6 Group Unavailable
348 aircraft- 225 Lancasters, 113 Halifaxes, IO Mosquitoes; this was the first raid in which more than 200 Lancasters had taken part. 12 Halifaxes and 9 Lancasters lost 6·o per cent of the force - and 2 further Halifaxes crashed in England.
The weather forecast was not entirely favourable for this raid and the Pathfinders prepared a plan both for sky-marking and ground-marking the target. In the event, there was no cloud over Essen and the Main Force crews were somewhat confused lu find two kinds of marking taking place. The resultant bombing, however, was accui ate and a higher proportion of aircraft produced good bombing photographs than on any of the earlier successful raids on Essen.
Local reports showed that there was widespread damage in the centre and in th western half of Essen. 635 buildings were destroyed and 526 seriously damaged. 1 1 H people - 88 civilians, IO Flak gunners, 2 railwaymen, 2 policemen and 16 Frend, workers - were killed and 458 people were injured
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
This a/c served with No. 419 (B) Squadron, RCAF. Coded "VR*C" on 3/4 March 1943, when it received slight damage from a night fighter during raid on Hamburg. Coded "VR*G" on 11/12 March 1943 when it attacked Stuttgart, Failed to return from attack on Essen on 3/4 April 1943. All 7 crew including Sgt.s J.B. Langley (RAF), L.H. Ransome (RAF), and P/O. H.T, MacDonald (RAF) were killed.
Bomber Command Museum Monthly ORB
