Handley Page Halifax Serial Groups Specifications

Bombing Karlsruhe Germany 1942-09-02 to 1942-09-03

405 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Topcliffe

Karlsruhe 200 aircraft of 5 types with 4 Group Halifaxes now back on major operations. 8 aircraft - 4 Wellingtons, 2 Lancasters, 1 Halifax, 1 Stirling - lost, 4·0 per cent of the force.

The Pathfinders were accurate and this was a successful raid, An estimated 200 fires were seen burning at the same time. Reconnaissance photographs showed much residential and some industrial damage. A very short report from Karlsruhe says only that 73 people were killed and that 3 public buildings in the city centre were hit.

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

405 City of Vancouver Squadron (Ducimus). Halifax aircraft DT 487 was shot down at Lesves, seven miles south-west of Namur, Belgium."The aircraft was returning from a mission to Karlsruhe (Baden-Württemberg) and it was shot down by Oblt Martinek (Bf 110) of III./NJG 4, departing from the French base Juvincourt.

The entire crew was killed and resting at Hotton: Flight Lieutenant Lawrence David Hillier (pilot,) Flight Sergeant George William Roberts (second pilot,) Flight Sergeant Bernard Arthur McGrath (navigator,) Sergeant Alexander Douglas Muir (flight engineer,) Pilot Officer Kenneth Ederic Michael Mitchell (wireless operator, gunner,) Flight Sergeant Arthur Colin Ewing (wireless operator,) Sergeant Edward John Cutting (gunner) and Sergeant Edwin Charles Alfred Coules (gunner.)

Account by Barry Elson

Memorial

Ferry Flight 1942-11-29 to 1942-11-29

405 (C) Sqn (RCAF) Topcliffe

Served with No. 405 (B) Squadron, RCAF, coded "LQ*U", based at Dishforth. Crashed on 29 November 1942, just half mile east of Melmerby, Yorkshire shortly after taking off from Topcliffe at 10:05 local time and burnt. There were two crews in the aircraft, the flight crew, plus second crew and a ground crew mechanic as passengers all 15 on board killed. Was ferrying second crew to detachment at Beaulieu. This was the worst non-operational loss to occur in Yorkshire during the entire war

Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire

Honouring the Airmen of RAF Beaulieu & USAAF Station 408-RA...

Bombing Bochum Germany 1943-06-12 to 1943-06-13

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Battle of the Ruhr

503 aircraft - 323 Lancasters, 167 Halifaxes, II Mosquitoes. 14 Lancasters and 10 Halifaxes lost, 4·8 per cent of the force.

This raid took place over a completely cloud-covered target but accurate Oboe . sky-marking enabled the all Lancaster/Halifax Main Force to cause severe damage to the centre of Bochum. After daylight photographs had been taken, 130 acres or destruction were claimed. The only report from Germany says that 449 buildings were destroyed and 916 severely damaged and that 312 people were killed.

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

Served with No. 419 (B) Squadron, RCAF, coded "VR*K". Failed to return from attack on Bochum on 12 / 13 June 1943. Shot down at 02:20 local time by Bf110 G9+AR of 7/NJG1, flown by Oblt. W. Rapp. All 7 crew were POW.

Bombing Essen Germany 1943-04-03 to 1943-04-03

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Battle of the Ruhr

348 aircraft- 225 Lancasters, 113 Halifaxes, IO Mosquitoes; this was the first raid in which more than 200 Lancasters had taken part. 12 Halifaxes and 9 Lancasters lost 6·o per cent of the force - and 2 further Halifaxes crashed in England.

The weather forecast was not entirely favourable for this raid and the Pathfinders prepared a plan both for sky-marking and ground-marking the target. In the event, there was no cloud over Essen and the Main Force crews were somewhat confused lu find two kinds of marking taking place. The resultant bombing, however, was accui ate and a higher proportion of aircraft produced good bombing photographs than on any of the earlier successful raids on Essen.

