Aachen
13 July 1943 — Aachen
- Date
- 13 July 1943
- Target
- Aachen, Germany
- Force dispatched
- 374 aircraft
Narrative
Aachen, the ancient imperial city on Germany’s western border, was heavily attacked on the night of 13/14 July 1943 by around 374 aircraft. The bombing fell accurately on the centre and caused severe destruction, the first major blow against the city that, a year later, would be the first on German soil to fall to the advancing Allies.
Sortie details (which aircraft from which squadron, which crew flew, the outcome) will populate this page once the TNA AIR 27 squadron-diary importer arrives.
The fallen
287 airmen in this archive died on 13 July 1943 or the day that followed. For a raid of this kind these are overwhelmingly the night's losses, though a death-date match is not by itself proof an individual flew this operation.
- Pilot Officer Charles Norman Adcock (28)
- Flying Officer Peter Ernest Adkins (21)
- Flight Lieutenant Gerald William Howe Allerton (25)
- Sergeant Robert Glass Amos (19)
- Flying Officer John Gouinlock Anderson (24)
- Sergeant John Archibald (21)
- Pilot Officer Chester Armstrong
- Flying Officer Nelson Avery
- Squadron Leader The Hon. Robert Alexander G. Baird (33)
- Sergeant Robert William Ball (22)
- Sergeant Desmond John Banks
- Sergeant Eric Spencer Barber (21)
- Sergeant Frederick Barnes
- Sergeant Robert Barneveld (20)
- Leading Aircraftman John Barton
- Sergeant George Batey (23)
- Flight Sergeant William Charles Batkin (24)
- Sergeant George Beans
- Sergeant Douglas Glenn Bebensee
- Sergeant Terence Ray Beck (25)
- Flight Sergeant James Berry (23)
- Sergeant Donald William Bettinson
- Pilot Officer William Russell Binnington
- Flying Officer Frank Bird (32)
See all 287 who died on 13 July →
Source: Wikipedia — Battle of the Ruhr →