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405 Sqn RCAF (Gransden Lodge – Lancaster III) 17-11-43
OPERATIONS: BOMBING ATTACK ON LUDWIGSHAVEN 19 AIRCRAFT DETAILED (ONE MISSING)
Seven of our aircraft reached and bombed primary from an average height of 18,000 feet. There was 6 to 8/10 cloud in target area with same gaps. Slight icing was encountered when climbing out from England numerous searchlights were active in target area. Horse-shoe shaped concentration of bombing was seen near primary with considerable scattered bombing. Mary bomb flashes were seen. Two of our aircraft returned early with u/s gun turrets, and loads were jettisoned safe. One of our aircraft failed to return from this operation and nothing has been heard of the crew since time of take off.

ADDENDUM – Lancaster III JB226 LQ-G. Crew: F/S RH Larson RCAF KIA, Sgt T Thomson KIA, Lt JMK Pederson USAAF, F/S RD Mutch RCAF KIA, F/S GJ Partridge RCAF KIA, Sgt JB Errington KIA, Sgt EF Uren RCAF KIA, Sgt JPH Dube RCAF KIA. T/o 1730 Gransden Lodge. Shot down by Fw Günther Bahr (6th victory) 3./NJG6 10 km SW Darmstadt at 2016. All are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery. Lt. Pederson was from Illinois.

BOMBER COMMAND
LUDWIGSHAFEN
66 Lancasters and 17 Halifaxes of 8 Group on a purely H2S blind-bombing raid without any target indicators being dropped. Few details are available about the results of the bombing but it is believed that the attack was accurate and the I.G. Farben factory was hit. Because of misleading instructions broadcast from England to the German night-fighter pilots, most of the fighter force landed early and only 1 Lancaster was lost.

Minor Operations: 21 Mosquitoes to Berlin, Bochum, Bonn and Duisburg, 4 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.

Ludwigshafen route as planned: Route as flown: USAAF
GREECE: Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack the Athens/Eleusis Airdrome, and Twelfth Air Force B-25s attack the Kalamaki Airdrome. One Bf-109 is downed over Athens by an 82d Fighter Group P-38 escort pilot.

ITALY: Twelfth Air Force fighters attack motor vehicles north of Ancona.

The Fifteenth Air Force’s 376th Heavy Bombardment Group, a B-24 unit, is transferred from Tunisia to San Pancrazio.

RAF Base Changes
264 Sqn (Mosquito NFII) moves to Coleby Grange
456 Sqn RAAF (Mosquito NFII) moves to Fairwood Common

First and Last Operational Missions
214 Sqn (Chedburgh) flies its last OM in the Stirling I

419 Sqn RCAF (Middleton St. George – Halifax II) 18/11/43
Sixteen aircraft were detailed for operations on the city of MANNHEIM. This detail was later raised to eighteen aircraft. This was a most unsatisfactory operation from a maintenance standpoint: there were four Early Returns. Two aircraft, after, bombing the target, landed away from Base; "3" returned to Base on three engines after bombing. Two aircraft were missing from this operation.

ADDENDUM – Halifax II LW239 VR-K. Crew: F/O ED Fogg RCAF KIA, Sgt FJ Davidson KIA, F/O GL McLaughlin KIA RCAF, F/O JS Smith RCAF, Sgt DJ MacDonald RCAF KIA, Sgt WJ Gerow RCAF KIA, Sgt KA Farmer RCAF KIA. T/o 1647 Middleton St. George. Shot down Oblt Albert Walter (3rd victory) 1./NJG6 3 km E. Brodenbach at 2117. All are buried in Rheinburg War Cemetery. Their average age was 22.

Halifax II LW328 VR-L. Crew: F/S AL Sedgwick RCAF KIA, SAgt EK Canny POW, F/O ER Hoe RCAF POW, Sgt J Pappas RCAF POW, Sgt KW Dingley POW, Sgt N McVicar RCAF POW, Sgt DM Johnston RCAF KIA. T/o 1655 Middleton St. George. Homebound, abandoned after all engines failed, due to the fuel tanks being damaged by flak. F/S Sedwick is buried in Rheinburg War Cemetery.

BOMBER COMMAND
18/19 November 1943
BERLIN
440 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes were dispatched. Few German fighters intercepted the force. 9 Lancasters were lost, 2.0 percent of the force.

Berlin was completely cloud-covered and both marking and bombing were carried out blindly; Bomber Command could make no assessment of the results. The local Berlin report shows that bombs fell in most parts of the city and no main concentration (‘Schwerpunkt’) could be detected, although more southern districts are mentioned than others. 4 industrial premises were totally destroyed and 28 damaged; 11 ‘explosive’ works and 4 chemical plants were among these figures. 169 houses were destroyed and 476 seriously damaged. Casualties were: 131 people killed, 14 missing and 391 injured; 27 of the killed were foreign workers or prisoners of war.

MANNHEIM/LUDWIGSHAFEN
395 aircraft – 248 Halifaxes, 114 Stirlings, 33 Lancasters – of 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups were on this major diversionary raid. German fighters successfully engaged the bomber force and 23 aircraft – 12 Halifaxes, 9 Stirlings, 2 Lancasters – were lost, 5.8 percent of the force.

Cloud was present over the target area and much of the bombing was scattered. Mannheim reports that the majority of the damage was in the north of the city. 4 industrial buildings were destroyed and 11 seriously damaged, the most serious being the Daimler-Benz car factory which suffered a 90 percent production loss for ‘an unknown period’. 325 other buildings were destroyed and 335 seriously damaged, including 2 churches and 3 schools. 4 army barracks and the airfield at Sandhofen were all hit. 21 people were killed, 154 injured and 7,500 bombed out. Many bombs fell outside the city and the local report lists much damage and loss at farms.

This was the last major raid on the much-bombed city of Mannheim for 15 months.

Minor Operations: 10 Mosquitoes to Essen, 6 to Aachen and 6 to Frankfurt, 16 Wellingtons minelaying from Texel to St-Nazaire, 7 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.

Total effort for the night: 884 sorties, 32 aircraft (3.6 percent) lost. The total number of aircraft dispatched was a new record for a non-1,000 raid night, but only by 1 sortie.

Berlin route as planned: Mission routes for the night: USAAF
ENGLAND: Aircraft from the IX Troop Carrier Command’s 50th Troop Carrier Wing and the 101st Airborne Division conduct the first of several preliminary rehearsals for the projected airborne-assault phase of Operation OVERLORD.

GREECE: Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack the Athens/Eleusis Airdrome; and NATAF A-20s, B-25s, and RAF aircraft attack Larissa Airdrome.

ITALY: NATAF aircraft attack several roads and towns, German Army troop billets, and tactical targets along the front lines.

The Fifteenth Air Force’s 98th Heavy Bombardment Group, in B-24s, is transferred from Tunisia to Brindisi.

NORWAY: Eighty-two 2d Bombardment Division B-24s attack the Oslo/Kjeller Airdrome with more than 209 tons of bombs. Nine B-24s are lost and three land in Sweden, where they and their crews are interned.

YUGOSLAVIA: NATAF fighter-bombers attack a marshalling yard at Knin, boat traffic on the Krka River, several trains, the landing ground at Sinj, and port facilities at ships at Sibenik.

RAF Base Changes
7 Sqn SAAF (Spitfire VC/IX) moves to Cairo West
40 Sqn (Wellington III/X) moves to Oudna I
104 Sqn (Wellington X) moves to Oudna I
196 Sqn (Stirling III) moves to Leicester
305 Sqn (Mitchell II) moves to Lasham

First and Last Operational Missions
401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill) flies its first OM in the Spitfire LFIXB
428 Sqn RCAF (Middleton St. George) flies its first OM in the Halifax II
429 Sqn RCAF (Leeming) flies its first OM in the Halifax V
630 Sqn (East Kirby – Lancaster I/III) flies its first OM of the war

warshipbuilder wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2023 4:28 am
Last one

Thank you. I appreciated them.

This work you are posting is appreciated, and it is interesting, educational, and fun to follow.

428 SqnRCAF (Middleton St. George – Halifax V) 19-11-43
1 12 aircraft detailed for operations on Leverkusen. Would have been more but the diverted kites couldn't get back in time.
2 One aircraft returned early due to gun failures,
3 the attack was not very successful due to P.F.F.
4 F/S Shepherd and crew are missing.
5 Sgt. Harthorne and crew baled out over this country, Sgt. McEwan his M.U.G. is missing but the rest are safe.

