28/29 March 1942 – Lübeck, Germany
This attack was particularly notable because it was the first major success by Bomber Command against a German target which was important Baltic port and ship building centre and home to Lübecker Flenderwerke AG which was a major manufacturer of U Boats for the German Reich. 103 Squadron detailed 5 experienced crews for this operation.
28-Mar-42 – Lübeck – Wellington – R1667 – F/S FS Martin - Machine gunned seaplane base at Tromunde from low level.
28-Mar-42 – Lübeck – Wellington – Z1140 – Sgt REV Pugh
28-Mar-42 – Lübeck – Wellington – L7819 – Sgt JW Potts
28-Mar-42 – Lübeck – Wellington – R1061 – P/O JE Ward - FTR
28-Mar-42 – Lübeck – Wellington – DV579 – W/O RJ Fulbrook
Each aircraft carried a modest HE bomb load of 2250 lbs. The weather was cloudy at base with 8-10/10ths cirrus cloud at 1500 ft becoming fine over the North Sea with no cloud. Visibility was good everywhere.
P/O Martin bombed at 0025 from 6000 ft. A burst was seen in the south east part of the town which was on fire. Fires visible 100 miles to the west on return.
At 0030 P/O Martin came down to 1500 ft and machine gunned a sea plane base at Troemunde
Sgt Pugh came down to 2000 ft to bomb making his attack at 0033. Bursts were seen in a large fire in the vicinity of the cathedral.
Sgt Potts bombed at 0055 from 6000 ft but owing to smoke from the fires no results were observed. The bombs fell in a stick from the south east edge of the centre of the island area. Sgt Potts reported red fires raging in the northern half of the island and to the south and east of the island area. Several white fires were burning on the site of the machine tool factory
P/O Ward and crew are missing from this operation. Night fighter victim. Crashed in sea. Last heard W/T message - Petrol tank fired. Attacked again.
W/O Fulbrook dropped his bombs in a short stick at 0100 hours from 6100 ft. The bombs were seen to burst across a block of buildings which form a square occupying the southern half of the factory site where a large a fierce fire started. The building appeared to contain very inflammable material
The defences were reported to be very slight inaccurate light and heavy flak and negligible search light activity
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1 Group Narrative 28th March 1942 – Lübeck.
51 aircraft from 1 Group were detailed to attack the Baltic town and port of Lübeck. Weather conditions were excellent with nil cloud and bright moonlight which enabled the target to be easily identified. The attack was carried out in 3 waves. One wave of aircraft carried flares. The second wave incendiaries and the third wave HE bombs. The crews in the third wave report that they were guided to the target by the fact that it was a mass of flame and visible from 100 miles away. The target was attacked from heights varying from 12000 ft to 1300 ft. Three aircraft attacked the machine tool factory with excellent results. From all reports received the conclusion drawn is that the effort was most successful and devastating. The opposition was not great, only moderate flak encountered. Among the last resort targets attacked were Kiel, Emden and Juist bursts being seen in the areas but no actual results. Two aircraft abandoned due to technical failures, one having an encounter with a Bf 109 and a Junkers 88 was seen to be hit and has been claimed as destroyed having been seen to crash in the sea.
Four aircraft are missing. One receiving and acknowledging a fix from Bircham Newton and the second sending out an SOS was sent a fix by Sealand which it failed to acknowledge. Nothing further was heard of these aircraft or the two remaining aircraft one of which sent a message “Petrol tank on fire “
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Summary
Lübeck – 28/29th March 1942 - 234 aircraft - 146 Wellingtons, 41 Hampdens, 26 Stirlings, 21 Manchesters. 12 aircraft - 7 Wellingtons, 3 Stirlings, 1 Hampden, 1 Manchester – lost.
This raid was the first major success for Bomber Command against a German target. The attack was carried out in good visibility, with the help of an almost full moon and, because of the light defences of this target, from a low level, many crews coming down to 2,000 ft. The force was split into 3 waves, the leading one being composed of experienced crews with Gee-fitted aircraft; although Lübeck was beyond the range of Gee, the device helped with preliminary navigation. More than 400 tons of bombs were dropped; two thirds of this tonnage was incendiary. 191 crews claimed successful attacks. German sources show that 1,425 buildings in Lübeck were destroyed, 1,976 were seriously damaged and 8,411 were lightly damaged; these represented 62 per cent of all buildings in Lübeck.
The casualties in Lübeck were 312 or 320 people killed (accounts conflict), 136 seriously and 648 slightly injured.
Minor Operations: 2 Blenheims Intruding over Holland, 7 Hampdens minelaying in the Frisians, 14 aircraft on leaflet flights to France. No losses.
Total effort for the night: 257 sorties, 12 aircraft (4.7 per cent) lost.
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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