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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 per cent 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 per cent 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. ORB identifies the target as Ludwigshaven
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
This was the first operational flight for this crew
There were Two 432 Squadron Halifax V aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Carefoot, GO for information on Halifax LK 640 SE-Q
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