ADDENDUM – Halifax V LK956 LA-S. Crew: F/S HC Shepherd RCAF POW, Sgt JMC Walker POW, F/O DR Knight RCAF POW, F/S DK MacGillivray RCAF EVD, Sgt SJ Stevens POW, Sgt NH Michie RCAF EVD, Sgt S Munns EVD. T/o 1606 Middleton St. George. Shot down by Hptm. Paul Förster (6th victory) 2./NJG1 crashed at Son-Breugel, NE Eindhoven at 2024.

Sgt McEwan was never found. He was 19.

BOMBER COMMAND
LEVERKUSEN
266 aircraft – 170 Halifaxes, 86 Stirlings, 10 Mosquitoes – of 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups. Only 4 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling – 1.9 percent of the force – lost; very few German fighters were operating, probably because of bad weather at their airfields.

Failures of equipment prevented most of the Oboe marking being carried out and other Pathfinder aircraft were unable to mark the target properly in difficult weather conditions, leading to bombs being scattered over a wide area. At least 27 towns, mostly well to the north of Leverkusen, recorded bombs. Leverkusen’s own records show only one high-explosive bomb in the town!

Minor Operations: 6 Mosquitoes to Duisburg and 2 to Rheinhausen, 25 aircraft minelaying off Biscay ports, 11 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.

Many of the aircraft returning from operations encountered fog conditions on reaching England and 2 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling crashed, but 4 Halifaxes of 35 Squadron landed safely at Graveley when the first operational use was made of the oil-burning fog-dispersal equipment called FIDO (Fog Investigation Dispersal Operation), which was installed at Graveley airfield. Several other airfields were soon fitted with this useful device.

Leverkusen route as planned Mission routes for the night USAAF
FRANCE: All of the more than 100 IX Bomber Command B-26s dispatched against several airdromes in France abort in the face of bad weather.

GERMANY: Although briefed to attack Gelsenkirchen, bad weather and the failure of the Oboe equipment aboard six pathfinder B-17s oblige 130 of 167 3d Bombardment Division B-17s to scatter 281 tons of bombs on many targets of opportunity on both sides of the German-Netherlands frontier. The failure of the Oboe equipment on this mission puts its use to an end as primary guidance on high-altitude bombing missions. The Oboe equipment, which relies upon radio signals from ground stations in England, is transferred to the Ninth Air Force, whose medium-altitude work does not interfere with the Oboe guidance technique. Meanwhile, the Eighth Air Force falls back upon H2S and H2X airborne ground-radar equipment, which provides much better results for high-altitude work.

Two hundred eighty-eight VIII Fighter Command P-47s provide escort and support for the B-17s.

ITALY: NATAF A-36s and P-40s attack bridges near Cassino and Pontecorvo, trucks and trains near Rieti, and German Army strongpoints around Barrea.

YUGOSLAVIA: NATAF aircraft attack trains and trucks around Metkovic.

RAF Base Changes
213 Sqn (Hurricane IIC) moves to Paphos

First and Last Operational Missions
126 Sqn (Grottaglie) flies its last OM in the Spitfire IX
243 Sqn (Goia del Colle) flies its last OM in the Spitfire VC
308 Sqn (Northolt) flies its first OM in the Spitfire IX
620 Sqn (Chedburgh) flies its last OM in the Stirling III
1435 Sqn (Brindisi) flies its last OM’s in the Spitfire VB & VC

56 Sqn (Martlesham Heath – Typhoon IB) 20-11-43
Glorious day with ground haze. F/Lt Hancock led nine aircraft on bombing attack on village of Audlinghen, difficult to see results but believed several bursts on target. All returned safely. F/O. O.D. Hills aircraft was hit on windscreen by light “flak”. This is the first Squadron bombing operation and it appears to have gone off satisfactorily. In the afternoon F/Lt B.L.G. Hawkins led ten aircraft in another attack on the same target, which went according to plan, bomb bursts were observed on the South West of the village, all aircraft returned safely to base, except F/O R.R. Amey (R.C.A.F.)who crashed landed at Witnesham 4 miles NE of Ipswich, sustaining serious head injuries, F/O Amey died at Wounds in the East Suffolk Hospital, Ipswich at 22.00 hours the same day, his loss will be felt in the Squadron he had a charming personality, being popular with all his colleagues.

USAAF
ITALY: Bad weather grounds most Twelfth and Fifteenth air force aircraft, but some NATAF aircraft are able to attack a rail junction and several towns in the German Army zone.

RAF Base Changes
32 Sqn (Spitfire IX) moves to Reghaia
39 Sqn (Beaufighter TFX) moves to Reghaia
96 Sqn (Mosquito NFXIII) moves to West Malling
417 Sqn RCAF (Spitfire VIII) moves to Canne

First and Last Operational Missions
274 Sqn (Paphos) flies its last OM in the Hurricane IIC
501 Sqn (Hawkinge) flies its first OM in the Spitfire IX

401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire LFIXB) 21-11-43
Weather unfavourable all day. No flying carried out. F/Lt's A.E. Studholme and W.R. Tow Left today on a Rolls Royce Merlin Engine course of 4 days duration. Pilot State: 25 operational, 2 non-operational, 1 in hospital, 5 detached or on leave.

USAAF
ITALY: NATAF B-25s attack gun emplacements around Gaeta; NATAF fighter-bombers attack several German Army strongpoints along the battle lines; and Fifteenth Air Force B-26s attack a marshalling yard at Chiusi, the harbor at Civitavecchia, and a bridge at Fano.

First and Last Operational Missions
10 Sqn RAAF (Mount Batten) flies its last OM in the Sunderland II
249 Sqn (Brindisi) flies its last OM in the Spitfire IX
485 Sqn RNZAF (Drem) flies its first OM in the Spitfire VB

434 Sqn RCAF (Tholthorpe – Halifax V) 22-11-43
Flying today consisted of air testing of "C" by F/O Savage R. J.11332 and crew, and returning to Base of A/C "M” from Stanton Harcourt by P/O Clinkskill, J.T. J.23522, and crew. Ops are scheduled for tonight and all sections are working frantically to have everything in first-class shape. Briefing was called for 14:00 hours and take-off starts shortly after 16:30 hours according to early plans today. Our contribution to Bomber Command's effort tonight is twelve A/C and the crew detailed for ops are piloted and captained by F/O Savage R. J.11332, F/St B. Tedford R.84505, F/Lt. J.W. Tyler, R.111498, F/Sgt. Morrison D. R.11996, P/O Snelgrove J.M. R.18668, WO Perrier, W.R. R.77108, S/Ldr. Hockey, J.E. J.4562 with Sgt. McQueen W.M. R.139402 as 2nd pilot, F/O C.S.Breast. J.21331, F/O. Evans, D.C. J.21016, F/Lt. F.E.Carter J.13993, F/O S.H.Dunn J.16318 and F/Sgt. Escaravage, P.V. R.13601. Ten of our A/C took off as per schedule and as the early take-off will ensure a return around midnight, a goodly number of aircrew and even some groundcrew types will be on hand to welcome the boys and listen goggle-eyed to their stories of searchlights, flak, night fighters, cloud, smoke, etc. "W" in charge of P/O. S.H.Dunn J.16318 and crew returned early because of A.S.I. trouble leaving nine to carry one. By midnight only “P” in charge of F/O Evans, D.C. J.21016 and crew, and "Z" in charge of F/Sgt. Escaravage P.V. R.134601 and crew had reported and they landed at Docking.

ADDENDUM – Halifax V LK702 IP-C. Crew: F/S BV Tedford RCAF KIA, Sgt NG Speight KIA, P/O I Armitage RCAF KIA, Sgt JG Tomlinson RCAF KIA, Sgt KG Plummer KIA, Sgt JR Wilson KIA, P/O JR Mayo RCAF KIA. T/o 1643 Tholthorpe. Probably shot down by Hptm. Karlheinz Dietsche 2./JG3021. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Halifax V LK953 IP-E. Crew: F/O PV Escavage RCAF POW, Sgt JW Molesworth KIA, F/O JA Higgins RCAF POW, F/O JE Wheeler RCAF POW, Sgt G Woodworth POW, P/O RR MacGregor RCAF KIA, Sgt GL MacKay RCAF KIA.Hit by 2. & 4.-6./schw. Flak Abt. 390 (0), 4./schw. Flak Abt. 531 (0) and 2./schw. Flak Abt. 542, crashed in swamps at Barssel, W. Oldenburg at 2150. Those who died lie in Sage War Cemetery.

