6 Bomber Group May 24/25, 1944
30 Lancasters from 408 and 419 Squadrons were joined by 60 Halifaxes from 424, 427, 429, and 433 Squadrons on an attack of the 2 rail yards at Aachen. The crews were over the target at between 16,000 and 20,000 feet, releasing 810,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, one rail yard was severely damaged with some damage to the others.
While some of the group attacked Aachen, 45 Halifaxes from 426, 428, 431, and 434 Squadrons were ordered on an attack of the Coastal Gun Batteries at Trouville. The crews were over the target at between 6,000 and 7,500 feet, releasing 421,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, bombing was successful. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
442 aircraft - 264 Lancasters, 162 Halifaxes, 16 Mosquitoes - of all groups except 5 Group to attack 2 railway yards at Aachen -Aachen-West and Rothe Ertle (east of the town), These were important links in the railway system between Germany and France, 18 Halifaxes and 7 Lancasters lost, 5.7 per cent of the force.
The Aachen report duly records that the 2 railway yards were the targets attacked, with the railways to the cast of Aachen being particularly hard hit. But, because this was a German town, Bomber Command sent more aircraft than normal for railway raids and many bombs fell in Aachen itself and in villages near the railway yards. The Monheim war-industry factory and the town's gasworks were among many buildings destroyed. 207 people were killed in Aachen and 121 were seriously injured. 14,800 people were bombed out. Several villages near the railway yards also incurred casualties; Eilendorf, near the Rothe Ertle yards, had 52 people killed.
The Aachen report comments on the great number of high-explosive bombs and the small number of incendiaries dropped. There were only 6 large fires. 288 high¬explosive bombs were found to be duds, approximately IO per cent of those dropped.424 Tiger Squadron (Castigandos Castigamus) Halifax BIII aircraft LW 157 QB-S lost during a night trip to attack rail targets in Aachen, Germany. Homeward-bound, the aircraft was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Peter Ehrhardt of the 9/NJG 5, who was flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Mainz-Finthen airfield in Germany. The Halifax crashed into the North Sea off Ouddorp, Zuid-Holland with the loss of the entire crew
Pilot Officer NA. Wilson (RCAF), Pilot Officer JN.Almond (RCAF), Pilot Officer JW Kellie (RCAF), Pilot Officer FW Dolter (RCAF), Pilot Officer GA. Wilson (RCAF), and Sergeant M Rume (RAFVR) were all missing, presumed killed in action
The missing have no known grave and all are commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database...
5f14544e3b3c4f0791fec445_NCA1944
