Adverse weather conditions and temperatures well below freezing point were prevalent over the greater part of the routes followed. The pilot of one aircraft, detailed for a 1,500 mile flight to Danzig and back. ran into violent thunder and rain storms over Germnay with an unbroken cloud rising to more than 18,000 feet. Another bomber, becoming coated with ice while flying at 14000 feet, plunged 11,000 feet before the pilot was able to regain control to continue the füght.
The heaviest of the long distance raids was directed against Isle Berg-bau and a synthetic oil refinery at Ruhland near Dresden. A great oil plant, easily recognised by its six tall chimneys, was showered with incendiary bombs by the first arrivals and the red glow of many fires they started aided the following raiders to pinpoint their objectives. Direct hits with high explosive bombs were scored among refinery buildings and across the base of the chimneys stocks causing violent explosions.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.