The 75 Sqdn left from Mepal at 1943-09-01 at 20:32. Loc or duty Berlin

On Wednesday 01 September 1943, a member of the 75 Sqdn, Flight Sergeant J G A Fisk, took off from Mepal 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 20:32.

He flew with a Short Stirling (type III, serial EH905, code AA-R).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

(Eighth Air Force):: The 506th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy), ceases operating from Benina, Libya with B-24's and returns to it's base at Shipdham, England.

Campaign report of the RAF:

31 August/1 September 1943

622 aircraft - 331 Lancasters, 176 Halifaxes, 106 Stirlings, 9 Mosquitos carried out a further attack on Berlin.

This raid was not successful. There was some cloud in the target area; this, together with difficulties with H2S equipment and probably the ferocity of the German defences, all combined to cause the Pathfinder markers to be dropped well south of the centre of the target area and the Main Force bombing to be even further away. The main bombing area eventually extended 30 miles back along the bombers' approach route. After this raid, Gauleiter Goebbels ordered the evacuation from Berlin of all children and all adults not engaged in war work to country areas or to towns in Eastern Germany where air raids were not expected. 47 aircraft - 20 Halifaxes, 17 Stirlings, 10 Lancasters - lost, 1.6 per cent of the force. The Stirling casualties were 16.0 per cent! Approximately two thirds of the bombers lost were shot down by German fighters operating over or near Berlin. The use of 'fighter flares', dropped by German aircraft to 'mark' the bomber routes into and away from the target, was noted for the first time in Bomber Command records.

30 OTU Wellingtons with 6 Mosquitos and 5 Halifaxes of the Pathfinders bombed an ammunition dump in the Forêt de Hesdin and 6 Mosquitos were sent to Brauweiler. No aircraft lost.

1 September 1943

30 OTU Wellingtons with 6 Mosquitos and 5 Lancasters of the Pathfinders successfully bombed an ammunition dump in the Forêt de Mormal, 8 Mosquitos were sent to Cologne and Duisburg, 89 aircraft were minelaying in the Frisians, near Texel and off Brittany and Biscay ports. 1 Stirling minelayer lost.

With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!

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