6 Bomber Group June 28/29, 1943
30 Halifaxes from 408, 419, and 427 Squadrons were joined by 29 Wellingtons from 429, 431, and 432 Squadrons, on an attack at Cologne. The crews were over the target between 16,000 and 20,000 feet, releasing 78,000 lbs of high explosives and 155,000 lbs of incendiaries. The target was cloud covered, but the crews were able to seriously damage large sectors of the city, with many industrial sites hit. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
608 aircraft - 267 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes, 85 Wellingtons, 75 Stirlings, 12 Mos-quitoes. 25 aircraft- IO Halifaxes, 8 Lancasters, 5 Stirlings, 2 Wellingtons - lost, 4· I per cent of the force.
The circumstances of this raid did not seem promising. The weather forecast said that Cologne would probably be cloud-covered although there might be a break; the Pathfinders had to prepare a dual plan. The target was cloud-covered and the less reliable sky-marking system had to be employed. Only 7 of the 12 Oboe Mosquitoes reached the target and only 6 of these were able to drop their markers. The marking was 7 minutes late in starting and proceeded only intermittently. Despite all these setbacks, the Main Force delivered its most powerful blow of the Battle of the Ruhr. The result was Cologne's worst raid of the war. 43 industrial, 6 military and 6,368 other buildings were destroyed; nearly 15,000 other buildings were damaged. Listed as 'completely destroyed' were: 24 schools, 16 churches, 15 major administrative buildings, I1 hotels, 8 cinemas, 7 post offices, 6 large banks, 2 hospitals and 2 theatres. The cathedral was seriously damaged by high-explosive bombs. The casualties in Cologne were 4,377 people killed, approximately 10,000 injured and 230,000 forced to leave their damaged homes. The number of dead was greater than in any previous Bomber Command raid of the war on any target. The 'number of dead' record had thus increased nearly tenfold since the opening of the Battle of the Ruhr 3½ months earlier.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Bomber Command Museum Monthly ORB
