Operations

Twenty-six bombers of 75 (NZ) Sq. set out on 20 July for a night raid against the synthetic oil refinery at Homberg on the western edge of the Ruhr Valley. It turned out to be the worst night in the Squadron’s history with seven Lancasters shot down and forty-nine crew lost.

Britain’s aviation bomb development culminated in the Grand Slam – the largest non-nuclear air-dropped weapon of WWII. So large was the Grand Slam it could only be carried by specially modified Lancasters that required skilled crews both to fly the aircraft and bomb with precision. Once again the task fell to 617 Squadron.

Not all missions went to plan. At the request of General Montgomery, RAF Bomber Command mounted its first attack against enemy troop positions in Caen, France one month after the D-Day landings. Sadly the raids resulted in significant civilian casualties and the damage was such that ground troops struggled to take advantage.

As part of the Allied focus on German oil production in 1944, twenty-six bombers of 75 (NZ) Squadron departed Mepal on the evening of 20 July for a raid against the synthetic oil refinery at Homberg, in the Ruhr Valley. It turned out to be the worst night in the Squadron’s history.

The liberation of France depended on a continuous delivery of supplies across the English Channel. The supply fleet had to be protected from seaborne attack by German E-boats. The task of reducing this threat fell to Bomber Command, led by 617 Sq. with New Zealander Les Munro at the forefront of these missions.

Although Allied senior air leaders had identified the German oil industry as a key target system for strategic bombing as early as 1940, Sir Arthur wanted Bomber Command to focus on German industries and cities. This was to change after D-Day.