Operation Margin | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of Second World War | |||||
Nettleton over England on his final practice run for the Augsburg raid | |||||
| |||||
Belligerents | |||||
United Kingdom | Germany | ||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||
Sq. Ldr. John D. Nettleton | |||||
Strength | |||||
12 Lancaster bombers | |||||
Casualties and losses | |||||
7 aircraft shot down, 5 badly damaged | |||||
No significant damage inflicted upon the MAN U-boat engine plant. |
The Augsburg Raid, also referred to as Operation Margin, was a bombing raid made by the RAF on the MAN U-boat engine plant in Augsburg undertaken during the daylight hours of 17 April 1942. The mission was assigned to No. 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron and No. 97 Squadron, both of which were equipped with the new Avro Lancaster. The speed of the Lancaster and its large bombload capacity gave reason for optimism that the raid might succeed. It was the first of the attacks upon German industry in Augsburg.