BOMBER COMMAND
BERLIN
764 aircraft – 469 Lancasters, 234 Halifaxes, 50 Stirlings, 11 Mosquitoes. This was the greatest force sent to Berlin so far but it was also the last raid in which Stirlings were sent to Germany. Bad weather again kept most of the German fighters on the ground and the bomber force was able to take a relatively ‘straight in, straight out’ route to the target without suffering undue loss. 26 aircraft – 11 Lancasters, 10 Halifaxes, 5 Stirlings – were lost, 3.4 percent of the force.

Berlin was again completely cloud-covered and returning crews could only estimate that the marking and bombing were believed to be accurate. In fact, this was the most effective raid on Berlin of the war. A vast area of destruction stretched from the central districts westwards across the mainly residential areas of Tiergarten and Charlottenburg to the separate suburb city of Spandau. Because of the dry weather conditions, several ‘firestorm’ areas were reported and a German plane next day measured the height of the smoke cloud as 6,000 metres (nearly 19,000 ft).

It is impossible to give anything like full details of the damage or to separate completely details from this raid and a smaller one on the next night. At least 3,000 houses and 23 industrial premises were completely destroyed, with several thousands of other buildings damaged. It was estimated that 175,000 people were bombed out. More than 50,000 soldiers were brought in to help from garrisons up to 100 km distant; these were equivalent to nearly 3 army divisions taken from their normal duties. Interesting entries among the lists of buildings destroyed or severely damaged are: the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche (the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church which is now, half ruined, half restored, a major attraction in West Berlin), the Charlottenburg Castle, the Berlin Zoo, much of the Unter den Linden, the British, French, Italian and Japanese embassies, the Ministry of Weapons and Munitions, the Waffen S.S. Administrative College, the barracks of the Imperial Guard at Spandau and, among many industrial premises, 5 factories of the Siemens electrical group and the Alkett tank works which had recently moved from the Ruhr.

It is difficult to give exact casualty figures: an estimated 2,000 people were killed, including 500 in a large shelter in Wilmersdorf which received a direct hit, and 105 people were killed in another shelter which was next to the Neuköln gasworks, where there was a huge explosion.

Minor Operations: 12 Mosquitoes to Leverkusen, 14 Wellingtons minelaying in the Frisians and off Texel, 12 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.

Total effort for the night: 802 sorties, 26 aircraft (3.2 percent) lost.

Berlin route as planned: Mission routes for the night: USAAF
EGYPT: The SEXTANT Conference opens in Cairo between President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Sir Winston S. Churchill, and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, of China.

ITALY: Fifteenth Air Force B-26s attack a rail center at Foligno and a bridge at Cicerna; more than 100 NATAF fighters and bombers attack gun emplacements and strongpoints in the Fossacesia region of the battle area; A-36s attack the harbor, a chemical plant, and rail yards at Civitavecchia; and A-36s and P-40s attack roads, rail lines, and villages in and around the battle area.

TUNISIA: The 90th Photographic Reconnaissance Wing is activated at La Marsa Airdrome to oversee the Twelfth Air Force’s 3d and 5th Photographic Reconnaissance groups.

RAF
Base Changes
74 Sqn (Spitfire VB/VC/IX) moves to Dekheila
92 Sqn (Spitfire VIII) moves to Canne
130 Sqn (Spitfire VB) moves to Acklington
145 Sqn (Spitfire VIII) moves to Canne

426 Sqn RCAF (Linton-on-Ouse – Lancaster II) 23-11-43
Goodwood figures were called for today and thirteen crews were briefed for the second successive night's attack on the German Capital. It was an unfortunate night for the squadron, three aircraft were scrubbed at take-off owing to technical failures. Two aircraft were forced to return early owing to severe icing causing loss of height and unmanageability of aircraft. Eight aircraft attacked the primary and reported well-concentrated fires covering a considerable area, the glow of fires of which is still visible up to 100 miles away from the target. Several crews reported a tremendous explosion with orange flame and thick black smoke billowing up over the cloud tops. L.L. 629 piloted P/O D.R. De Bloem was hit by heavy flak over the target area, damaging the starboard outer engine. The aircraft return on three engines, but crash-landed into rising ground at HIGH MOWTHORPE FARM, MALDON, YORKS. F/O G.L. Huffman, J.21575 (Bomb Aimer), and F/S C.D. Manders, R.124412 (Rear Gunner), were killed. F/L J.B. Cleveland), J.15084, Squadron Navigation Leader, R.75406 Sgt. Martin G. (Mid Upper Gunner) and the pilot were seriously injured. 1445946 Sgt. F.C. Borst (Flight Engineer) was slightly injured, whilst 1451464 Sgt W.H. McGarrigan (WOP/AG) escaped without injury.

BOMBER COMMAND
BERLIN
383 aircraft – 365 Lancasters, 10 Halifaxes, 8 Mosquitoes – to continue the attack on Berlin. The bombing force used the same direct route as had been employed on the previous night. The German controllers made an early identification of Berlin as the probable target; their single-engined fighters were gathered over the city by Zero Hour and other fighters arrived a few minutes later. Fake instructions broadcast from England caused much annoyance to the German who was giving the ‘running commentary’; the Germans started using a female commentator but this was promptly countered by a female voice from England ordering the German pilots to land because of fog at their bases. ‘Spoof’ fighter flares dropped by Mosquitoes north of the bomber stream also caused some diversion of German effort. Bomber crews noticed that Flak over the target was unusually restrained, with the German fighters obviously being given priority. 20 aircraft – all Lancasters – were lost, 5.2 percent of the bomber force.

The target was again cloud-covered and the Pathfinders carried out sky-marking, but many of the Main Force crews aimed their bombs through the cloud at the glow of 11 major fires still burning from the previous night. Much further destruction was caused in Berlin but, because many of the details of the 2 raids were recorded together by the Germans, it is only possible to say that more than 2,000 further houses, 94 wooden barracks buildings, 8 industrial premises and 1 military establishment were destroyed, with many other buildings damaged. Approximately 1,400–1,500 people were killed on this night.

6 Oboe Mosquitoes attacked the Knapsack power-station near Cologne without loss.

Berlin route as planned: Mission routes for the night: USAAF
FRANCE: Eighty-three IX Bomber Command B-26s attack the Berck-sur-Mer and St.-Omer/Longuenesse airdromes.

ITALY: The Twelfth Air Force is grounded by bad weather.

RAF
Base Changes
514 Sqn (Lancaster II) moves to Waterbeach

First and Last Operational Missions
412 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill) flies its first OM in the Spitfire LFIXB
415 Sqn RCAF (Bircham Newton) flies its first OM in the Albacore I

401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire LFIXB) 24-11-43
Weather was good for local flying and gliding. Consumption tests were carried out with the new 45 gallon drop tanks. Gliding practice with loaded gliders towed by Spitfires was carried out.

For more on the above subject:

https://www.vintagewings.ca/stories/spitfire-tugs

BOMBER COMMAND
Minor Operations
6 Mosquitoes bombed Berlin through cloud and 9 O.T.U. Wellingtons took leaflets to France. 1 Mosquito lost.

USAAF
BULGARIA: Fifteenth Air Force B-24s, escorted by P-38s, attack a marshalling yard at Sofia. However, due to poor weather and visibility, only 17 B-24s are able to drop their bombs. An estimated dozen Axis fighters attack the bombers and, although 82d Fighter Group P-38 pilots are able to down two Bf-109s, two B-24s and a P-38 are also lost.

ENGLAND: The 100th Fighter Wing is activated to oversee fighter groups yet to be assigned to the Ninth Air Force.

FRANCE: Following two consecutive cancellations on account of weather, 103 Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack the Vichy French fleet and the Toulon submarine pens and drydocks with 315 tons of bombs. Several vessels including a cruiser are claimed as sunk. Fifteen B-17s that are unable to locate Toulon attack the viaduct at Antheor. GAF fighters mount sustained attacks on the bombers for about 30 minutes, but no B-17s are lost or seriously damaged, and one GAF fighter is claimed.

IX Bomber Command B-26s attack Berck-sur-Mer and St.-Omer/Longuenesse airdromes.

ITALY: Flight operations are severely limited due to bad weather.

The 47th Heavy Bombardment Wing begins overseeing the two B-24 groups thus far assigned to the
Fifteenth Air Force.

