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45. Spitfires made successful attacks on alcohol distilleries in Northern France. At Houtteville four storage tanks were exploded and a large fire started, at Periers fires were started in the buildings and storage tanks, and at Verton and Theitreville the still towers were set on fire. Spitfires also attacked the power station at Dieppe, W/T buildings at Ushant, goods trains near Abbeville and at Kermaria in Brittany, and landing grounds near Abbeville, where buildings were hit and two Me. 109s destroyed on the ground.
46. Hampdens scored hits on the railway station and goods sheds at Wittmund near Emden, and on the aerodromes at Gilze Rijen and Soesterberg in Holland.
47. During these operations our fighters destroyed in combat five enemy aircraft and damaged four. We lost 17 fighters.
Night.
48. Owing to continued bad weather, bombing operations were carried out on one night only, when 253 aircraft were despatched to attack industrial targets at Aachen, the naval base at Brest, and the docks at Ostend, Dunkirk, Calais and Boulogne. Two hundred and fifty tons of H.E. bombs and over 13,000 incendiaries were released.
49. Aachen was attacked in very unfavourable weather by 69 aircraft, which released nearly 80 tons of H.E. bombs and over 6,000 incendiaries. Observation of results was difficult but a factory was set on fire and bursts were seen in the town. Other targets in Western Germany were also attacked.
Forty-three tons were dropped on naval targets at Brest. The usual smoke screen made accurate pin-pointing difficult, but bombs were seen to fall on or near the enemy warships, and near the torpedo wharf.
At Calais, where visibility was good, 34 tons were released. Bursts were observed in the dock area and many large fires were started. Similar results were reported in the dock areas of Ostend, Dunkirk and Boulogne, on which a total of 45 tons were dropped.
50. Pamphlets were dropped in Holland, in the industrial centres of Northern France and in the Paris and Orleans areas.
United Kingdom.
51. Fighter Command flew 1,445 sorties by day and 361 sorties by night. German Air Force activity, which remained at a low level both by day and night, was generally confined to anti-shipping operations, though a few bombs were dropped in coastal areas.
Coastal Operations.
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52. Coastal Command flew 165 patrols (309 sorties) and provided 29 convoy escorts (40 additional sorties). Shipping protection patrols by Fighter Command totalled 370 (1,061 sorties).
53. Hudsons and Beauforts made several successful attacks by day and night on enemy shipping, with the following results :—
Description.
Estimated Tonnage.
Locality.
Results.
Merchant Vessel
2.500
Off Haugesund
Merchant Vessel
2,500
Trawler
700
Merchant Vessel
1,000
Merchant Vessel
7,500
Off Stavanger
Merchant Vessel
4,000
Off Obrestadt
Tanker
5,000
Off Obrestadt
Merchant Vessel
800
Off Ijmuiden
Coastal Vessel
1,000
Merchant Vessel
6/7,000
Merchant Vessel
7,000
Off Den Helder
Merchant Vessel
3/4,000
Off Den Helder
Merchant Vessel
2,500
Off Standlandet
Off Aalesund
Off Den Helder
Off La Rochelle
Off Brest ...
North of Aalesund
Set on fire and left sinking. Left burning.
Left sinking.
One hit.
At least two hits.
Explosion amidships.
Probably hit.
Two hits. Left sinking. One hit.
Four hits.
Three hits.
One hit. Probably hit.
Left sinking.
On fire.
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