6 Bomber Group May 29/30, 1943
38 Halifaxes from 408, 419, and 427 Squadrons were joined by 55 Wellingtons from 426, 428, 429, 431, and 432 Squadrons on an attack at Wuppertal. The crews were over the target at between 12,000 and 19,000 feet, releasing 98,000 lbs of high explosives and 213,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, bombing was accurate and severe damage was done. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
719 aircraft- 292 Lancasters, 185 Halifaxes, 118 Stirlings, 113 Wellingtons, 11 Mosquitoes. 33 aircraft - IO Halifaxes, 8 Stirlings, 8 Wellingtons, 7 Lancasters - lost, 4·6 per cent of the force.
This attack was aimed at the Barmen half of the long and narrow town of /uppertal and was the outstanding success of the Battle of the Ruhr. Both Pathfinder marking and Main Force bombing was particularly accurate and a large fire area developed in the narrow streets of the old centre of the town, It is probable that this fire was so severe that the first small form of what would later become known as a 'firestorm' developed. Because it was a Saturday night, many of the town's fire and air-raid officials were not present, having gone to their country homes for the weekend, and the fire services of the town - in their first raid - were not able to control the fires.
Approximately 1,000 acres - possibly 80 per cent of Barmen's built-up area - was destroyed by fire. 5 out of the town's 6 largest factories, 2II other industrial premises and nearly 4,000 houses were completely destroyed. The number of buildings classed as seriously damaged - 71 industrial and 1,800 domestic - indicates the high proportion of complete destruction. Various figures were given for the number of people killed but our expert on Ruhr raids, Norbert Kruger, advises that the figure of 'approximately 3,400' is the nearest reasonable estimate.
The above figures indicate that the property damage in this raid was about twice as severe as any previous raid on a German city, while the number of people killed in this comparatively unprepared backwater of the Ruhr was about 5 times greater than any previous city raid.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Wellington aircraft LN 435 missing over Holland. One of the crew, not Canadian, was killed. Sergeant W.H. Grigg, and two crew members, not Canadians, taken Prisoners of War.
