Operations carried out by J J Berg while with 100 Squadron.
Thanks to the IBCC for providing this information.
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
20/21st May 1943: Lancaster ED732 'W' Mine Laying. Aborted. Starboard engine failure at 4000ft. Mines brought back. Mine Laying was in the Frisians, River Gironde and La Pallice. The squadron reported that minelaying proved successful in hampering the blockade running U-Boats. 23/24th May 1943: Lancaster ED749 'B' DORTMUND Take Off: 22/59h Return 04/07h. Primary 01:36h 21,000ft whole area on fire and white magnesium type fire, 2 miles east. Bomber Command had dispatched 826 aircraft on the largest raid of the Ruhr so far. The Pathfinders marked the target accurately in clear weather conditions. Many industrial premises were hit, particulary the Hoesch steelworks which stopped production. It was difficult to observe the ground so P.F.F. was invaluable. The squadron believed there the enemy used target indicators as decoys. 25/26th May 1943: Lancaster ED732 'W' DUSSELDORF Take off 23:30h Return 04:39h 21,000ft little result observed. Bomber Command dispatched 759 aircraft. This raid was a failure. There were 2 layers of cloud over the target and the Pathfinders had great difficulty in marking it. It was thought the Germans were marking with decoy markers and fires. As a result bombing was scattered over a large area. In spite of cloud no fewer than 8 enemy fighters were seen and F/S Baile opened fire on an unidentified aircraft seen near the target with 2 others. 27/28th May 1943: Lancaster ED732 'W' ESSEN Take off 22:491/2h Return 03:47h Primary 01:25h Glow of fires through cloud. Engine trouble observed due to flak. The weather was cloudy and skymarking had to be used. The main bombing was scattered. This was a blind bombing attack. Flak was moderately intense, but enemy fighters were very active. 29/30th May 1943: Lancaster ?583 'U' WUPPERTAL Take off 23:14h Return 04:00h 20,000ft Bombed red T.I.s cascading smoke 15,000ft explosion 01:27h Bomber Command dispatched 719 aircraft. This raid was an outstanding success during the Battle of the Ruhr. Both Pathfinder marking and Main Force bombing was accurate. 5 out of the town's 6 largest factories, 211 other industrial premises and nearly 4000 houses were completely destroyed. This was an entirely new target for Bomber Command. One aircraft of 100sqn opened fire on a suspected ME210. 11/12th June 1943: Lancaster ED732 'W' DUSSELDORF Take Off 23:17h Return 04:35h 20,800ft Bombed red T.I.s Bomber Command dispatched 783 aircraft. The Pathfinder markings plan went well until an Oboe Mosquito accidentally released a load of target indicators (T.I.) 14 miles NE of the target area. Part of the Main Force wasted its bombs on open country. However the main bombing caused extensive damage in the centre of Dusseldorf and thought to be the most damaging raid of the war for this city. 12/13th June 1943: Lancaster ED732 'W' BOCHUM Take off 23:00h Return 03:53h 22,000ft Bombed red T.I.s saw glow from Zuyder Zee. Bomber Command dispatched 503 aircraft. The raid was on a densely cloud covered target but accurate Oboe Skymarkings enabled the bombers to cause severe damage to the centre of Bochum. 14/15th June 1943: Lancaster ED732 'W' OBERHAUSEN Take Off 23:11h Return 02:?? Aborted. Port engine overheated - bombs jettisoned. 16/17th June 1943: Lancaster DV159 COLOGNE Take Off 22:36h Return 04:20h 21,500ft Bombed centre of cluster on green ground markings. Several fires seen and a large explosion at 01:14h Bomber Command dispatched 212 aircraft. The markings for this raid was not by Oboe but by 16 heavy bombers of the Pathfinders fitted with H2S. It was sparse and late and bombing was scattered. 21/22nd June 1943: Lancaster ED732 KREFELD Take Off 01:36h Return 03:22h Primary 01:36h 21,000ft Red T.I.s in bomb sight. Fires of own 4000lb burst near by. Very large explosion 01:40h Bomber Command dispatched 705 aircraft. The raid was carried out before the moon period was over and the heavy casualties were caused by night fighters. 12 of the 44 lost were Pathfinders. The raid took place in good visibility and the Pathfinders produced an almost perfect marking effort. A large area of fire became established. 28/29th June 1943: Lancaster ED732 COLOGNE Take Off 23:01h Return 04:18h 20,500ft dispatched 608 aircraft. The circumstances of this raid did not seem promising as the weather forecast predicted heavy cloud cover. Marking of the target was unsatisfactory but the Main Force delivered its successful raid. 3/4th July 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 COLOGNE Take Off 22:43h Return 03:49h Primary 01:16h 21,000ft Bombed two release point flares over-shooting to allow for southerly drift. Flash revealed that fires were in built up area. Mid Upper turret out of action after leaving the English coast. 653 bombers dispatched. The aiming point in Cologne was the east bank of saw the first operations of a new German unit Jagdgeshwader 300 equipped with single engine fighters using the Wilde Sau (Wild Boar) technique. A German pilot used any form of illumination available over a city being bombed to pick out a bomber for attack. They claimed 12 bombers shot down over Cologne. 