6 Bomber Group January 28/29, 1944
33 Lancasters from 408, 426 and 432 squadrons were joined by 90 Halifaxes from 419, 427, 428, 429, 431, 433, and 434 squadrons on an attack at Berlin. The crews were over the target at between 18,000 and 23,500 feet, releasing 280,000 lbs of high explosives and 359,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, bombing caused serious damage as there was broken cloud and the target could be seen. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
677 aircraft - 432 Lancasters, 241 Halifaxes, 4 Mosquitoes. Part of the German fighter force was drawn up by the early diversions and the bomber approach route over Northern Denmark proved too distant for some of the other German fighters. The German controller was, however, able to concentrate his fighters over the target and many aircraft were shot down there. 46 aircraft - 26 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters - lost, 6·8 per cent of the force.
.The cloud over Berlin was broken and some ground-marking was possible but the Bomber Command claim that this was the most concentrated attack of this period is not quite fully confirmed by German records. The western and southern districts were hit but so too were 77 places outside the. city. The Berlin recording system was now showing an increasing deterioration. No overall figure for property damage was recorded; approximately 180,000 people were bombed out on this night. Although many industrial firms were again hit, the feature of this night is the unusually high proportion of administrative and public buildings appearing in the lists of buildings hit: the new Chancellery, 4 theatres, the 'French' cathedral, 6 hospitals, 5 embassies, the State Patent Office, etc. The report concludes with this entry: 'The casualties are still not known but they are bound to be considerable. It is reported that a vast amount of wreckage must still be cleared; rescue workers are among the mountains of it.".
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Halifax V aircraft LK 963 SE-H missing during night operations over the target Berlin, Germany. Homeward-bound, the aircraft was shot down by night fighter pilot Leutnant Bruno Heilig of the Stab/NJG 2, who was flying a Ju 88 from Deelen airfield in the Netherlands. The Halifax crashed 500 meters southwest of the outskirts of Webelsfelde Muhlen Eichsen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Sergeant BS Rowe (RCAF), Pilot Officer D Bonokoski (RCAF) and Sergeant JR Bothwell (RAFVR) were killed in action
Flying Officer AF Davis (RCAF) and FS JJ Maher (RCAF), Sergeant T Boyd (RAF) and Sergeant DH Lockyer (RAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War
There were two other 431 Squadron Halifax V aircraft lost on this operation, on this date. Please see Thompson, AC for information on Halifax LL 181 SE-Q and Raymond, JP for information on Halifax LL 150 SE-N
Sergeant Rowe and Sergeant Maher had both previously survived the crash landing of 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit Halifax II JB 893 with slight injuries on 1943-10-12. While on a cross-country flight, the aircraft had lost three engines, was abandoned and crashed at Lower Brailes, Warwickshire, England
