The 90 Sqdn left from Wratting Common at 1943-10-04 at 18:40. Loc or duty Kassel

On Monday 04 October 1943, a member of the 90 Sqdn, Flight Sergeant J W Kealy, took off from Wratting Common 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 18:40.

He flew with a Short Stirling (type III, serial BK723, code WP-D).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

(Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command Mission 108: 4 targets in Germany and a diversion are flown. 12 B-17's and 4 B-24's are lost. 1. 104 B-17's are dispatched to the Wiesbaden industrial area; 15 aircraft hit Wiesbaden and 77 hit the industrial area at Frankfurt at 1059-1105 hours; they claim 19-3-15 Luftwaffe aircraft; 5 B-17's are lost and 45 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 8 WIA and 40 MIA. 2. 37 of 51 B-17's dispatched to Frankfurt hit the target at 1110-1111 hours; they claim 18-8-22 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 B-17's are lost and 35 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA, 2 WIA and 30 MIA.

3. 115 B-17's are dispatched to the Saarlautern industrial area; 67 hit Saarlautern and 38 hit St Dizier/Robinson Airfield in France at 1136-1148 hours; they claim 37-7-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-17's are lost, 4 are damaged beyond repair and 19 damaged; casualties are 6 WIA and 29 MIA.

4. 47 of 53 B-17's dispatched hit Sarreguemnines and Saarbrucken marshalling yards at 1133-1139 hours; 2 B-17's are damaged; no casualties.

5. 38 B-24's fly a diversion; they claim 13-6-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 4 B-24's are lost and 19 damaged; casualties are 11 WIA and 43 MIA. These missions are escorted by 223 P-47's; they claim 19-1-2 Luftwaffe aircraft; 1 P-47 is damaged beyond repair and 15 damaged; casualties are 1 KIA. VIII Air Support Command Mission 79: 25 B-26's are dispatched to Beauvais/Nivilliers and Evreux/Fauville Airfield in France; they return to base without bombing. VIII Bomber Command Mission 109: 4 B-17's drop 240,352 leaflets over Paris between 2257-2307 hours.

Campaign report of the RAF:

3/4 October 1943

Kassel: 547 aircraft - 223 Halifaxes, 204 Lancasters, 113 Stirlings, 7 Mosquitos. The H2S 'blind marker' aircraft overshot the aiming point badly and the 'visual markers' could not correct this because their view of the ground was restricted by thick haze. German decoy markers may also have been present. The main weight of the attack thus fell on the western suburbs and outlying towns and villages. 24 aircraft - 14 Halifaxes, 6 Stirlings, 4 Lancasters - lost, 4.4 per cent of the force.

A number of Mosquito operations took place; 10 aircraft on a diversion to Hannover, 12 Oboe aircraft to Knapsack power-station near Cologne and 4 on Mark II Oboe trials to Aachen. No losses.

7 Stirlings minelaying in the Frisians, 7 OTU sorties. No losses.

4/5 October 1943

406 aircraft - 162 Lancasters, 170 Halifaxes, 70 Stirlings, 4 Mosquitos raided Frankfurt. 3 B-17s also took part. 10 aircraft - 5 Halifaxes, 3 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings - lost, 2.5 per cent of the force. 1 B-17 was also lost. This was the last RAF night-bombing raid in which American aircraft took part, but individual B-17s occasionally carried out bombing flights in following weeks Clear weather and good Pathfinder marking produced the first serious blow on Frankfurt so far in the war, with extensive destruction being caused in the eastern half of the city and in the inland docks on the River Main.

6 Lancasters of 1 and No 8 Groups carried out a diversionary raid to Ludwigshafen without loss but the marking and bombing were scattered.

12 Mosquitos to Knapsack power-station, 1 Mosquito to Aachen, 5 Stirlings minelaying in the River Gironde, 8 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost. The Mosquito attacking Aachen was carrying out the first operational trial of the G-H blind bombing equipment but the trial was not successful.

With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!

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