Operation Ramrod 16 was a daylight bombing raid undertaken by the RAF against the Hemweg Power Station in Amsterdam. The intention was to destroy the power station and entice the Luftwaffe up to engage the supporting Spitfires. Five squadrons of Spitfires were committed to the operation in support of one squadron of Lockheed Venturas. This type of heavily escorted bombing raid was called a Ramrod. They were a part of Fighter Command's Circus offensive. The raid was undertaken during the late afternoon of 3 May 1943. Background Bomber Command had withdrawn its aircraft from daylight attacks after suffering heavy losses attempting daylight bombing raids over France and the North Sea in the first half of 1940. Since that time Bomber Command operations against German industry were almost exclusively conducted under the cover of night.{{sfn|Maynard|1996|pp=22-23}} However, the German war effort was being supported by factories in the occupied countries as well.{{sfn|Klemann and Kudry...