115 Squadron

6/7 December 1942

Wellington Mk III - BK513 - KO-V

T/O East Wretham 1732 - target Mannheim, Germany.
A/C. crashed at Montcornet (Aisne), 35 km NE of Laon, France.

Source: 115 Squadron Roll of Honour by D. Bruce, W. R. Chorley, J. G. J. de Haan.

272 aircraft - 101 Lancasters, 65 Halifaxes, 57 Wellingtons, 49 Stirlings.

The target area was found to be completely cloud-covered.
Most of the Pathfinders withheld their flares and many of the 220 crews who bombed did so on dead-reckoning positions.
Mannheim reports only 500 or so incendiary bombs and some leaflets.
There were no casualties in Mannheim.

10 aircraft - 5 Wellingtons, 3 Halifaxes, 1 Lancaster, 1 Stirling - lost, 3.1 per cent of the force,
and 4 more aircraft crashed in England.

Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk - Bomber Command - Campaign Diary December 1942.

ORB. 6th Dec, 1942.
6 aircraft (5 from "A" Flight & 1 from "B" Flight) took off on operations between 17.30 hours and 17.35 hours to
attack target MANNHEIM.
4 aircraft successfully located the target and bombed in 10/10 cloud from heights ranging between 8,000 and 9,000 feet.
No bursts were seen although P.F.F. flares were visible and two fires and two lines of incendiaries were observed
burning through gaps in cloud.
2 aircraft failed to return. Wellington Mk III BJ898 KO-C, 5 KIA.

00.40 4 aircraft had returned safely to base after operations.