The 78 Sqdn left from Middleton St George at 1942-08-12 at 21:39. Loc or duty Mainz

On Wednesday 12 August 1942, a member of the 78 Sqdn, Flight Sergeant G H D Higgins, took off from Middleton St George in the United Kingdom. His mission is mentioned elsewhere on WW2 History Europe. You can find the other details of this mission by searching here. Training and cargo flights are not separately mentioned as a mission. The plane left at 21:39.

He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type II, serial W1233, code EY-).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

(8th Air Force): 31st Fighter Group at Westhampnett, England with Spitfire Mk Vs, is declared fully operational and ready for combat operations under Royal Air Force (RAF) control until it gains enough experience to be able to fight as a group; this is first US fighter unit in the UK to reach this operational status.

Campaign report of the RAF:

11/12 August 1942

Mainz

154 aircraft - 68 Wellingtons, 33 Lancasters, 28 Stirlings, 25 Halifaxes - on the first large raid to this city. 6 aircraft - 3 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 1 Lancaster - lost.

Much damage was caused in the centre of Mainz. The number of people killed is believed to be 152 - 87 men, 64 women and 1 soldier - but there may be some doubt about this.

Minor Operations: 16 aircraft to Le Havre, 9 Blenheim Intruders, 9 Hampdens minelaying in the Elbe, 3 Lancasters on leaflet flights. 1 Halifax and 1 Lancaster lost on the Le Havre raid.

12 August 1942

1 Mosquito attacked a chemical factory at Wiesbaden but its bombs fell short. The aircraft returned safely.

12/13 August 1942

Mainz

138 aircraft of 4 types followed up the previous night's raid. 5 aircraft - 2 Lancasters, 1 Hampden, 1 Stirling, 1 Wellington - were lost.

More damage was caused in the centre of Mainz and also in industrial areas. The main railway station was seriously damaged. Again there is some confusion over casualties; figures of 40 and 163 are quoted for numbers killed.
The town of Bingen, 15 miles west of Mainz, recorded that the nearby villages of Kempten and Gaulsheim were each hit by a 4,000lb bomb on this night. 130 houses were damaged in Kempten and 97 in Gaulsheim but only 1 person, in Kempten, was injured.

Minor Operations: 6 Blenheim Intruders, 9 aircraft minelaying in the Frisians, 2 Lancasters on leaflet flights. No losses.

With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!

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