6 Bomber Group March 5/6, 1945
86 Halifaxes from 408, 415, 420, 425, 426, 429, and 432 Squadrons were joined by 84 Lancasters from 419, 424, 428, 431, 433, and 434 Squadrons on an attack at Chemnitz. The crews were over the target at between 15,000and 18,000 feet, releasing 1,064,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, severe damage was caused by this attack. There was severe icing over England and this was a factor in most of the crashes. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
760 aircraft - 498 Lancasters, 256 Halifaxes, 6 Mosquitoes - to continue Operation Thunderclap. The operation started badly when 9 aircraft of 6 Group crashed near their bases soon after taking off in icy conditions. 426 Squadron, at Linton-on-Ousc, lost 3 out of their 14 Halifaxes taking part in the raid in this way, with only I man surviving. 1 of the Halifaxes crashed in York, killing some civilians. 22 further aircraft were lost in the main operation - 14 Lancasters and 8 Halifaxes.
The city of Karl-Marx-Stadt was unable to supply any local details but it Is known that the centre and the south of the city suffered severe fire damage. Several important factories were situated in the fire area and the Siegmar factory, which made tank engines, was destroyed.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Halifax VII aircraft RG 475 QO-L was returning from an operation over Chemnitz, Germany when it was shot down by flak from an Allied Coastal Defense Battery over England. The aircraft crashed north of Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, England with the loss of the entire crew
Pilot Officer JD Ringrose (RCAF), Pilot Officer GM Orser (RCAF), Pilot Officer MB Nielson (RCAF), Squadron Leader EA Hayes (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant GR Harris (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant JG Clothier (RCAF), Flying Officer CM Hay DSO (RCAF) and Pilot Officer DM Cooke (RAFVR), were all killed in action
RAF losses 5./6. March 1945 [Archive] - Luftwaffe and Allied Air...