RAF
Base Changes
47 Sqn (Beaufighter TFX) moves to Gambut III
309 Sqn (Mustang I) moves to Snailwell

First and Last Operational Missions
70 Sqn (Djedeida) flies its last OM in the Wellington III
627 Sqn (Oakington – Mosquito BIV) flies its first OM of the war

431 Sqn RCAF (Tholthorpe – Halifax V) 25-11-43
(1) Sixteen aircraft were detailed for operations to FRANKFURT today. Three were cancelled owing to minor difficulties, F/S McMillan and crew returned early. Two crews were missing: P/O J. Morton (159046), who had been with the Squadron since its early start, and F/O B.N. Passant (11294). The operations were considered successful. 10/10 cloud over the target. T.I.'s were noticeable and the glow lit up the clouds. Several aircraft were hit by "Flak". Two or three encountered night fighters on the way back to the English Coast.

(2) Sergeants Ruthven and Fielding proceeded to New Haven to represent the Squadron at the funeral of Sergeant E.E. Case, whose body was washed up on the English Coast. A wreath was sent from the officers and airmen of the Squadron.

ADDENDUM – Halifax V LK967 SE-J. Crew: F/O BN Passant RCAF POW, Sgt WH Bennett POW, WO1 RA Jones RCAF EVD, P/O P Bauset RCAF EVD, Sgt RF Nelson EVD, F/S DW Burleigh RCAF POW, Sgt JMDJ Dugas RCAF POW. T/o 2352 Tholthorpe. Homebound at 21,000 feet heavily engaged by Flak after passing Trier. The fuselage was holed in several places and a small fire in the port outer. Approximately 45 minutes later, the crew were ordered to bale out, all doing so in the general vicinity of Paris.

Halifax V LK973 SE-E. Crew: P/O J Morton, F/O DRP Short RCAF KIA, Sgt JGE La Flamme RCAF KIA, P/O DF Rands KIA, F/S R Holmes KIA, P/O GS Milner KIA, P/O GM Rich RCAF KIA, W/O MG Clynes CGM KIA. Shot down by Oblt. Gustav Tham (6th victory) 11./NJG5, crashed in Frankfurt at 0251. All are buried in Durnbach War Cemetery.

BOMBER COMMAND
FRANKFURT
262 aircraft – 236 Halifaxes and 26 Lancasters – of 4, 6 and 8 Groups. As on the previous night, there were no major diversions and the bomber force took a relatively direct route to the target. The German controller did not, at first, know whether Mannheim or Frankfurt was the real objective but he eventually chose Frankfurt, where the Flak was restricted to 15,000 ft. 12 bombers – 11 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster – lost, 4.6 percent of the force.

Cloud covered the target area and the bombing appeared to be scattered. Frankfurt’s report confirms this, the number of bombs recorded suggesting that fewer than 100 aircraft managed to hit the city. A moderate amount of housing was destroyed, 80 people were killed and 3,500 were bombed out. The report states that some fires in granaries and cattle sheds in outlying farms were blamed, not on the bombing but on sabotage, presumably by foreign workers.

Minor Operations: 3 Mosquitoes to Berlin, 48 aircraft minelaying off Brest and Texel and in the Frisians, 28 O.T.U. sorties. 1 Stirling minelayer lost.

Total effort for the night: 341 sorties, 13 aircraft (3.8 percent) lost.

Frankfurt route as planned: Mission routes for the night: 2nd TAF
This proved to be a very busy day for the 2 Group squadrons, which undertook two major attacks on Audinghen. Intelligence sources had identified this unfortunate village, located near Cap Gris Nez, as the site of the HQ of the Todt Organisation- the builders of the many 'construction sites" mushrooming along the coast. Attacks earlier in the month had not proved to be very accurate due to adverse weather conditions, and to Flak. Now however, Typhoons preceded the bombers to 'soften-up' the defences, allowing the Mitchells and Bostons to press home their attacks. By the end of the second raid not many buildings remained standing, and despite the intense Flak, which hit almost every bomber, only one crew was lost when their 226 Squadron Mitchell crashed near Dover. A Boston just failed to make its base, although the crew escaped with only slight injuries.

USAAF
AUSTRIA: Fifteenth Air Force B-24s attack Klagenfurt Airdrome.

ENGLAND: Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, commander of the Allied Expeditionary Air Force (AEAF) activates the headquarters of the RAF’s Second Tactical Air Force, which he will command. In time, LtGen Lewis H. Brereton’s U.S. Ninth Air Force will also come under Leigh-Mallory’s supervision.

FRANCE: The 56th and 353d Fighter groups conduct the first dive-bombing attack by P-47s in the theater against St.-Omer/Longuenesse Airdrome. One 353d Fighter Group P-47 and its pilot are lost in the attack, but results are deemed acceptable. The missing pilot is LtCol Loren G. McCollum, the 353d Fighter Group commander, who is taken prisoner.

The 20th Fighter Group’s 77th Fighter Squadron makes its combat debut as an attachment to the 55th Fighter Group.

ITALY: NATAF aircraft attack German Army gun emplacements and defensive points around Ancona and in several contested sectors of the battle area.

YUGOSLAVIA: Twelfth Air Force B-25s attack Sarajevo and Travnik.

RAF
Base Changes
192 Sqn (Wellington X/Mosquito IV/Halifax V) moves to Fousham

429 Sqn RCAF (Leeming – Halifax II) 26-11-43
Weather: Fair or fine. Good visibility.

Information was received from Air Ministry that 1389771 F/S Glark, G.A. (Pilot) and AUS3414438 F/S Bowly, K.H. (Pilot) have been appointed to the rank of Pilot Officer w.e.f. 26-9-43 and 10-10-43 respectively.

Operations were ordered far tonight and eight aircraft were detailed to attack Stuttgart. Briefing was held at 1343 hours and take off time was 1645 hours. All aircraft except one took off successfully. This aircraft “W” JD333 piloted by Can.R.142367 F/S Baker, K.C. took off at 1648 hours and shortly after taking off the port outer engine failed. The port, inner engine was only developing half its power, and the aircraft was forced to land in a field with wheels up & fire developed in an engine upon landing it was automatically extinguished. The aircrew escaped uninjured. The remaining seven aircraft report a successful raid on Stuttgart. The target was well marked and P.F.F. was on time and well concentrated. A good concentration of fires was seen by most aircraft reflecting on the clouds. The port outer engine of one aircraft LM265 flown by P/O H.W. Mitchell (Can.J.18923) was unserviceable on the way in to the target and the operation was completed on three engines. The bomb load, was dropped from only 10,000 ft as the aircraft could not keep its height. Aircraft "K" JD164 was hit by flak causing a port engine to become unserviceable and also causing control trouble. After two unsuccessful attempts to land on 3 engines and with the controls working improperly, the aircraft was ditched in the Channel just off Thorney Island. The crew was rescued by motor launch and were all uninjured. The captain of this crew was Cn.R.144983 F/S Charlebois, P.A.

BOMBER COMMAND
BERLIN
443 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitoes. The Berlin force and the Stuttgart diversionary force (see details later) flew a common route over Northern France and on nearly to Frankfurt before diverging. The German controllers thought that Frankfurt was the main target until a late stage and several bombers were shot down as they flew past Frankfurt. Only a few fighters appeared over Berlin, where Flak was the main danger, but the scattered condition of the bomber stream at Berlin meant that bombers were caught by fighters off track on the return flight and the casualties mounted. 28 Lancasters were lost, 6.2 percent of the force, and 14 more Lancasters crashed in England.

The weather was clear over Berlin but, after their long approach flight from the south, the Pathfinders marked an area 6–7 miles north-west of the city centre and most aircraft bombed there. Because of Berlin’s size, however, most of the bombing still fell within the city boundaries and particularly on the semi-industrial suburb of Reinickendorf; smaller amounts of bombing fell in the centre and in the Siemensstadt (with many electrical factories) and Tegel districts. 38 war-industry factories were destroyed and many more damaged. The now routine destruction of housing and public buildings also took place but not on as great a scale as on the 2 previous raids to Berlin. The Berlin Zoo was heavily bombed on this night. Many of the animals had been evacuated to zoos in other parts of Germany but the bombing killed most of the remainder. Several large and dangerous animals – leopards, panthers, jaguars, apes – escaped and had to be hunted and shot in the streets.

Because of the confusion caused by so many raids in a short period, it was only possible for the Germans to record an approximate number of people killed, on this night, of about 700–800. The local officials did, however, produce a report in January 1944 giving details of the combined casualties of the three raids of 22/23, 23/24 and 26/27 November. 4,330 people were killed, of whom the bodies of 574 were never recovered. The districts with the most deaths were: Tiergarten, 793; Charlottenburg, 735; and Wedding, 548. 157 of the dead were foreign workers and 26 were prisoners of war. The property damage was extensive, with 8,701 dwelling buildings containing 104,613 flats/apartments destroyed, and several times that number damaged. 417,665 people lost their homes for more than a month and 36,391 for up to a month.

