SECRET
NIGHT
RAID REPORT NO. 817
COPY
NO. 4
SUMMARY
1. 1,238
aircraft were dispatched, mostly deep into Central and S.E. Germany, with the
loss of 28 aircraft, with 5 more wrecked in landing or taxying crashes, (a total
of 2.7% destroyed). The synthetic oil plants at Brux and Zeitz, both in the
Leipzig area, were most severely damaged: a raid on the plant at Wanne-Eickel in
the Ruhr failed because of dense cloud, but another large force devastated the
greater part of the city of Magdeburg. Nearly 300 enemy aircraft were airborne,
but they were deceived by our elaborate counter-measures: and the strong flak
defences of Zeitz and Brux were overwhelmed by the concentration of our bombing.
8 (probably 9) German fighters were destroyed.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Weather Forecast
2. Bases:-
Fog and low stratus in southern Groups in evening: but conditions will
gradually improve. Northern Groups fit all night.
Targets:-
Much stratus and st-cu over W. Germany,
breaking to nil towards Leipzig and Magdeburg areas: though the latter
target is more doubtful. Visibility generally poor.
ZEITZ: BRUX: WANNE EICKEL: MAGDEBURG:
AREAS OF ATTACK
3. Zeitz
Controlled NEWHAVEN II.
H = 2215.
4. Brux
5 Gp. Controlled
NEWHAVEN.
H = 2230.
5. Wanne
Eickel G-H
groundmarking + emergency skymarking. H = 0215.
6. Magdeburg Controlled NEWHAVEN II + emergency
skymarking. H = 2140.
SORTIES
Z.
B. W.E.
M.
7. No. of
aircraft despatched.....................328...237....138....371
reporting attack on
primary area.320...222....128....348
(2.5%) (0.4%)
(0.7%) (4.6%)
WEATHER EXPERIENCED
8. Bases
Mainly fit N. of Wash. Fog
and low st. further S., but East area gradually improved.
9. Zeitz
Clear, with slight ground haze. Wind at 18,000: 330°/25
m.p.h. ?????: Broken st-cu.
to 0500 E., tops 5,000; 10/10ths. thence to 0900 E.,tops ??,000. Some thin layers 10-16,000, breaking E. of 0900 E.
Return similar.
.../10.
Brux.
2.
10. Brux
10/10ths. sheet of low st. or st.-cu. over target area:
Wind at 18,000: 300°/25
m.p.h. Route as above.
11. Wanne
Eickel 10/10ths.
st.-cu., tops 5-7,000, over whole route and target.
Wind at 20,000: 320°/20
m.p.h.
12. Magdeburg
Clear except for patches of low cloud. Route as for Zeitz. Ground haze.
Wind at 18000: 300°/30
m.p.h.
13. Moon:
new, setting at 2005 hrs., at London (before a/c reached enemy territory).
NARRATIVE OF ATTACKS
14. All
the attacks were reported as accurate and highly concentrated, even through the
dense cloud at Brux and Wanne Eickel. Magdeburg
was described by late arrivals as burning from end to end, and the glow of these
fires was visible for 100 miles.
DAY RECONNASSANCE
15. Zeitz
(K. 3766) Great
damage was caused, particularly in the northern half of the target. The vital
injector houses and Winkler gas generator were damaged, together with oil
refining and storage facilities. Little reconstruction work was visible.
16. Brux
(K.3693) Practically every
installation in this plant was destroyed or damaged.
17. Wanne
Eickel (K.3706) Reconnaissance photographs were not
obtained until
after the attack delivered on 2/3rd February by over 300 aircraft,
again through 10/10ths. cloud. Few
incidents were visible in the target area.
18. Magdeburg
(K. 3725) This Attack,
together with several Mosquito raids and the American daylight attacks of 3rd.
and 6th. February, devastated the greater part of Magdeburg.
