The New Year
The Ninth Raid
The New Year of 1944 began for Bomber Command with yet another raid on Berlin on the night of l/2nd January. The force of 421 Lancasters comprised:
| 117 | from No 1 Group |
| 31 | from No 3 Group |
| 161 | from No 5 Group |
| 31 | from No 6 Group |
| 81 | from No 8 Group |
| 421 |
The original take-off time was delayed for some four to five hours because of deteriorating weather. While they waited, one ground crew chalked ‘Happy New Year’ on a bomb and attached to it a sprig of holly.
The weather forecast supplied to the Air Staff at 9.50 am that morning, predicted variable cloud, with a base not below 1,500 feet and in well broken layers to about 6,000 feet. Further broken layers above to over 20,000 feet with good clearances. On route the cloud would consolidate, becoming mainly 10/10th over the Continent, with a base of 500 to 1,000 feet. By 4 am, over Berlin itself, the cloud was expected to be thinly layered and probably well broken at 6 to 9,000 feet.
In fact the weather actually encountered was variable layer cloud at about 2,000 feet over bases, broken layers on route, increasing to 10/10th over enemy-held territory. The winds at 20,000 feet over Berlin were 70 mph.
The attack, according to the German commentators, fell on the south-eastern section of the city. The Pathfinders dropped sky and ground markers between 2.57 and 3.17 am but most crews reported sparse and somewhat widespread marking. While the ground marking was not visible under the cloud, the crews of 9 Squadron reported the PFF marking as well placed, which for them, resulted in a good attack.