Local reports showed that there was widespread damage in the centre and in th western half of Essen. 635 buildings were destroyed and 526 seriously damaged. 1 1 H people - 88 civilians, IO Flak gunners, 2 railwaymen, 2 policemen and 16 Frend, workers - were killed and 458 people were injured

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

This a/c served with No. 419 (B) Squadron, RCAF. Coded "VR*C" on 3/4 March 1943, when it received slight damage from a night fighter during raid on Hamburg. Coded "VR*G" on 11/12 March 1943 when it attacked Stuttgart, Failed to return from attack on Essen on 3/4 April 1943. All 7 crew including Sgt.s J.B. Langley (RAF), L.H. Ransome (RAF), and P/O. H.T, MacDonald (RAF) were killed.

Minelaying Frisian Islands Netherlands 1943-02-27 to 1943-02-27

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Bombing Lorient France 1943-01-29 to 1943-01-30

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Asawayita) RAF Middleton St George. Halifax BII aircraft DT 623 VR-S made a wheels up crash landing returning from operations over the dock area at Lorient, France

FS JMB O'Connor (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant AP Cranswick (RAF), Sergeant FE Johnston (RAF),Warrant Officer W McRobbie (RAF), FS D McKenzie (RAF), Pilot Officer JC Garton (RAF )and Flight Sergeant ILJ Howard (RAF) all survived, safe

Warrant Officer Class 2 JMB O'Connor would be missing, presumed killed 1943-04-28 in 419 Squadron Halifax JB 923 VR-Q while on a mine-laying sortie off the coast of Norway

WR Chorley notes that Flight Lieutenant Cranswick left 419 Sqn soon after for operations as a Pathfinder, where he became one of the premier bomber pilots in Bomber Command. He was killed July 4-5, 1944, as a Squadron Leader DSO while acting as Primary Visual Marker on an operation over France.

Combat Bay of Biscay France 1942-10-15 to 1942-10-15

405 (C) Sqn (RCAF) Beaulieu

Bombing 1942-12-15 to 1942-12-15

405 (C) Sqn (RCAF) Beaulieu

405 City of Vancouver Squadron (Ducimus) RAF Bealieu, Halifax II aircraft DT 624 LQ-F returned from a daylight, long-range anti-submarine patrol over the Bay of Biscay on three engines with one of the port propellers feathered. The pilot obtained permission for a right hand circuit and, on turning into the wind, the aircraft went into a spin and crashed three miles west of the Beaulieu aerodrome.

North East War Memorials Project-Every Name A Story Content

Bombing Hamburg Germany 1943-02-03 to 1943-02-04

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita). As Halifax aircraft DT 630 crossed the French coast, en route to the target Hamburg, Germany, it was attacked from below by a German FW-190 fighter aircraft. The Halifax was raked with cannon shells along the entire length of the fuselage killing the pilot and setting fire to the incendiaries in the bomb-bay. The navigator gave the signal to bail out but only three of the crew, FS Milton, Sergeants W.N. Garnett, and E.R. Marquand got out. Garnett and Marquand were taken Prisoners of War when they landed and Milton was either an Evader or was taken Prisoner of War. Pilot Officer J.D. MacKenzie, W/O R. H. Hill, (BROTHER to Howard Stephenson Hill), Sergeant W.P. Duthie, and W/O L.A. Gonnett were killed in the aircraft.

263 aircraft- 84 Halifaxes, 66 Stirlings, 62 Lancasters, 51 Wellingtons - provided by all groups on the first zoo-plus raid for more than 2 weeks.

Icing conditions in cloud over the North Sea caused many aircraft to return early. The Pathfinders were unable to produce concentrated and sustained marking on H2S and the bombing of the Main Force was scattered. The results in Hamburg were no better than the attack by a much smaller force a few nights earlier. 45 fires classed as 'large' were started, including 2 in various oil depots and I in a warehouse near the Elbe waterfront. 55 people were killed and 40 injured. The German night fighters operated effectively, despite the bad weather, and 16 bombers were lost - 8 Stirlings, 4 Halifaxes, 3 Wellingtons and I Lancaster, 6· 1 per cent of the force.

Bombing Bay of Biscay France 1943-02-21 to 1943-02-21

405 (C) Sqn (RCAF) Topcliffe

405 City of Vancouver Squadron (Ducimus), Coastal Command No 18 Group, Halifax aircraft DT 633 crashed one and one half miles north-east of the aerodrome at RAF Station, Beaulieu, Hampshire.

