Leipzig – 19/20 February 1944.
The Battle of Berlin was coming to an end with all Bomber Command Squadrons feeling the strain of these long range concentrated operations which had already forced the withdrawal of the Stirling equipped squadrons. As well as the attacks on Berlin there were a number of major attacks on other German industrial cities with varying degrees of success. On the night of the 19/20th February 1944 Leipzig deep inside Germany was the target in what turned out to be a disastrous operation.
Bomber Command's new tactic of double attacks had worked well but on this night was not used. The plan was for a force of 45 Stirlings assisted by 4 Pathfinder Halifaxes mining in Kiel Bay as a diversion to draw up the night fighters. This part worked well except the German controller sent up only part of his night fighter force to intercept what may have been another Berlin attack.
When 16 Oboe equipped Mosquitos attacked the night fighter airfields in Holland this worried the German controller sufficiently to recall his Kiel Bay force. By that time the Main Force was approaching the Dutch coast and the night fighters were in the areas along w with a fresh force scrambled from the Dutch airfields.
Interceptions started out over the North Sea and one having found the bomber stream they stayed with it to the target and back to the coast.
The 15 strong spoof Mosquito spoof raid on Berlin failed to draw the night fighters.
Worse the meteorological forecast was badly wrong and a tail wind caused the leading bombers to arrive over the target early. They were forced to circle awaiting the Pathfinders to mark the target and flak took a heavy toll. It is thought 20 aircraft were flak victims and 4 were lost in collisions.
To add to that the target was cloud covered and the Pathfinders had to use the Sky marking technique. While these flares were plentiful the bombing was concentrated but soon became scattered.
In all there were 155 interceptions recorded resulting in 58 known attacks on bombers. It was a poor result for the loss of 9.5% of the bombing force.
44 Lancasters and 34 Halifaxes failed to return. For the Halifax crews this represented a loss of around 14% and this resulted in the immediate withdrawal of Mk II and V versions for attacks on German targets.
Post raid analysis attributed the major portion of the losses to night fighter attacks. It was clear the German night fighter force was heavily committed to the defence of northern Germany. January's losses of 314 aircraft with 38 written off in crashes had caused Bomber Command its worst monthly loss of the war. The first 2 major raids of February against Berlin on the 15/16th and this attack on Leipzig cost another 121 aircraft and Bomber Command could not sustain losses on this scale.
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Leipzig: 823 aircraft - 561 Lancasters, 255 Halifaxes, 7 Mosquitos. 78 aircraft - 44 Lancasters and 34 Halifaxes - lost, 9.5 per cent of the force. The Halifax loss rate was 13.3 per cent of those dispatched and 14.9 per cent of those Halifaxes which reached the enemy coast after 'early returns' had turned back. The Halifax IIs and Vs were permanently withdrawn from operations to Germany after this raid.
This was an unhappy raid for Bomber Command. The German controllers only sent part of their force of fighters to the Kiel minelaying diversion. When the main bomber force crossed the Dutch coast, they were met by a further part of the German fighter force and those German fighters which had been sent north to Kiel hurriedly returned. The bomber stream was thus under attack all the way to the target. There were further difficulties at the target because winds were not as forecast and many aircraft reached the Leipzig area too early and had to orbit and await the Pathfinders. 4 aircraft were lost by collision and approximately 20 were shot down by flak. Leipzig was cloud-covered and the Pathfinders had to use skymarking. The raid appeared to be concentrated in its early stages but scattered later.
45 Stirlings and 4 Pathfinder Halifaxes minelaying in Kiel Bay, 16 Oboe Mosquitos bombing night-fighter airfields in Holland, 15 Mosquitos on a diversion raid to Berlin, 12 Serrate patrols. 1 Mosquito lost from the Berlin raid. 3 Mosquitos attacked Aachen and 3 more bombed flying-bomb sites in France without loss.
Total effort for the night - 921 sorties, 79 aircraft (8.6 per cent) lost.
This was the heaviest Bomber Command loss of the war so far, easily exceeding the 58 aircraft lost on 21/22 January 1943 when Magdeburg was the main target.
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103 Squadron detailed 15 aircraft with two reserves for this attack on the distant German city of Leipzig. First up F/L J Hart and crew in JB746 2304. This almost virgin target was again attacked through cloud. The bombing was carried out between 22000 ft and 24000 ft on sky markers. Crews reported Pathfinder marking to be well concentrated and plentiful. The winds given seemed to be out and the timing not all it might have been. Crews also reported seeing a number of combats. F/L Russell-Fry returned early due to electrical failures and oxygen failure caused W/O Frost to bomb Leeuwarden before returning. Two aircraft piloted by W/O Warner and F/S Gumbrell collided on landing. Five of Warner's crew were killed and two seriously injured. F/S Armstrong and W/O Nimmo landed at Kirmington. W/O Law and Sgt Bradley are missing from this raid. All other aircraft returned to base. First down S/L Whittet and crew in JB733 0651
19-Feb-44 – Leipzig – Lancaster – JB745 – Sgt WL Bradley – FTR - Crashed in Germany.
19-Feb-44 – Leipzig – Lancaster – JB530 – F/S H Gumbrell - Landed at Elsham Wolds and hit by ND334 before they had cleared the runway.
19-Feb-44 – Leipzig – Lancaster – ND334 – W/O JC Warner - Collided at Elsham Wolds with JB530 which had not cleared the runway.
19-Feb-44 – Leipzig – Lancaster – ND408 – P/O F Law – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crash landed S of Paderborn, Germany.
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576 Squadron. Leipzig. 15 aircraft detailed. First up S/L M R Attwater and crew in JA868, P/O Bodger and crew in LL794, Sgt R Whalley and crew in ME586 and F/S H M C Thomas and crew in LL796 all at 2310. Combats were frequent. 1 aircraft, A2 S/L D D Haig and crew, claims to have destroyed 1 fighter and damaged another. Cloud conditions again prevented crews obtaining ground details on their photographs. The cloud cover resulted in a disappointing attack. This was complicated by the winds being not as forecast. Defences were strong throughout. First down F/S Kirk and crew failed to return.
19/02/1944 - Leipzig – DV386 - F/S AJ Kirk - FTR - Lost without trace.
Compiled by David Fell mostly from 103 and 576 Squadron ORBs, 1 Group ORB, By Day and by Night: Bomber War in Europe, 1939-45. Ken Merrick, Middlebrook's Bomber Command War Diaries.
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