6 Bomber Group February 20/21, 1944
25 Lancasters from 408 and 426 squadrons were joined by 40 Halifaxes from 420, 424, 425, 427, and 433 squadrons on an attack at Stuttgart. The crews were over the target at between 19,000 to 24,000 feet, releasing 100,000 lbs of high explosives and 201,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, the target was cloud covered and the attack was scattered. There was some severe damage to a Bosch factory that made important parts for the German war effort.
While some of the crews were going to Stuttgart, 8 Halifaxes from 429 Squadron made a tactical diversion over the North Sea in hopes of drawing the Night-fighters away from the true target. It seemed to have worked because few crews engaged enemy aircraft. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
598 aircraft - 460 Lancasters, I26 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitoes. The North Sea sweep and the Munich diversion successfully drew the German fighters up 2 hours before the main bomber force flew inland and only 9 aircraft - 7 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes - were lost, 1·5 per cent of the force. 4 further Lancasters and 1 Halifax crashed in England.
Stuttgart was cloud-covered and the bombing became scattered. The local report states that considerable damage was caused in the centre of the city and in the north-eastern and north-western suburbs of Bad Canstatt and Feuerbach. Several important cultural buildings in the centre of the city were badly damaged- the Neues Schloss, the Landtag (regional parliament building), the state picture gallery, the state archives, the state theatre and two old churches. In the Feuerbach suburb, however, the Bosch factory, which produced dynamos, injection pumps and magnetos and was considered to be one of the most important factories in Germany, was heavily damaged. 125 people were killed and 510 injured. source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Returning from Stuttgart, Lancaster ND345 was hit by flak. The pilot was thrown clear and became a POW and the remainder of the crew were buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery. The crew were: F/Lt D.K. MacKay, DFC, RCAF - Pilot Sergeant J.C.L Reed, RAFVR - Flight Engineer Pilot Officer R Halperin, DFC, RAFVR - Navigator Sergeant G.P Roche, RAFVR - Navigator/Bomb Aimer F/Lt B.O Petrides, DFM, RAFVR - Wireless Operator/Air Gunner S/Ldr A Muir, DFC, RAFVR - Air Gunner Flying Officer J Moffat, DFC, RAFVR - Air Gunner S/Ldr Muir was the Squadron Gunnery Leader and with four DFCs and a DFM they were a particularly highly decorated crew. source: RAF Commands
