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Night Raid – 26th/27th July 1942, Hamburg
Take off 22:57 Grimsby. Part of a force of 403 aircraft – 181 Wellingtons, 77 Lancasters, 73 Halifaxes, 39 Stirlings, 33 Hampdens – despatched in what was probably a full "maximum effort" for the regular Bomber Command squadrons. 29 aircraft – 15 Wellingtons, 8 Halifaxes, 2 Hampdens, 2 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings – were lost, 7.2 per cent of the force.
From Martin Middlebrook, The Bomber Command War Diaries, Penguin (1990) ISBN 0-140012936-7
Crews encountered a mixture of cloud and icing at some places on the route but clear weather at the target. Good bombing results were claimed. Hamburg reports show that severe and widespread damage was caused, mostly in housing and semi-commercial districts rather than in the docks and industrial areas. At least 800 fires were dealt with, 523 being classed as large. For the first time, the strong Hamburg fire department was forced to call for extensive help from outside the city. 823 houses were destroyed and more than 5,000 damaged. Estimates of compensation for damage claimed ran to 250 million Reichsmarks (?25 million). More than 14,000 people were bombed out. 337 people were killed and 1,027 injured.
Info. from RAF records, German records, and an informant in the Hamburg fire services.
No news after take-off
They failed to return.
It is not recorded whether it was brought down by anti-aircraft fire or by nightfighter (AHB3(RAF) Ministry of Defence 11th October 2000). The crew were originally buried in the Heroes Cemetery, Wilhelmshaven. Wilhelmshaven is on the return flight path back to the U.K. and is within coastal nightfighter boxes and anti-aircraft defences.
Researched in 2002 by Martin Milnes
Updated in 2025 by Benjamin Milnes