The pilot was detailed to carry out an operational air sea patrol and this was his first night operational flight. The total weight of the aircraft was approximately 58,500 lbs, which included bombs and six depth charges. After some unexplained delay at the dispersal point and runway, the aircraft took off normally at 0455 hrs, made a turn to port through about 180 degrees and then crashed into a wood about 1½ miles from the airfield. An outbreak of fire occurred on impact, followed by the explosion of the bombs and depth charges which disintegrated the aircraft. The seven occupants were killed. Owing to the complete destruction of the aircraft practically no useful evidence was obtained by an examination of the wreckage. (Source South East History Boards)

Bombing Berlin Germany 1943-03-27 to 1943-03-27

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Middleton St George

419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita) RAF Middleton St George. Halifax Mk II aircraft DT 634 VR-E was a few miles south of Bremen, Germany, enroute to bomb targets in Berlin, Germany when it was caught in a flak barrage, a few minutes later the starboard outer engine heated up and had to be feathered. The crew decided to carry on but changed to the closer destination of Magdeburg, Germany instead of Berlin. After carrying out the bombing run the aircraft was hit from below and shot down by night fighter pilot Oblt. Ulrich Wulff of the 1/NJG 5, flying a Bf 110 aircraft, setting an engine on fire. The fire spread to the fuselage and the escape hatches had to be cut open with axes as the they had become jammed in the attack. All the crew jumped to safety except pilot Flying Officer Porter who stayed at the controls. He stayed too long and went down with the aircraft when it crashed at Escheburg near Bergedorf Schleswig-Holstein Germany

Flying Officer Charles Edward Porter MiD (RCAF) was killed in action

Warrant Officer Class I Murray Winston Bishop (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class I Joseph Gerald Lanteigne (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class I Albert Henry Taylor (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant George Joseph Sweanor (RCAF), Sergeant Daniel London (RAFVR) and Flying Officer Alan Thomas Budinger (RAFVR) survived and were all taken Prisoners of War

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419 Squadron RCAF 1941 to 1945 Crew of Halifax DT634

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Minelaying Frisian Islands Netherlands (Nectarines) 1943-02-18 to 1943-02-18

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Bombing Berlin Germany 1943-03-01 to 1943-03-01

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Battle of the Ruhr

302 aircraft - 1 56 Lancasters, 86 Hali faxes, 60 Stirlings. 17 aircraft - 7 Lancasters, 6 Halifaxes, 4 Stirlings - lost, y6 per cent of the force.

The Pathfinders experienced difficulty in producing concentrated marking be¬cause individual parts of the extensive built-up city area of Berlin could not be distinguished on the H2S screens. Bombing photographs showed that the attack was spread over more than IOO square miles with the main emphasis in the south-west of the city. However, because larger numbers of aircraft were now being used and because those aircraft were now carrying a greater average bomb load, the proportion of the force which did hit Berlin caused more damage than any previous raid to this target. This type of result- with significant damage still being caused by only partially successful attacks - was becoming a regular feature of Bomber Command raids.

Much damage was caused in the south and west of Berlin. 22 acres of workshops were burnt out at the railway repair works at Tempelhof and 20 factories were badly damaged and 875 buildings -mostly houses -were destroyed. 191 people were killed.

Some bombs hit the Telefunken works at which the H2S set taken from the Stirling shot down near Rotterdam was being reassembled. The set was completely destroyed in the bombing but a Halifax of 35 Squadron with an almost intact set crashed in Holland on this night and the Germans were able to resume their research into H2S immediately.

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita). Halifax aircraft DT 641 was shot down in the sea during a trip to Berlin, Germany. Sergeants A.D. Cherkinsky, J. Kowalski, A.L. Bateman, and FS W.G. Francis and FS A.T. Woodhouse were killed. Two of the crew, not Canadians, missing believed killed. Sgt. J.N. Gray (RAF) and F/O. A.J. Herriott D.F.M. (RAF) were also killed