STUTTGART
157 Halifaxes and 21 Lancasters on a diversionary raid. 6 Halifaxes lost, 3.4 percent of the force.

The bombing was very scattered and caused little damage but part of the night-fighter force was drawn off from the Berlin operation.

Minor Operations: 19 Stirlings and 14 Wellingtons minelaying off Texel and in the Frisians, 5 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.

Total effort for the night: 666 sorties, 34 aircraft (5.1 percent) lost.

Berlin route as planned: Stuttgart route as planned: Mission map for the night: 2nd TAF


Spitfires of 126 Airfield provided escort to B-26s attacking targets in the Cambrai area, where Flt Lt J.Sheppard of 401 Squadron made the first claim for the unit since it received its Spitfire IXs, shooting down Uffz Johannes Hoehme of 5./JG 26 over Achiet airfield, near Albert, at 1215. Operation 'Crossbow' as the attacks on the 'construction sites' was now known, continued as Mitchells of 98, 180 and 320 Squadrons bombed a site at Martinvast. This had been one of the first launching sites to be spotted (it was in fact designated as a store and launching site for A-4 rockets - eventually to emerge as the 'V-2'), and the bomber crews found their target to be strongly defended by extremely accurate Flak, which shot down three aircraft of 180 Squadron and one of 320 Squadron, with the loss of all their crews.


USAAF
ALGERIA: P-39 pilots of the 350th Fighter Group’s 347th Fighter Squadron, and Beaufighter pilots of the 414th Night Fighter Squadron team up with British and French airmen to beat off an attack by 30 GAF night bombers against Allied shipping in Bougie harbor. At least five FW-200s, four He-177s, and two Do-217s are downed by the Allied fighters, and several others are damaged or possibly downed, but not before a glider bomb released by one of the GAF bombers sinks a troop transport.

EGYPT: Although Operation OVERLORD has been discussed at length, no conclusive decisions are reached by the time the SEXTANT Conference ends.

FRANCE: Three hundred fifty VIII Bomber Command B-17s, 77 B-24s, and 13 pathfinder B-17s attack the city of Bremen with 1,205 tons of bombs between 1145 and 1228 hours. Losses are 22 B-17s and three B-24s downed (including one B-17 by friendly incendiary bombs) and 165 heavy bombers damaged, plus crew losses of ten killed and 215 missing.

The 1st Bombardment Division’s 401st Heavy Bombardment Group, in B-17s, makes its combat debut.

VIII Fighter Command dispatches 353 P-47s and 28 P-38s to escort and support the bombers. The fighter pilots down a one-day theater record of 34 GAF aircraft over Germany, the Netherlands, and France between 1030 and 1400 hours.

Maj Jack C. Price, the commanding officer of the 78th Fighter Group’s 84th Fighter Squadron, achieves ace status when he downs an FW-190 and a Bf-109 near Paris at 1100 hours. (Price’s and several other victories over Paris are associated with an aborted morning attack against a ball-bearing plant by 3d Bombardment Division B-17s.) Capt Walker M. Mahurin, a P-47 pilot with the 56th Fighter Group’s 63d Fighter Squadron, becomes VIII Fighter Command’s first double ace when he downs two Bf-110 fighters near Oldenburg between 1207 and 1229 hours; Capt Walter V. Cook, a P-47 pilot with the 56th Fighter Group’s 62d Fighter Squadron achieves ace status when he downs two Bf-110s near Papenburg at 1215 hours; and Maj Francis S. Gabreski, a P-47 pilot with the 56th Fighter Group’s 61st Fighter Squadron, achieves ace status when he downs two Bf-110s near Oldenburg at 1215 hours.

During the morning, IX Bomber Command’s 323d Medium Bombardment Group attacks Cambrai/Epinoy Airdrome, and the 322d and 386th Medium Bombardment groups mistakenly attack Roye/Amy Airdrome (instead of the Rosieres-en-Santerre landing ground).

During the afternoon, secret military construction sites at Audinghen are attacked by B-26s from the 323d, 386th, and 387th Medium Bombardment groups.

ITALY: 376th Heavy Bombardment Group B-24s attack rail bridges at four locations; 2d and 99th Heavy Bombardment group B-17s attack a viaduct; 301st Heavy Bombardment Group B-17s attack a marshalling yard and a bridge at Rimini; 17th Medium Bombardment Group B-26s attack Cassino; and NATAF aircraft attack a marshalling yard and the harbor at Ancona, troop concentrations at two locations, and several strongpoints in the battle area.

RAF
Base Changes
115 Sqn (Lancaster II) moves to Witchford
601 Sqn (Spitfire VC/IX) moves to Canne

First and Last Operational Missions
35 Sqn (Graveley) flies its first OM in the Halifax III
238 Sqn (Gamil) flies its first OM in the Spitfire IX

401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill –Spitfire LFIXB) 27-11-43
Weather was very poor, and no flying carried out except for a weather test and a Tiger Moth sortie. F/Lt. McLellan, one of our pilots who went out east to do a ferrying job for a short while is now presumed missing. Pilot State: 25 operational, 3 non oper., 1 in hospital, 2 detached.

USAAF
ITALY: Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack a marshalling yard at Rimini, a marshalling yard and rail bridges at Grizzano, and a rail bridge at Vergato; XII Bomber Command B-25s attack Porto Civitanova; and NATAF aircraft mount day and night attacks against road, rail, and tactical targets.

YUGOSLAVIA: XII Air Support Command B-25s attack Sibenik.

RAF
First and Last Operational Missions
33 Sqn (Bersis) flies its first OM in the Spitfire VB

401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill –Spitfire LFIXB) 28-11-43
Weather was very poor, with fog and rain. No flying done at all.
Pilot State: 25 operational, 3 non oper., 1 in hospital, 2 detached.

BOMBER COMMAND
Minor Operations
10 Mosquitoes to Essen and 1 to Duisburg, 10 aircraft minelaying off Brest and Cherbourg, 7 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.

USAAF
FRANCE: P-38 pilots of the 1st Fighter Group’s 71st Fighter Squadron down three FW-190s over the French coast at 1210 hours while on the way to attack the Salon-de-Provence Airdrome, but they and the Fifteenth Air Force B-26s they are escorting against targets in southern France are recalled because of bad weather.

IRAN: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Sir Winston S. Churchill meet with Marshal Josef Stalin at the EUREKA Conference in Tehran.

ITALY: Fifteenth Air Force B-24s, Fifteenth Air Force P-38 fighter-bombers, and XII Air Support Command B-25s attack a rail tunnel at Dogna, north of Trieste; Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack the Rome/Ciampino Airdrome; and NATAF fighter-bombers attack motor vehicles, troops, trucks, trains, and buildings in the battle area.

YUGOSLAVIA: XII Air Support Command B-25s attack barracks, port facilities, ships, and warehouses at Dubrovnik, Sibenik, and Zara.

RAF
Base Changes
253 Sqn (Spitfire VC/IX) moves to Capodichino

308 Sqn (Polish) (Norhtolt – Spitfire IX) 29-11-43
With the Wing, 308 moved to Ford and from there were airborne at 09.40hrs to give high cover to bombers and escort in Ramrod attack on Cambrai/Epinoy A/F. Over the Channel on the way to the Target P/O Pietrasiak fell out of formation, presumably with engine trouble. He was seen to be heading for the English Coast /obscured by cloud/ at 20,000 but nothing more has since been heard of him and it is feared he got too far West and came down in the sea. Otherwise, the operation was uneventful.

ADDENDUM – Spitfire IX MA584. Pilot: P/O A Pietrasiak VM DFM KIA. Collided with wingman, and then went into the sea.

BOMBER COMMAND
Minor Operations
21 Mosquitoes to Bochum, Cologne and Düsseldorf, 9 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.

USAAF
BELGIUM: Fifty-three IX Bomber Command B-26s attack Chievres Airdrome.

FRANCE: Seventy-one IX Bomber Command B-26s attack Cambrai/Epinoy Airdrome.

GERMANY: Although the cloud cover reaches as high as 29,000 feet in places, 137 VIII Bomber Command B-17s, of 360 dispatched, are able to attack the city of Bremen with 410 tons of bombs between 1430 and 1550 hours, and 17 B-17s attack various targets of opportunity.

