The 142 Sqdn left from Grimsby at 1942-10-06 at 18:57
He flew with a Vickers Wellington (type III, serial BK281, code QT-M).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
No report
Campaign report of the RAF:
5/6 October 1942
Aachen
257 aircraft - 101 Wellingtons, 74 Lancasters, 59 Halifaxes, 23 Stirlings. 10 aircraft - 5 Halifaxes, 2 Stirlings, 2 Wellingtons, 1 Lancaster - lost, 3.9 per cent of the force. A further 6 aircraft crashed in England, possibly in thunderstorms.
The weather continued to be bad over Germany. There was little Pathfinder marking at Aachen and most of the bombing fell in other areas. Aachen reports that the raid was carried out by an estimated 10 aircraft and that the centre of the attack appeared to be in the southern suburb of Burtscheid. 5 people were killed and 39 injured.
Many of the bombs intended for Aachen fell in the small Dutch town of Lutterade, 17 miles away from Aachen, and it seems that most of the Pathfinder marking was over this place. More than 800 houses were seriously damaged; 83 people were killed, 22 were injured and 3,000 were made homeless.
6 October 1942
7 Mosquitos to a diesel-engine works at Hengelo in Holland and to Bremen, Essen and Trier. All 7 aircraft bombed, though not always at their designated targets; none were lost.
6/7 October 1942
Osnabrück
237 aircraft - 101 Wellingtons, 68 Lancasters, 38 Stirlings, 30 Halifaxes. 6 aircraft - 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings - were lost, 2.5 per cent of the force.
The Pathfinders succeeded in illuminating the Dummer See, a large lake north-east of the target which was used as a run-in point. The town of Osnabrück was then found and marked. The bombing was well concentrated, with most of the attack falling in the centre and the southern parts of the target. Osnabrück's report shows that 149 houses were destroyed, 530 were seriously damaged and 2,784 lightly damaged. 6 industrial premises were destroyed and 14 damaged. 65 people were killed - 45 civilians, 16 policemen or servicemen and 4 foreign workers - and 151 were injured.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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