Conversion 1944-07-29 to 1944-07-29

(OT) HCU (RAF) Aldergrove

Operated by 1674 Heavy Conversion Unit. After taking off on a practice flight, the aircraft continued straight ahead towards Antrim, flying very low for no apparent reason and against instructions. It then began a wide turn at high speed, but lost height and struck trees at Masserene Estate, Antrim. (some records state Shanes Castle) It cut a swathe through the trees before crashing on open ground immediately south of the Sixmilewater, on the site what is now the Antrim Forum, it caught fire and burned out. Warrant Officer L.W. Lenz, Flying Officer G. Fraser, FS H.V. Heaton, Sgts, J.L.Snider, L.M. Hembruff, and four of the crew, not Canadians, were also killed.

source: Malcolm Deeley, Ulster Aviation Society

Bombing Essen Germany 1943-03-05 to 1943-03-06

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Battle of the Ruhr

442 aircraft - 157 Lancasters, 131 Wellingtons, 94 Halifaxes, 52 Stirlings, 8 Mos¬quitoes. It was on this night that Bomber Command's roo.oooth sortie of the war was flown. 14 aircraft- 4 Lancasters, 4 Wellingtons, 3 Halifaxes, 3 Stirlings - lost, 3·2 per cent of the force.,/p>

The only tactical setback to this raid was that 56 aircraft - nearly 13 per cent of the force - turned back early because of technical defects and other causes. 3 of the 'early returns' were from the 8 Oboe Mosquito marker aircraft upon which the success of the raid depended but the 5 Mosquitoes which did reach the target area opened the attack on time and marked the centre of Essen perfectly. The Pathfinder backers-up also arrived in good time and carried out their part of the plan. The whole of the marking was 'blind', so that the ground haze which normally concealed

Essen did not affect the outcome of the raid. The Main Force bombed in 3 waves - Halifaxes in the first wave, Wellingtons and Stirlings in the second, Lancasters in the third. Two thirds of the bomb tonnage was incendiary; one third of the high-explosive bombs were fuzed for long delay. The attack lasted for 40 minutes and 362 aircraft claimed to have bombed th, main ta,g,t. Those tac6cs would be typical of many other raids on the Ruhr area in the next 4 months.

Reconnaissance photographs showed 160 acres of destruction with 53 separate buildings within the Krupps works hit by bombs. A map from Essen shows the main area of damage to have been between the Krupps works and the city centre. The local report states that 3,018 houses were destroyed and 2,166 were seriously damaged. The number of people killed is given in various reports as between 457 and 482; at least Io of these were firemen. If the higher figure is correct, the previous record number of people killed in an air raid on Germany - 469 in the moo-bomber raid on Cologne in May 1942 - was exceeded.Small numbers of bombs fell in 6 other Ruhr cities

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

Bombing Saint-Nazaire France 1943-03-28 to 1943-03-28

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Battle of the Ruhr

Bombing Bochum Germany 1943-05-13 to 1943-05-14

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

This raid started well but, after 15 minutes, what were believed to be German decoy markers drew much of the bombing away from the target. The only information available from Germany is that 394 buildings in Bochum were destroyed, 716 were seriously damaged and 302 people were killed.

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

There were two 419 Sqn. aircraft lost in the same area this same night. Please see Sergeant F.W. Walkerdine for information regarding the other crew and aircraft.

Bombing Berlin Germany 1943-03-29 to 1943-03-30

408 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Leeming

408 Goose Squadron (For Freedom) RAF Leeming. Halifax BII aircraft DT 679 EQ-Q was likely struck by flak during a night operation against targets in Berlin and crashed near Ruttelerfeld/Stapelmoor, southeast of Marx, Niedersachsen, Germany

Flying Officer FNS Cavanaugh (RCAF) Flying Officer HE Tanner (RCAF), Flight Sergeant GW Herrington (RCAF)(USA), Flight Sergeant WA Kopacz (RCAF)(USA), Sergeant EA Biggs (RAFVR), Sergeant TW Harris (RAFVR) and Sergeant RH Holtham (RAF) were all killed in action

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Daily Operations

Minelaying La Rochelle France (Cinnamon) 1943-04-06 to 1943-04-07

405 (C) Sqn (RCAF) Leeming

Battle of the Ruhr

Bombing Kiel Germany 1943-04-04 to 1943-04-05

405 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Leeming

Battle of the Ruhr

405 City of Vancouver Squadron (Ducimus) Pathfinder Force, RAF Leeming. Halifax BII aircraft DT 704 LQ-H missing during an attack against the docks and shipping at Kiel, Germany. The Halifax was hit by radar-directed marine flak and exploded in mid-air, crashing in the target area near Klausdorf, Germany.The entire crew was lost

With 577 bombers taking part in this raid it was the largest raid of the war to this date, but strong winds and heavy cloud cover effected both target marking and bombing accuracy. Little damage was caused.

