Operations - Sanneville - 18 July 1944
Schloven/Buer - 18/19 July 1944
After the successful landings on D Day Bomber Command was to play a major role in direct support of the invasion forces as they fought to establish themselves in Normandy and break out of the beachhead. The RAF bombers were heavily committed in June, July and August in direct support of the Allied armies in the field bombing German troop concentrations and gun positions, ammunition and oil dumps, road and rail communications and French ports which were bases for the German naval forces and threatened Allied shipping in the Channel.
In addition Bomber Command was tasked to fly many attacks against German synthetic oil plants in and around the Ruhr as part of the Oil Plan designed to destroy Germany’s oil manufacturing resources.
Finally Bomber Command was also directed against the V weapons sites in Northern France. V - 1s were being launched in considerable numbers against London and the Allied Air Forces were ordered to bomb the launching sites and stores whenever other commitments permitted.
All these tasks were carried out with much success but the massive and frequently changing target list meant that this was a busy time for all involved. The planners, air crews and ground crews had to work flat out to meet the demands put upon them.
Examples of this are the operations undertaken by both 103 Sqn and 576 Sqn on the 18th July 1944 with both Squadrons flying 2 operations in a 24 hour period.
The first was an attack at dawn on German positions East of Caen in support of a full-scale attack by the British Second Army. The objective of this assault was to break out of the positions around Caen and advance South closing the Falaise Gap to the retreating German forces. The attack was made by 942 aircraft of Bomber Command - 667 Lancasters, 260 Halifaxes and 15 Mosquitos.
The 2 Elsham Wolds Squadrons were ordered to bomb German positions around Sanneville. 103 Squadron detailed 15 aircraft and 576 Squadron 16 for this attack and each aircraft carried an all high explosive bomb load of 13,000lbs . The first crew to take off was that of P/O A A Moore RCAF of 103 Squadron at 0314. The weather for take off was only fair with 10/10ths cloud cover over base but this decreased as the bombers neared the target. A Spitfire escort was provided. At the target the cloud broke with cloud base at 14,000ft.
There was some ground haze but this did not impair visual identification of the target. The Pathfinder aircraft placed their markers precisely and the crews were able to bomb from between 6,500ft and 8,000ft on the instructions of the Master Bomber. The first 103 Sq crew bombed at 0544. The 103 Squadron Operational Record Book comments on the clear and concise instructions to the incoming bombers. The bombing was very well concentrated and it was considered a very successful attack.
No fighter opposition was noted but moderate flak was encountered and several aircraft were seen to fall in the target area. All crews returned to base, the first to return being the 576 Sqn crews of S/L B A Rooke and P/O V P Tomlin at 0710
The operation that morning was most unusual because it was a truly combined effort with substantial contributions from army artillery fire and naval gun fire from the heavy guns of the monitor, HMS Roberts, and 2 cruisers off the French coast. The success of the operation was almost complete with 2 German divisions in the area particularly badly hit. The attack was considered one of the most useful of many undertaken by Bomber Command in support of the Allied armies in the field. In total 6 aircraft were lost during this operation.
Later that day 110 Halifaxes, Lancasters and Mosquitos from 4, 6 and 8 Groups attacked the railway yards at Vaire. 2 Halifaxes were lost.
That night both 103 Sqn and 576 Sqn flew their second operation in a 24 hour period when they were part of a force of 170 Lancasters and Mosquitos from 1 and 8 Groups which attacked the synthetic oil plant at Shloven/Buer in Germany. 103 Squadron were able to detail 12 aircraft for this operation and 576 14 aircraft. Each aircraft carried an all high explosive bomb load of 9,000lb. The first aircraft to take off was that of S/L S Slater of 576 Sq at 2255. The Pathfinders marked the target 4 minutes before zero hour with red target indicators backed up by greens. The first crews bombed at 0130 from around 20,000ft. The bombing was very well concentrated and a very large explosion was seen by all crews a minute into the attack. Moderate heavy flak was noted with several large searchlight cones and a few fighter flares. This was a very precise attack bringing production at the plant to a complete standstill. 550 bombs fell in the plant area. 4 Lancasters were lost, none from either 103 Sq or 576 Sq. The first aircraft to return was that of P/O L J L Green and crew of 103 Squadron at 0301.
Also that night
1/ 194 Halifaxes, Lancasters and Mosquitos of 1, 6 and 8 Groups attacked another synthetic oil plant at Wesseling, Germany. This was a further success with nearly 1000 bombs falling in the plant area causing much destruction and disruption to production. 1 Halifax was lost.
2/ 263 Lancasters and Mosquitos of 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups attacked railway junctions at Aulnoye and Revigny. Both targets were hit and the railway lines cut. 2 Lancasters were lost on the Aulnoye attack. 24 Lancasters lost on the Revigny raid which was intercepted by German night fighters in some strength.
3/ 62 Halifaxes Lancasters and Mosquitos of 4 and 8 Groups made an unsuccessful attack on a flying bomb site at Acquet. 2 Halifaxes were lost.
4/ Support and minor operations that night included 115 aircraft on a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 22 Mosquitos to Berlin and 6 to Cologne, 20 Radio Counter Measure sorties, 76 Mosquito patrols, 8 Halifaxes laying mines off the Frisians and 36 aircraft on Resistance operations. 2 Halifaxes and 1 Mosquito were lost.
In a demanding 24 hour period Bomber Command had flown over 2,000 sorties for the loss of 44 aircraft. The crews had flown against a variety of important targets and most of the operations had been highly successful.
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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