The 90 Sqdn left from Tuddenham at 1944-04-11 at 22:43. Loc or duty SOE
He flew with a Short Stirling (type III, serial LJ460, code XY-U).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 298: 917 bombers and 819 fighters are dispatched in 3 separate forces to bomb production centers (primarily fighter aircraft factories) and targets of opportunity in N Germany; 64 bombers are lost, one of the heaviest single-day losses of World War II.
The bombers also drop 2.4 million leaflets.
Details are:
1. 341 B-17s are dispatched to hit aviation industry targets at Sorau (108 bomb) and Cottbus (17 bomb); 127 hit Stettin, 20 hit Trechel, 16 hit Dobberphel and 23 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 12-2-3 Luftwaffe aircraft; 19 B-17s are lost, 3 damaged beyond repair and 190 damaged; casualties are 12 KIA, 13 WIA and 200 MIA.
2. Of 302 B-17s dispatched, 172 hit Rostock, 52 hit Politz, 35 hit the industrial area at Arnimswalde and 15 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 34-20-19 Luftwaffe aircraft; 33 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 153 damaged; casualties are 2 KIA, 9 WIA and 330 MIA.
3. 274 B-24s are dispatched to hit aviation industry targets at Oschersleben (121 bomb) and Berenburg (99 bomb); 9 bomb aviation industry targets at Halberstadt, 9 bomb Eisleben and 5 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 27-2-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 12 B-24s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 63 damaged; casualties are 5 KIA, 9 WIA and 122 MIA.
Escort is provided by 124 P-38s, 454 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-47s and 241 Eighth and Ninth Air Force P-51s; the fighters claim 51-5-25 Luftwaffe aircraft in the air and 65-0-67 on the grounds: no P-38s are lost; 7 P-47s are lost and 16 damaged, 7 pilots are MIA; 9 P-51s are lost and 13 damaged, 9 pilots are MIA.
Mission 299: 5 of 5 B-17s drop 2 million leaflets on Paris, Rouen, Le Mans, Rennes, Vichy, Lyon, Limoges and Toulouse between 2301 and 0055 hours local without loss.
12 B-24s are dispatched on CARPETBAGGER operations.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): In Belgium, 229 B-26s and 36 A-20s, including 3 dropping Window, attack Charleroi/Montignies, military installations on the coast, and Chievres Airfield.
90+ P-47s dive-bomb a military installation and Gael Airfield, France.
Campaign report of the RAF:
10/11 April 1944
Railways: 180 Lancasters of No 5 Group to Tours (1 aircraft lost); 157 Halifaxes of No 4 Group and 10 Pathfinder Mosquitos to Tergnier (10 Halifaxes lost); 148 Lancasters and 15 Mosquitos to Laon (1 Lancaster lost); 132 Lancasters and 15 Pathfinder Mosquitos to Aulnoye (7 Lancasters lost); 122 Halifaxes of No 6 Group with 10 Pathfinder Mosquitos to Ghent in Belgium (No losses). With the exception of the raid at Laon, all the attacks inflicted heavy damage on their intended targets.
36 Mosquitos to Hannover and 2 to Duisburg, 17 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of No 617 Squadron to St Cyr signals depot, 8 RCM sorties, 9 Serrate patrols, 8 Stirlings minelaying off La Pallice, 46 aircraft on Resistance operations, 17 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 908 sorties, 19 aircraft (2.1 per cent) lost.
11/12 April 1944
341 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups despatched to Aachen. 9 Lancasters lost, 2.6 per cent of the force. This raid was accurate and caused widespread damage and fires in the centre of Aachen and in the southern part of the town, particularly in the suburb of Burtscheid. This was Aachen's most serious raid of the war. Control of the air-raid services was quickly lost when one of the first salvoes or "bombs cut communications between the main operations centre and outlying posts.
7 Mosquitos to bomb night-fighter airfields, 36 Mosquitos on diversion raid to Hannover and 3 each to Duisburg and Osnabrück, 7 RCM sorties, 7 Serrate patrols, 35 Halifaxes and 8 Stirlings minelaying off Brest and in the Kattegat, 26 aircraft on Resistance operations, 8 OTU sorties. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 492 sorties, 9 aircraft (1.8 per cent) lost.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!
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