10 OTU Nickel raid 24 May 44

**anglin.mj** · 22nd January 2022, 14:54

Hello,

My Dad’s logbook records a “Special Ex Nickel” trip on with 10 OTU 24 May 44 lasting 4 hours and 45 minutes.

Middlebrook’s Bomber Command War Diaries indicates the main effort that night was AACHEN, and details 23 OTU sorties, but no other detail.

Would anyone be able to provide info on what the target was, and/or a 10 OTU ORB reference?

Thank you.

Mike

**JDCAVE** · 23rd January 2022, 00:52

Hi Mike. I have a complete set of the Night Raid Reports for June, 1944 onwards but not for May 1944. This link below may have some information for you but the format for examination is not ideal.

http://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.co...ile/index.html

Jim

**anglin.mj** · 23rd January 2022, 04:38

Thanks Jim,

Dom Howard’s site is a trove of info. I absolutely should’ve checked there!

The night raid report narrows it down to 23 Nickel raids that night, with 11 from 91 Group (to which 10 OTU belonged) and lists the 91 Group targets as: Argentan, Rennes, Le Mans, La Flèche, Angers and Alencon.

I would still like to find the 10 OTU ORB to nail it down, but I appreciate the assist! I’m further ahead than I was. Thank you!

Mike

**ClintCoffey** · 23rd January 2022, 21:16

Hi Mike,
One thing of special interest to me in your post was that your Dad records a load of "special" nickels that night. My Dad and his crew took part in a nickel (leaflet) raid a year earlier, with No. 22 OTU, and they too carried a load of "special" nickels. The 22 OTU specifically mentions that most crews carried "ordinary" nickels and several carried "special" nickels. I have been unable to find out the meaning of the difference. A wild guess is that the "special" leaflets carried coded messages for the French underground...? Good luck in your search!
Cheers, Clint

**anglin.mj** · 23rd January 2022, 21:31

Thanks Clint,

Hopefully the ORB will provide details on what they were carrying.

The search continues!

M

**JDCAVE** · 24th January 2022, 03:40

There was a website, Psyops[dot]org. All kinds of examples of leaflets. It looks like it is no longer online.

Jim

**alieneyes** · 26th January 2022, 02:52

Jim,

It was psywarDOTorg. Lee has a note up there now saying the site is closed until the summer of 2020. He also runs Arcre, who photograph documents at Kew.

The leaflets can be found here: https://web.archive.org/web/20181027.../leaflets#wwii

Regards,

Dave

**JDCAVE** · 26th January 2022, 18:41

Thanks Dave for the correction. I had been in contact with Arcre to copy documents at Kew and he agreed to do it but I never heard from him again. The “Form B Project” remains in limbo.

Jim