Bombing of Augsburg in World War II The Bombing of Augsburg in World War II included one British RAF and two USAAF bombing raid s against the German city of Augsburg on 17 April 1942 and 25 / 26 February 1944 . 1942 raid : Operation " Margin " . To test the new Avro Lancaster , RAF Bomber Command targeted the Augsburg MAN U - boat diesel engine factory on 17 April 1942 . Unusually the raid by heavy bombers was carried out in daylight rather than by night . The bomber force was drawn from No . 44 ( Rhodesia ) Squadron at RAF Waddington and No . 97 Squadron at RAF Woodhall Spa . Each provided a flight of six aircraft . They practised low flying for a week . Thirty Douglas Boston medium bombers and a large Fighter Command effort were dispatched to targets in Northern France intending to draw off German fighters . One Boston was lost in these diversionary activities . Flying at around , the bombers crossed France but unfortunately the 44 Squadron aircraft , under Squadron Leader John Dering Nettleton , flew close by an airfield of II " Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 2 " . German fighters coming in to land set off in pursuit and shot down four Lancasters . Seven bombers were claimed by Hpt . Walter Oesau ( 2 ) , Fw . Otto Pohl ( 2 ) , Fw . Alexander Bleymüller , Hptm . Karl - Heinz Greisert and Fw . Ernst Bosseckert . The two remaining bombers flew on and attacked the target with four bombs each . One was hit by flak and crash landed with the loss of three of the crew . The other , Nettleton , flew back . The second six , from 97 Squadron , attacked shortly after in two section of three . The first atttacked at roof height , flying lower after dropping their load to evade flak on the way out but one was hit and crashed exploding . In the last three aircraft , two were hit and caught fire . One exploded but the others completed the bomb run and was able to return home . In the course of the raid , seven of the 12 Lancasters had been shot down with the loss of 49 crewmen . Only two of the first formation of Lancasters dropped their on the factory . Five of the next dropped their bombs . Nettleton returned in a badly damaged aircraft and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his leadership of the raid . Other awards included DFCs , DFMs and a DSO . Post - war analysis indicated damage was minor ; five of the bombs dropped had failed to explode . Eight machine tools were destroyed out of a total of 2 , 700 , and five cranes out of 558 . Of the 84 RAF airmen , 37 died and 12 were taken as prisoners of war . 1944 . In a final Big Week mission ( # 235 ) , the Eighth Air Force bombed the Augsburg Messerschmitt works during the day on 25 February 1944 . That night ( 25 / 26 February 1944 ) , RAF Bomber Command followed with 594 aircraft and completely destroyed the centre of Augsburg . 21 RAF aircraft , 3 . 6 % of the force was lost ( at least four due to collision ) . The last bombings killed 730 people and injured 1 , 335 ; 85 , 000 were left homeless , and nearly a quarter of all homes had been destroyed . There were 246 " large or medium sized " and 820 small fires . Due to the frozen hydrants and water surfaces ( the temperature was minus 18 degrees Celsius ) fire fighting was difficult . See also . Strategic bombing during World War II