8/9th July 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 COLOGNE Take Off 22:43h Return 03:23h Primary 01:15h 22,000ft Abandoned - Rear Gunners oxygen packed up. Jettisoned 1 X 4000lb 9/10 July 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 GELSENKIRCHEN Take Off 22:43h Return 04:48h Primary at 01:14h 21,000ft Bombed red and green flares. Explosion at 01:18h but no fires. 24/25 July 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 HAMBURG Take Off 22:18h Return 03:08h Bombing 21,000ft Bombed red TI. Red explosion followed by smoke plumes at 01:12h 25/26th July 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 RUHR/ESSEN – Cancelled 27/28th July 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 HAMBURG Take off 22:10h Return 03:05h Primary 01:00h 20,000ft Bombed centre of yellow and green TIs. Fire burning up rapidly. Primary 01:15h 20,000ft Bombed red TIs. Saw fires from the Dutch islands. 2/3rd August 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 HAMBURG Take off 23:19h Return 04:37h 21,000ft Bombed yellow markers. Fires seen to target. This was a 4th raid on Hamburg for the squadron, but ended unfavourably as 100Sqn aircraft got into a severe electrical storm and icing on the route and in the Elbe area, several aircraft were in serious difficulties and had to abandon the mission and drop their bombs on last resort targets. Only 4 crews claimed to have bombed markers and in this they were mistaken (Berg's included) as none were dropped by pathfinders. Cloud covered the entire target. 740 aircraft took part in the raid. At least 4 were lost because of icing, turbulence or struck by Lightning 9/10th August 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 MANNHEIM Take off 22:47h Return 04:31h Primary 01:41 20,000ft Glimpsed the ? in a compact area ? over target. Unsettled weather caused a last minute change in the technique of raid. Cloud over the target which decreased during the attack. Large explosions reported by the squadron as well as strong fires, but the target was not visibly identified. 457 aircraft in the raid. The Pathfinders marker plan did not work well because of cloud cover and the bombing was scattered. 10/11th August 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 NUREMBERG Take off ? Return ? Bombed centre of 6 green TIs. Fires seen building up. Reported ships near Le Treport. An attack only partly successful going further into Germany. Cloud covered the target and the crews who did manage to find the markers did so through lucky gaps in the cloud. 653 aircraft were despatched. Despite cloud a good attack went in, in the central and southern parts of Nuremberg. 12/13th August 1943: Lancaster 'L' ED732 MILAN Take off 21:06h Return 05:05h Primary 01:16h 20,000ft Bombed green TIs near town centre. Instruments u/s so landed at Tangmere. Milan was a perfect op for the squadron - outstanding amongst attacks on Italy. Good trip across the Alps for our aircraft. 504 aircraft took part in the raid. 15/16th August 1943: Lancaster DV192 MILAN Take off 19:49h Return 04:19h 19000ft Bombed centre of clusters of green TIs. Phenomenal photographic success for the squadron. Perfect weather conditions. Long journey across France and the Alps, again achieved without serious difficulty. 199 aircraft took part. Seven were lost to German fighters which were waiting for the bombers return over France. 17/18th August 1943: Lancaster DV192 PEENEMUNDE Take off 21:07h Return 03:52h Good concentration of fires and explosions. An important target for the squadron. Brilliant moonlight lit the target area although some smokescreen obscured the target. A radio commentary was of great assistance to our aircraft. 596 aircraft took part in the raid. This was a raid against the German research establishment on the Baltic coast, where V2 rockets were being built and tested. The raid was carried out in moonlight to increase the chances of success. The raid had a 'Master Bomber' controlling the bombing which was successful throughout the raid. A Mosquito diversion was sent to Berlin to draw off most of the German night fighters. It was believed this raid set back the programme by 2 months and reduced the scale of the actual rocket attacks in the future. Bomber Command lost 40 aircraft. Many of the losses occurred late in the raid when German fighters arrived in force. This was the first night they used their new Schrage Musik aircraft weapons - twin upward firing cannons fitted into the cockpits of ME110s. 22/23rd August 1943: Lancaster 'N' JA969 LEVERKUSEN Take off 21:13h Return 01:49h Primary 00:12h 20,000ft No marking seen, bombed on e.t.a. The target for the squadron was a chemical and gas warfare plant north of Cologne. 10/10 cloud cover over the target and for miles around. Bombing scattered. Cloud kept most night fighters away but 2 JU88s and ME110 were seen. 426 aircraft attacked the target. The IG Farben factory was chosen as the aiming point for this raid. Farben relied heavily on slave labour from concentration camps and was a major Nazi party donor. This company made Zyklon B that killed over 1 million people in gas chambers during the Holocaust.) Thick cloud covered the area and there was a partial failure of the OBOE signals. Bombs fell over a wide area.