Three hundred fourteen VIII Fighter Command P-47s and 38 P-38s escort and support the bombers, but heavy winds result in high fuel consumption that prevents deep penetrations. VIII Fighter Command pilots down 14 GAF fighters over Germany and the Netherlands between 1210 and 1504 hours, but seven P-38s and nine P-47s are lost with their pilots.

ITALY: Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack Grossetto Airdrome; Fifteenth Air Force B-24s attack Rome/Casale Airdrome; XII Air Support Command B-25s attack road and rail bridges at Giulianova; and NATAF aircraft attack German Army strongpoints in and near the battle area.

SCOTLAND: 357th Fighter Group personnel arrive by ship from the United States for training as a P-51 unit and service with the IX Fighter Command; and the 361st Fighter Squadron, in P-47s, arrives for service with VIII Fighter Command.

YUGOSLAVIA: XII Air Support Command B-25s attack Sarajevo.

RAF
First and Last Operational Missions
237 Sqn (Idku) flies its last OM in the Hurricane IIC
263 Sqn (Warmwell) flies its last OM in the Whirlwind I

401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire LFIXB) 30-11-43
The weather was quite cloudy and cold, but good for operations. The Squadron, flew to Bradwell Bay for briefing before proceeding on an Operations. The Squadron was airborne from Bradwell Bay on Ramrod 341, to act as part of Wing High Cover giving withdrawal protection to a number of Fortresses coming out of Holland for a bombing expedition in North West Germany. The operation went as planned, and the Fortresses were met coming out of Ocatarelle. The weather over the sea was very bad, causing severe icing. F/Lt. H.D. MacDonald's engine cut out on him and glided about halfway back to the English Coast. About 50 miles from Bradwell Bay, he intended to bale out at 1,000 feet but got stuck and sent straight into the water. He has been listed as “missing believed killed". He was a gifted fighter pilot with a good future and it was such a pity that he had to go that way.

Also missing from this operation is F/Lt. A.E. Studholme. He also had engine trouble, and when his engine cut, he was last heard of over Holland, near the Dutch Islands. It is hoped that he baled out safely. He was one of the Squadron's finest.

F/S T.W. Dowbiggin arrived today on posting to this Squadron from the newly formed Air Defence of Great Britain. Pilots State: 20 operational, 3 non oper., 2 in hospital, 5 detached.

ADDENDUM – Spitfire LFIXB MJ115. Pilot: F/Lt HD MacDonald DFC RCAF KIA.

Spitfire LFIXB MH911. Pilot: F/Lt AE Studholme RCAF POW. Crashed into the sea off the Essex coast.

BOMBER COMMAND
100 Group Operations
192 Squadron, flying from Foulsham, inaugurated 100 Group’s operations by dispatching 4 Wellingtons on radio-countermeasures flights. No aircraft lost.

Minor Operations: 4 Mosquitoes to Essen, 29 Stirlings and 15 Wellingtons minelaying from Brest to Bayonne, 7 O.T.U. sorties. No losses.

The Night Raid Report for 30/11/43 is only two pages (some are 12). It is interesting to note that there is no mention of the 100 Group mission: Page two: 2nd TAF
126 Airfield's three Canadian squadrons escorted 72 B-26s to Chievres airfield in Belgium during the morning, close cover being given by 306 and 315 Squadrons from 133 Airfield at Heston. 412 Squadron was providing top cover to the formation, but was 'bounced' by ten Fw 190s, one section of Spitfires becoming separated from the rest. Flt Lt A.C.Coles attacked one, which he saw go down smoking, but the section then became broken up and Coles failed to return, becoming a prisoner; one other Spitfire was also damaged. The other two RCAF squadrons attacked the Focke-Wulfs, two of which were claimed shot down and one damaged.

Closer to the bombers meanwhile, the Polish pilots spotted four Fw 190s attempting to attack the Marauders from behind and below, attacking these at once and driving them off, claiming one shot down. During this engagement JG 26 lost five aircraft to Spitfires, two of them falling to an ADGB unit, 129 Squadron, the rest being the victims of the 2nd TAF units. Two Spitfires were claimed shot down in return, one each by Fw Peter Crump of 6./JG 26, and Fw Gerhard Vogt of 7./JG 26, both at 1005 - probably in combat with Flt Lt Coles' section.

USAAF
AUSTRIA: Fifteenth Air Force B-24s attack Klagenfurt Airdrome.

ENGLAND: The IX Fighter Command formally reestablishes its headquarters in the U.K. following its move from Libya.

The 357th and 362d Fighter groups arrive in England aboard ship and are assigned to the IX Fighter Command’s 70th Fighter Wing. The 357th will transition from P-39s to P-51s, and the 362d will transition from P-39s to P-47s.

The newly arrived 448th Heavy Bombardment Group, in B-24s, is assigned to the 2d Bombardment Division’s 20th Combat Bombardment Wing.

FRANCE: Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack the submarine pens at Marseille.

GERMANY: Although 352 B-17s and 29 B-24s are dispatched to Solingen to attack aircraft-industry targets, all the B-24s and all the 1st Bombardment Division B-17s but one turn back because of extremely high cloudiness. In the end, 78 3d Bombardment Division B-17s, the one 1st Bombardment Division B-17, and one pathfinder B-17 attack the briefed primary with 224 tons of bombs between 1155 and noon. Losses are three B-17s downed, three B-17s lost in operational accidents, nine B-17s damaged, 11 crewmen killed (in one of the accidents), 23 crewmen missing, and 20 crewmen wounded.

The VIII Fighter Command dispatches 327 P-47s and 20 P-38s to escort and support the bomber force, but only one victory credit is awarded to a 78th Fighter Group P-47 pilot who downs an FW-190 near Eupen, Belgium, at 1235 hours. Also, one P-38 and five P-47s and their pilots are lost in action.

IRAN: Under pressure from Premier Josef Stalin, and in return for an agreement that the Soviet Union will declare war on Japan, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Sir Winston S. Churchill agree to make Operation OVERLORD their nations’ main effort in mid-1944 and to undertake an invasion of southern France (Operation ANVIL) as well. As a result of this agreement, American and British representatives return to Cairo to renew the previously inconclusive portion of the SEXTANT Conference on the OVERLORD and ANVIL operations.

ITALY: Although severely hampered by overcast conditions, Fifteenth Air Force B-24s attack Fiume; Fifteenth Air Force B-26s attack Montalto di Castro, a rail bridge at Monte Molino, and targets around Bastia and Torgiano; and NATAF aircraft mounting numerous sorties against tactical targets in the German Army battle line provide a U.S. Army division with decisive assistance in turning back a German Army counterattack.

RAF
Base Changes
4 Sqn (Mustang I) moves to Sawbridgworth
66 Sqn (Spitfire LFIXB) moves to Hornchurch
168 Sqn (Mustang IA) moves to North Weald
227 Sqn (Beaufighter VIC/ITF/TFX/XIC) moves to Berka III
322 Sqn (Spitfire VB) moves to Woodvale

First and Last Operational Missions
333 Sqn (Leauchars) flies its last OM in the Mosquito II

466 Sqn RAAF (Leconfield – Halifax III) 1-12-43
Bomb load HALIFAX III successfully completed. Squadron's first operation for three months - gardening. Twelve aircraft took off successfully on time. One load not planted. F/Sgt. SCHUMAN (D-dog) crashed on landing in very bad visibility at CATFOSS.

BOMBER COMMAND
MINELAYING
19 Stirlings and 12 Halifaxes were sent to the Frisians and to the east coast of Denmark. 2 Stirlings lost.

2nd TAF
The 126 Airfield Spitfires provided escort to 72 B-26s during the morning of the 1st, Fw 190s of JG 26 engaging the raid, attacking 411 Squadron. Flt Lt D.R.Matheson and Flg Off S.A.Mills each shot one down, Hptm Helmut Hoppe and Fw Rudi Weyrich of 5./JG 26 both being killed, but Matheson and his wingman, Plt Off J.A.St.Denis, were then shot down by Obfw Adolf Glunz, Matheson surviving as a prisoner, but St.Denis was killed; they were Glunz's 48th and 49th victories.

USAAF
ALBANIA: An 82d Fighter Group P-38 pilots downs a Ju-52 near Alessio at 1530 hours.

FRANCE: One hundred seventy-six IX Bomber Command B-26s attack Cambrai/Epinoy, Cambrai/Niergnies, Chievres (Belgium), and Lille/Vendeville airdromes.

Twenty-eight 354th Fighter Group P-51s conduct their unit’s maiden combat mission, an uneventful sweep over the Pas-de-Calais and Belgium. This is also the first combat mission to be made over northwestern Europe under IX Fighter Command control.

