Not sure I had appreciated the magnitude of the losses incurred on this raid. 106 Bombers and 545 Aircrew in a single raid, quite staggering. Lots of detailed information available, but in summary;
- Met forecast was a bust. Predicted cloud cover en route never materialized, the only cloud cover was over Nuremberg itself, obscuring the target.
- A bright moon was unobscured all the way, making the aircraft easy to see.
- Atmospheric oddity generated contrails at much lower altitudes than forecast, again making the aircraft easy to see.
- The RAF planners decided that the Germans would be used to the "dog leg" diversion tactic, hiding the true location of the target, so double bluffed with a very direct routing to Nuremberg.
- German fighters were attacking the raid from the coast all the way to the target area.
- A weather recce Mosquito earlier that afternoon indicated the actual weather (clear skies except over the target) but the mission was given a go.
- Pathfinders had the same trouble identifying the target, and nearby towns and even the burning wreckage of bombers were targeted instead.
Some incredible acts of bravery that night, but set against many deaths, over 160 captured as PoWs and the huge loss of aircraft.