He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type II, serial R9391, code EY-).
Hamburg
On the 100th anniversary of a great fire in Hamburg, Bomber Command sent a comparatively small force of aircraft to attack this city after receiving an unfavourable weather forecast. 81 aircraft were dispatched: 43 Wellingtons, 20 Halifaxes, 13 Stirlings and 5 Hampdens. 3 Halifaxes and 2 Wellingtons were lost.
Hamburg was found to be completely cloud-covered and only 54 aircraft bombed on to its estimated position. Despite these unfavourable circumstances, a success out of all proportion to the numbers of aircraft involved was achieved. 113 fires were started in Hamburg, of which 57 were classed as large. The total casualty list in Hamburg on this night was 77 killed, 243 injured and 1,624 bombed out.
Minor Operations: 9 aircraft to St Nazaire, 4 Blenheim Intruders, 2 aircraft minelaying off Heligoland, 8 aircraft on leaflet flights to France. No losses.
6 Bostons to Le Havre power-station, but the only hits were on nearby buildings. No Bostons lost.
Stuttgart
121 aircraft - 69 Wellingtons, 19 Hampdens, 14 Lancasters, 12 Stirlings, 7 Halifaxes - on the first large raid on this city. 1 Stirling lost.
As on the recent Rostock raids, a proportion of the force was detailed to attack a specific factory target, on this occasion the Robert Bosch factory, which made dynamos, injection pumps and magnetos. On this night, 10/10ths cloud covered the whole area and the raid was a failure. Bombs were scattered across a wide area of Stuttgart and the surrounding countryside. 13 people were killed and 37 injured in Stuttgart. The Bosch works were not hit. A decoy site near Lauffen, 15 miles north of Stuttgart, attracted many bombs.
Minor Operations: 9 aircraft to Nantes, 5 Stirlings to Pilsen, 8 aircraft minelaying off Heligoland, 6 aircraft on leaflet flights to France. 1 Stirling lost on the Pilsen raid.
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