GERMANY: Two hundred six 1st Bombardment Division B-17s and 69 2d Bombardment Division B-24s, guided by six pathfinder B-17s, attack aircraft-industry targets at Solingen and Leverkusen with a total of 702 tons of bombs. Several targets of opportunity are also attacked. 3d Bombardment Division B-17s slated for the mission abort due to bad weather. Losses are 19 B-17s and five B-24s downed, 13 crewmen killed (including nine in an operational accident), and 227 crewmen missing.

Of 374 P-47s from seven groups and 42 55th Fighter Group P-38s escorting the heavy-bomber mission, five P-47s and two P-38s are declared missing. Fifteen GAF fighters are downed by VIII Fighter Command pilots over Belgium and Germany between 1130 and 1240 hours.

ITALY: B-24s of the Fifteenth Air Force’s 47th Heavy Bombardment Wing dispatched against a marshalling yard at Bolzano in the early afternoon are recalled because of bad weather. 1st Fighter Group P-38 escort pilots down two Bf-109s between 1245 and 1305 hours.

One hundred eighteen B-17s of the Fifteenth Air Force’s 5th Heavy Bombardment Wing, escorted by 14th Fighter Group P-38s, drop 354 tons of bombs in a damaging attack on industrial targets in Turin, including the Fiat ball-bearing plant. A 14th Fighter Group P-38 pilot downs a Bf-109 over the target shortly after 1400.

Fifteenth Air Force B-26s attack bridges and rail facilities at three locations; XII Air Support Command B-25s attack gun emplacements; and NATAF fighter-bombers attack gun emplacements, motor vehicles, and other military targets in direct support of Allied ground forces.

Headquarters, Fifteenth Air Force, displaces from Tunis, Tunisia, to Bari, Italy, and the headquarters of the Fifteenth Air Force’s 5th Heavy Bombardment Wing displaces from Tunisia to Foggia, Italy.

RAF
Base Changes
612 Sqn (Wellington XIV) moves to Chivenor
616 Sqn (Spitfire VI/VII) moves to Exeter

First and Last Operational Missions
57 Sqn (East Kirby) flies its first OM in the Halifax III
333 Sqn (Leuchars) flies its first OM in the Mosquito FBVI
466 Sqn RAAF (Leconfield) flies its first OM in the Halifax III

432 Sqn RCAF (East Moor – Lancaster II) 1-12-43
Eleven aircraft were detailed for bombing operations over BERLIN. Two aircraft failed to take off. Three returned early and five were successful in bombing their objectives Three returned to base and two landed away. One aircraft failed to return from this operation.

ADDENDUM – Lancaster II LL618 QO-F. Crew: F/S AE Slegg RCAF KIA, F/S JR Goodwin RCAF KIA, Sgt J Wadsworth KIA, F/S GP Lowle RCAF KIA, P/O SWF Baker RCAF KIA, F/S AR Morgan RCAF KIA, Sgt WE Stinson RCAF KIA, Sgt WH Green RCAF. T/o 1703 East Moor. Coned by 2./Flakscheinw. Eisb. 416, hit by 2. & 6./schw. Flak Abt. 307, crashed at Mahlow at 20.05 hrs. All are buried in the Berlin 1939 – 1945 War Cemetery.

BOMBER COMMAND
BERLIN
458 aircraft – 425 Lancasters, 18 Mosquitoes, 15 Halifaxes. There were no major diversions and the bombers took an absolutely direct route across the North Sea and Holland and then on to Berlin. The Germans identified Berlin as the target 19 minutes before Zero Hour and many fighters were waiting there. Incorrectly forecast winds scattered the bomber stream, particularly on the return flight, and German fighters scored further victories here. A total of 40 bombers – 37 Lancasters, 2 Halifaxes, 1 Mosquito – were lost, 8.7 percent of the force. 460 (Australian) Squadron lost 5 of its 25 Lancasters on this raid, including the aircraft in which two newspaper reporters were flying. These were Captain Grieg of the Daily Mail and Norman Stockton of the Sydney Sun. The body of Mr Stockton is buried in the Berlin War Cemetery.

The inaccurate wind forecast caused great difficulties for the Pathfinders, who were not able to establish their positions correctly. The bombing photographs of the Main Force suggested that the attack was scattered over a wide area of southern Berlin and the countryside south of the city. The Berlin report confirms this but adds that some useful damage was caused in industrial areas of the eastern and western districts, with two more of the Siemens factories, a ball-bearing factory and several railway installations being badly hit. Damage elsewhere was light, only 136 buildings being destroyed. 36 people were killed and a further 105 were classed as ‘missing’. (It is noticed again and again that, as the war progressed, German reports become more erratic or incomplete. The ‘final report’ – Schlussbericht –for this raid is missing from the Berlin archives.)

Minor Operations: 6 Mosquitoes to Bochum and 1 to Witten, 3 R.C.M. sorties, 25 O.T.U. sorties. 1 Mosquito lost from the Bochum raid.

Berlin route as planned: Mission routes for the night: USAAF
ENGLAND: The CCS authorizes the AEAF to attack construction sites in the Cherbourg and Pas-de-Calais areas of northern France that appear to be missile-launching facilities.

FRANCE: One hundred eighteen Fifteenth Air Force B-17s, escorted by 14th Fighter Group P-38s, attack the submarine pens being constructed at Marseille. Damage is counted as heavy despite flak and attacks by GAF fighters, of which two FW-190s are downed by P-38 pilots and several others are claimed by bomber gunners.

ITALY: Thirty-five Fifteenth Air Force B-24s, escorted by 82d Fighter Group P-38s, attack a marshalling yard at Bolzano with 106 tons of bombs. Rolling stock and tracks are severely damaged. P-38 pilots down four of the 33 GAF fighters that attack the formation, but three P-38s are also downed.

Fifteenth Air Force B-26s attack a marshalling yard at Arezzo, the town area at Orvieto, and a rail bridge; NATAF aircraft provide direct support to Allied ground forces; XII Air Support Command B-25s attack bridges and bridge approaches; and NATAF fighters and fighter-bombers attack gun emplacements, trains, and motor vehicles in and around the battle area.

In a spectacularly successful night raid on Allied shipping in Bari harbor, approximately 30 GAF tactical bombers succeed in blowing up two ammunition ships, which in turn results in the sinking of another 17 ships and the closing of the port for three weeks.

YUGOSLAVIA: Twelfth Air Force fighters attack harbors and shipping at several points along the coast.

RAF
Base Changes
73 Sqn (Spitfire VC/IX) moves to Foggia Main
317 Sqn (Spitfire LFIXB) moves to Southend
407 Sqn RCAF (Wellington XII/XIV) moves to Chivenor

First and Last Operational Missions
85 Sqn (Hunsdon) flies its first OM in the Mosquito NFXVII
576 Sqn (Elsham Wolds - Lancaster I/III) flies its first OM of the war

429 Sqn RCAF (Leeming – Halifax II) 3-12-43
Operations were ordered for tonight and 11 of our aircrews were briefed at 1300 hours for an operation on Leipzig. All aircraft took off successfully between 2350 and 0019 hours. Four aircraft were forced to return early due to technical difficulties and icing. Two failed to return and the remaining five aircraft completed their mission successfully and returned safely to be base. Owing to the thick cloud over the target actual bombing results were difficult to assess. However, PFF was very good and the attack appeared to be concentrated. Fires could be seen reflecting on the clouds and the attack was considered to have been a successful one.

ADDENDUM – Halifax II JD361 AL-Y. Crew: P/O FWBG Hingston RCAF KIA, F/O WE Hampton RCAF KIA, Sgt D Bruno RCAF POW, F/O H MacN Brown RCAF POW, F/S JC Lochead KIA, Sgt JR Williams KIA, Sgt GR Hooper RCAF KIA, F/S DG Hamilton RCAF KIA. T/o 2354 Leeming. Shot down by Oblt. Wilhelm Martin 1./NJG3 E. Kleinenkneter NE Vechtat at 0250. Those who died were buried at Wittenmoor on 16 December. Sgt Hooper was 18.

Halifax II JD374 AL-M. Crew: P/O SR Kelso RCAF KIA, Sgt RH McD Grant RCAF POW, F/S HM Schade RCAF KIA, F/S FO Morrow RCAF KIA, F/S CH Schofield POW, Sgt KH Bucholz RCAF POW, F/S JLE Cabana RCAF KIA. Possibly shot down by Lt. Herbert Koch (2nd victory) 11./NJG3 near Magdeburg at 0325 hours. Those who died lie in Sage War Cemetery.