44% of the buildings in the built-up area were destroyed
or damaged. Industries
suffered very heavily, over 40 being affected including 9 priority factories. Transportation facilities were heavily hit, especially
the railway goods yards and warehouses. The
great Ravensburg barracks were gutted, and many public buildings were
demolished. The worst devastation
occurred within the old fortifications.
ENEMY DEFENCES
19.
At least 15 Gruppen of enemy fighters were airborne (about 300 a/c), but
they succeeded in making no more than 30 attacks on our bombers. The
Magdeburg force swept over the Weser estuary on a route similar to that followed
by the sweepstake diversion two nights earlier, and the enemy undoubtedly
supposed that this was another such feint.
He made a few contacts beyond Hannover with the
tail of the force, and caused casualties. Only 3 attacks over Magdeburg
itself, and opposition was slight on the homeward run.
This was partly because
the
3 JD controller, W. of Hannover, after planning return-route interception of the
Magdeburg raiders, sent his fighters towards Leipzig to ward off the Zeitz
force. None
of our other bomber forcces, however, was seriously engaged;
they were well protected by
cloud until they were near to their targets, and for most of the return routes.
The WINDOW thrust towards Kiel and, later, the Mosquito feint on Mannheim
distracted the controllers still further. Flak
was not as heavy as had been expected at Magdeburg or Zeitz, despite the clear
weather, and cloud reduced opposition at Brux, which is the most heavily
defended.
ENEMY AIRCRAFT DESTROYED
20. The
Magdeburg force claimed to have destroyed 3(probably 4) E/A, and to have damaged
2 more. A Lancaster shot down
another en route to Brux, and our intruders claimed 4 more.
......../CASUALTIES.
3.
CASUALTIES
21. Zeitz
8/328 (2.5%) a/c lost 6 to fighters (Schweinfurt, Coburg and Weimar
outwards, and Paderborn, Hengelo and Zwolle homewards);
2 to flak (Frankfurt and target).
2 other aircraft crashed in France one because of engine failure and
flak, the other after being hit by both flak and fighter.
22. Brux
1/237 (0.4%) a/c lost, without trace.
No other aircraft on this target was damaged at all.
23. Wanne
Eickel 1/138
(0.7%) aircraft lost, without trace. 2 others were wrecked in landing or taxying
accidents
24. Magdeburg
17/371 a/c (4.6%) lost: 4 in collisions off the Yorkshire coast,
outbound; 8 to fighters (3 between Hannover and Magdeburg, outbound;
2 at target; 2 just after and 1 near Hannover,
homebound); 3 to flak (1 coned N.W.
of Magdeburg,1 at target and 1 at Hannover); 2 to unknown causes. No
returning a/c was wrecked beyond repair.
MANNHEIM
25. 17/17
Mosquitos carried out a feint attack on Mannheim from 2106-2120 bombing very
accurately in clear weather. No
losses.
HAMBURG
26. 8/9
Mosquitos attacked Hamburg from 2102-2106, through 10/10ths. cloud. The ninth
bombed an alternative target.
MINELAYING
27. 27/31 Lancasters
and Halifaxes laid 123 mines in the Kattegat and Oslo Fjord.
No fighters were met, and no casualties were sustained.
BOMBER SUPPORT ETC.
28. 100 Group
provided elaborate counter-measures to cover the deep penetrations into S.E.
Germany. MANDREL screens were set up in Central France and off the Dutch
islands; WINDOW droppers threatened an attack on Kiel, while the Magdeburg force
was approaching the Weser estuary; JOSTLE aircraft operated, and ?2 Mosquitos
intruded, destroying 2 Me.110, 1 Ju.188 and 1 He. 219. 6/7 Mosquitos and
Halifaxes completed signals patrols.
1 Mosquito was lost without trace; and a fortress crashed on landing, for
unknown reasons, and was destroyed.
?M/JT
C/S, 26342/4/0 S4,
? April, 1945,