RAF Bomber Command Group Orders

[MW Giles]

My interpretation of the Group order

Part C - 5 Group is to supply 83 Lancasters for the raid
Part F - someone cannot count and has only assigned 71 Lancasters from the five bases. The most likely thing is that they have forgotten 106 Sqn which was asked for 12 Lancs. (Actually 61 Sqn provided 9, but I cannot prove that it was initially asked for 11)
Part N - someone has done the calculation and found that there should be 23 Lancasters from Syerston and has then decided 11 of these will have load B

75 aircraft took off - the missing ones come from 207 Sqn = 4 a/c and 49 Sqn = 2 a/c cancelled before t/o. This gives credence to 2 a/c being cancelled before t/o from Syerston as the other bases all provided their quotas

You could try coming at it from the other direction and look at Bomber Command Form E which was filled in after a sortie. These are also at National Archives but I do not know if they show bomb loads.

Regards

Martin