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:
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Stuttgart route as planned:
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Mission map for the night:
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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
