6 Group Unavailable
674 aircraft - 349 Lancasters, 221 Halifaxes, 104 Stirlings. 33 aircraft - I I of each type on the raid - lost, 4·9 per cent of the force.
The marking for this raid was based mainly on H2S. 47 of the Pathfinder H2S aircraft were ordered to check their equipment by dropping a 1,000-lb bomb on Heilbronn while flying to Nuremberg. 28 Pathfinder aircraft were able to carry out this order. Heilbronn reports that several bombs did drop in the north of the town soon after midnight. The local officials assumed that the bombs were aimed at the industrial zone; several bombs did fall around the factory area and other bombs fell further away. No industrial buildings were hit; one house was destroyed but there were no casualties.
Nuremberg was found to be free of cloud but it was very dark. The initial Pathfinder markers were accurate but a creepback quickly developed which could not be stopped because so many Pathfinder aircraft had difficulties with their H2S sets. The Master Bomber (whose name is not recorded) could do little to persuade the Main Force to move their bombing forward; only a quarter of the crews could hear his broadcasts. Bomber Command estimated that most of the bombing fell in open country south-south-west of the city but the local reports say that bombs were scattered across the south-eastern and eastern suburbs. The only location mentioned by name is the Zoo, which was hit by several bombs. 65 people were killed.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Took off from Little Snoring at 21:43 in Lancaster Mk II (Sqn code: KO-T Bomber Command) on an operation to Nuremberg Germany.
Shot down by a night fighter and crashed near the target area
KIlled: Sergeant Jack Kemm RAF KIA Durnbach War Cemetery grave 11. J. 27.; F/Lt Guy Leslie Mott RAF pilot KIA Durnbach War Cemetery grave 11. J. 28.
POWs: Flying Officer William Blades RAF POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria.; F/Lt Carl Clifford Bggild RCAF J/22440 POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria.; Sergeant Theodore Buchak RCAF R/178563 POW Stalag 4B Muhlberg (Elbe).; Sergeant Lewis Richard Alberte George Carpenter RAF POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria.