BOMBER COMMAND
LEIPZIG
527 aircraft – 307 Lancasters, 220 Halifaxes. Despite the loss of two pressmen on the previous night, the well-known American broadcaster, Ed Murrow, flew on the raid with a 619 Squadron Lancaster crew. He returned safely.

The bomber force took another direct route towards Berlin before turning off to bomb Leipzig. German fighters were in the bomber stream and scoring successes before the turn was made but most of them were then directed to Berlin when the Mosquito diversion opened there. There were few fighters over Leipzig and only 3 bombers are believed to have been lost in the target area, 2 of them being shot down by Flak. A relatively successful raid, from the point of view of bomber casualties, was spoiled when many aircraft flew by mistake into the Frankfurt defended area on the long southern withdrawal route and more than half of the bombers shot down on this night were lost there. 24 aircraft – 15 Halifaxes, 9 Lancasters – were lost, 4.6 percent of the force.

The Pathfinders found and marked this distant inland target accurately and the bombing was very effective; this was the most successful raid on Leipzig during the war. A large area of housing and many industrial premises were severely damaged. One place which was hit by a large number of bombs was the former World Fair exhibition site, whose spacious buildings had been converted to become war factories, the largest buildings being taken over by the Junkers aircraft company. The British Official History (Vol. IV, p. 267) quotes the Leipzig city records as giving a figure of 1,182 people killed but a German local police report compiled a week after the raid gives a different figure, 614 people killed and 464 injured. It is not known which report is correct.

Minor Operations: 9 Mosquitoes in feint attack on Berlin, 3 R.C.M. sorties, 12 Halifaxes minelaying in the Frisians. No losses.

Leipzig route as planned: Mission routes for the night: USAAF
EGYPT: The SEXTANT Conference is reopened in Cairo by Allied representatives seeking to reach firm decisions regarding the OVERLORD and ANVIL landings in France.

ENGLAND: Air Chief Marshal Sir Charles F. Portal, RAF, notes in a letter to the CCS that Operation POINTBLANK (the Combined Bomber Offensive) is three months behind schedule in achieving specific goals prior to May 1, 1944, the earliest possible date for the launching of the cross-Channel attack, Operation OVERLORD.

ETO: Operation CROSSBOW, the campaign against German V-weapons sites (at first code-named SKI, but later and more popularly known as NOBALL), is given top priority for the Allied tactical air forces.

ITALY: Despite bad weather, Fifteenth Air Force B-24s are able to attack the Rome/Casale Airdrome, but Fifteenth Air Force B-26s are recalled on their way to the day’s targets.

NATAF fighter-bombers attack Anzio and Nettuno, and tanks and motor vehicles in the battle area and north of Rome.

A 27th Fighter-Bomber Group A-36 pilot downs an He-111 north of Rome at 1415 hours.

The entire II Air Service Area Command is transferred from the Twelfth to the Fifteenth Air Force, where it will be redesignated the XV Air Force Service Command.

YUGOSLAVIA: XII Air Support Command B-25s attack the marshalling yard and port facilities at Sibenik, and XII Air Support Command fighter-bombers attack ships in the harbor at Sibenik.

RAF
First and Last Operational Missions
33 Sqn (Bersis) flies its first OM in the Spitfire VC

623 Sqn (Downham Market – Stirling III) 4-12-43
Weather:- Fine becoming foggy by dawn. Cloud:- Small amounts. Visibility:- Six miles plus, with fog falling by 07.00 hours. F/L:- 2,000 feet.

Operations:- Two aircraft were detailed for operations to-night. The Captains were:- F/Sgt. Bowering and P/O. Veech.P/O. Veech and crew failed to return to base.

ADDENDUM – Stirling III LK387 IC-P. Crew: P/O NJ Veech RAAF KIA, Sgt JS Bates KIA, Sgt AD Peacock, Sgt AG Norton KIA, F/S WK Sutherland RCAF KIA, Sgt J Phillips KIA, Sgt JD Hickling KIA. T/o 2341 Downham Market. Believed shot down by Ofw. Karl-Georg Pfeiffer, 4./NJG1 and crashed in the Waddenzee. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.


BOMBER COMMAND
MINOR OPERATIONS
9 Mosquitoes to Duisburg, 48 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians, 9 O.T.U. sorties. 1 Stirling minelayer and 1 O.T.U. Whitley lost.

USAAF
ENGLAND: The Ninth Air Force’s IX Air Support Command is activated in England under the command of Col Clarence E. Crumrine. It will begin training units for tactical operations in support of the projected invasion of France by the U.S. First Army.

Using personnel and equipment from the disbanded 479th Antisubmarine Group [see November 11, 1943], the Eighth Air Force activates the 36th and 406th Heavy Bombardment squadrons for service with its nascent and as-yet-unofficial special operations group, which is being prepared to drop agents and supplies by parachute to assist partisan organizations in France and the Low Countries. The new squadrons are placed under the temporary administrative control of the 482d Heavy Pathfinder Bombardment Group.

ETO: The reconnaissance phase of Operation CROSSBOW begins with an intense schedule of missions.

FRANCE: Two hundred three IX Bomber Command B-26s are dispatched against the Chievres (Belgium) and Lille/Vendeville airdromes, but all are recalled because of bad weather.

ITALY: The entire Twelfth and Fifteenth air forces are grounded by bad weather.

NETHERLANDS: Sixteen 353d Fighter Group P-47s dive-bomb the Gilze-Rijen Airdrome under escort from the remainder of the 343d Fighter Group and the 56th Fighter Group. Also, 352d Fighter Group P-47 pilots conducting a sweep down three GAF fighters near Rotterdam between 1500 and 1510 hours. There are no USAAF losses.

RAF
Base Changes
137 Sqn (Hurricane IV) moves to Lympne
141 Sqn (Beaufighter VIF/Mosquito NFII) moves to West Raynham

First and Last Operational Missions
623 Sqn (Downham Market) flies its last OM in the Stirling III

401 Sqn RCAF (Biggin Hill – Spitfire LFIXB) 5-12-43
The weather was excellent for operations, and at first light the Squadron as part of Wing, took off for Exeter. After being briefed, the Wing took off at noon as escort to Liberators over Brest. The operation was successful, but uneventful. On the return, the bombers tried to take the wing to Ireland, and the Wing finally set course back to England on their own, landing at Portreath. After refuelling they took off in very hazy weather for Biggin Hill. The Squadron got lost and we landed at last at Exeter where we spent a pleasant night in a comfortable Mess.

BOMBER COMMAND
3 Wellingtons flew R.C.M. sorties without loss.

USAAF
EGYPT: At the SEXTANT Conference, Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower is confirmed as the OVERLORD supreme commander.

FRANCE: The VIII Bomber Command mounts its inaugural Operation CROSSBOW mission against NOBALL V-weapons sites in France, but uniformly bad weather prevails, and only three of 548 VIII Bomber Command heavy bombers dispatched actually release their bombs. Nine heavy bombers are lost through various mishaps.

The day is also marked by the bomber-escort debut of the Ninth Air Force’s 354th Fighter Group, the first operational P-51B Mustang fighter unit to enter combat in Europe. The 354th Fighter Group is officially assigned to the IX Fighter Command, but it will be on loan to the VIII Fighter Command, as will be other units that will be assigned to the IX Fighter Command over the winter months.

The 20th Fighter Group’s 55th Fighter Squadron, in P-38s, makes its combat debut as an attachment to the VIII Fighter Command’s 55th Fighter Group.

More than 200 IX Bomber Command B-26s taking part in the Ninth Air Force’s inaugural CROSSBOW mission are forced to turn for home in the face of bad weather, but a total of 52 B-26s are able to attack NOBALL V-weapons sites at three locations.

ITALY: Despite bad weather, a number of XII Air Support Command B-25s attack a bridge at Pescara; and NATAF fighters and fighter-bombers attack Aviano and Piombino airdromes, gun emplacements, trains, motor vehicles, and several bridges in and around the battle area.

Headquarters, Twelfth Air Force, moves to Italy from Tunisia.

MEDITERRANEAN: The CCS authorize the creation of a new headquarters to be known as the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF), which will consolidate the operations of MAC and NAAF.

YUGOSLAVIA: XII Air Support Command B-25s attack a marshalling yard and shipyards at Split, and NATAF fighters attack a ship in the harbor at Poljud

RAF
Base Changes
263 Sqn (Non-Op) moves to Ibsley