Bombing Essen Germany 1943-04-03 to 1943-04-04

405 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Leeming

Bombing Berlin Germany 1944-01-20 to 1944-01-20

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Battle of Berlin

769 aircraft- 49 5 Lancasters, 264 Halifaxes, lo Mosquitoes. 35 aircraft- 22 Halifaxes, I 3 Lancasters - lost, 4·6 per cent of the force. I02 Squadron, from Pocklington, lost 5 of its 16 Halifaxes on this raid, 2 more crashed in England and the squadron would lose 4 more aircraft in the next night's raid. The bomber approach route took a wide swing to the north but, once again, the German controller managed to feed his fighters into the bomber stream early and the fighters scored steadily until the force was well on the way home. The diversions were not large enough to deceive the Germans.

The Berlin area was, as so often, completely cloud-covered and what happened to the bombing is a mystery. The Pathfinder sky-marking appeared to go according to plan and crews who were scanning the ground with their H2S sets believed that the attack fell on eastern districts of Berlin. No major navigational problems were experienced. No photographic reconnaissance was possible until after a further 4 raids on Berlin were carried out but the various sources from which the Berlin reports are normally drawn all show a complete blank for this night. It is not known whether this is because of some order issued by the German authorities to conceal the extent of the damage or whether the entire raid missed Berlin.

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita) RAF Middleton St George. On January 20, 1944 Halifax BII aircraft DT 731 dropped its bomb load on the target at Berlin, Germany and on the return leg was near Leipzig, Germany when it was shot down by a German JU-88 aircraft. The crew all abandoned the Halifax before it crashed near Dessau-Roblau, Germany

Warrant Officer Class 1 WE MacKenzie (RCAF), Flying Officer A Cormack (RCAF), FS IV Hopkins (RCAF), Sergeant WD McCaghey (RCAF), Sergeant ER Jenkins (RAF) and TSergeant FS Paules (USAAF) all survived and were taken as Prisoners of War

There were two 419 Squadron Halifax BII aircraft lost on this operation. See Sanderson, FG for information on Halifax HX 162 VR-X

Bombing Essen Germany 1943-04-30 to 1943-05-01

405 (PFF) Sqn (RCAF) Gransden Lodge

Battle of the Ruhr

With No. 405 (B) Squadron, RCAF, when lost. Failed to Return, Essen, 1.5.43 Unit 405

Crew of Halifax DT 741 by Alex Murray for BBC News

Bombing Stuttgart Germany 1943-03-11 to 1943-03-12

405 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Topcliffe

Battle of the Ruhr

405 Vancouver Squadron (Ducimus) RAF Topcliffe. Halifax BII aircraft DT 745 LQ-V was attacked at 15,000 feet and shot down by night fighter pilot Lt Jakob Schaus of the 4/NJG 4, flying a Bf 110 from Saint-Dizier airfield, during an attack on targets in Stuttgart , Germany. The Halifax crashed near Chlons-sur-Marne, France

This was the first loss from 405 Squadron after it returned to Bomber Command from a five month attachment to Coastal Command

Pilot Officer HD Rea (RCAF), Flying Officer WA MacDonald (RCAF), Flight Sergeant JJ Maguire (RAAF), (2nd Pilot) Sergeant HJ Mason (RAF), Pilot Officer KPC Money (RAF) and Flight Sergeant P Johnston (RAF) survived and all were taken as Prisoners of War

Flight Sergeant P Dmytruk (RCAF) and Pilot Officer KW Elt (RAF) survived and evaded. Pilot officer Elt, with the aid of an escape organization, made his way to Gibraltar and eventually back to the UK. Flight Sergeant Dmytruk joined the French Resistance but was captured and shot after an ambush 1943-12-09

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Daily Operations 6bombergroup.ca

