed and 934 damaged, mostly lightly. Extensive damage occured in 5 important war industries, including the Focke-Wulf factory and the A.G. Weser U-boat construction yard, and at the local gasworks, a museum and a merchant-navy college. Most of this damage was caused by fire.

Minor Operations: 18 Blenheim Intruders, 7 Wellingtons minelaying off St Nazaire, 5 leaflet flights. No losses.

With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!

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