6 Bomber Group June 28/29 1944
100 Halifaxes from 424, 426, 427, 429, 432, and 433 squadrons were ordered on an attack of the rail yards at Metz. The crews were over the target at between 12,000 and 15,000 feet, releasing 686,000 lbs of high explosives.According to reports, the rail yard was accurately bombed with much damage caused.
Also on this night, 8 Halifaxes from 428 and 433 squadrons were ordered on a mining operation to Brest and Lorient. The crews were over the gardens at 15,000 feet, sowing 12@1500 and 12@1800 lb mines. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
202 Halifaxes of 4 and 6 Groups with 28 Pathfinder Lancasters attacked yards at Blainville and Metz. Both targets were hit. 20 aircraft were lost, 1 I Halifaxes of 4 Group and I Lancaster from the Blainville raid and 7 Halifaxes of 6 Group and 1 Lancaster from Metz. The combined loss rate was 8·7 per cent.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Halifax aircraft LV 961 crashed ten miles south-east of Beauvais, France during night operations against Metz, France. F/Os G.W. Johnson, E.W. Folliott, R.H. Dickinson, P/Os J.B.Patterson, G.H. Isaac, F.E. Joynson, and FS T. Davies (RAF) were killed. One of the crew, not Canadian, missing believed killed.