Search for France-Crashes 39-45

Bombing Pilsen Czechoslovakia 1943-04-16 to 1943-04-17

78 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Linton-on-Ouse

78 (Preston's Own) Squadron (Nemo non paratus) RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Halifax BII aircraft DT 773 EY was shot down by night fighter pilot Lt Joseph Nabrich III/NJG101 returning from an operation against the Skoda armaments factory in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia. Pilot Flight Lieutenant Dowse gave the order to abandon the aircraft and stayed at the controls. Sadly, Flight Lieutenant Dowse was not able to get free himself and went down with his bomber. The Halifax crashed crashed in the dry lake bed of Max Eyth in the Hofen district of Stuttgart, Germany

Flight Lieutenant AP Dowse (RAFVR) was killed in action

FS R Desjardins (RCAF), Sergeant AW Hoare (RAFVR), Sergeant P Lansford (RNZAF), Flying Officer AN Orr (RAFVR), Sergeant TT Slater (RAFVR) and Sergeant HE Thompson (RAFVR) survived and all were taken as Prisoners of War

[Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...

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Allied Losses and Incidents: All Commands

Operations Record Book Monthly Summary

Operations Record Book Daily Detail

Bombing Dortmund Germany 1943-05-04 to 1943-05-05

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Battle of the Ruhr

596 aircraft - 255 Lancasters, 141 Halifaxes, I IO Wellingtons, 80 Stirlings, IO Mos¬quitoes - on the largest 'non-r ,ooo' raid of the war to date and the first major attack on Dortmund. 31 aircraft - 12 Halifaxes, 7 Stirlings, 6 Lancasters, 6 Wellingtons - lost, 5·2 per cent of the force. A further 7 aircraft crashed in bad weather at the bomber bases.

The initial Pathfinder marking was accurate but some of the backing-up marking fell short. A decoy fire site also attracted many bombs. But half of the large force did bomb within 3 miles of the aiming point and severe damage was caused in central and northern parts of Dortmund. The city's report states that 1,218 buildings were destroyed and 2,141 seriously damaged, including the Hoesch and the Dortmunder Union steel factories and many facilities in the dock area. The old Rathaus was among 7 buildings of a cultural nature which were destroyed. At least 693 people were killed, including 200 prisoners of war, and 1,075 people were injured. The number of dead in this raid was a new record.

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

Bombing Hamburg Germany 1943-08-02 to 1943-08-03

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St. George

Battle of Hamburg

740 aircraft - 329 Lancasters, 235 Halifaxes, rn5 Stirlings, 66 Wellingtons, 5 Mos-quitoes. 30 aircraft- 13 Lancasters, IO Halifaxes, 4 Wellingtons, 3 Stirlings-lost, 4·1 per cent of the force.

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita). Target - Hamburg, Germany. Halifax aircraft DT 798 appeared to be hit by lightning just before it reached the target, all four engines failed and the electrical system went out. FSs J.S. Sobin, D.J. McCarty, and one RAF member of the crew were also killed. Two Canadians, Sergeant J.P. Mahoney, Flying Officer Sibalis, and one RAF member of the crew bailed out and were taken Prisoners of War. This was Sergeant Sadeski's first operation.

Combat Duisburg Germany 1943-05-12 to 1943-05-13

35 (PFF) Sqn (RAF) Graveley

35 Squadron RAF (Uno Anima Agimus), Pathfinder Force, RAF Graveley. Halifax II aircraft DT 801 TL-A was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant August Geiger of the 7/NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Twente airfield while on an operation to Duisburg, Germany, crashing behind a house in Buurse, Overijssel, Netherlands

Sawyer and Richards were killed. Elford, Heard, Moores, and Rowley survived and were taken as Prisoners of War. Elford evaded capture for several days but was picked up by the Gestapo and became a Prisoner of War. The pilot, Sale evaded capture, was reported safe in Gibraltar on August 4, 1943 and returned to service with his squadron.In Enemy Hands - Canadian Prisoners of War 1939-1945

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Halifax DT801 (12/05/1943) I No. 35 Squadron

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Bombing Essen Germany 1943-04-03 to 1943-04-04

405 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Leeming

Battle of the Ruhr