Handley Page Halifax Serial Groups Specifications

Bombing Castrop-Rauxel Germany 1944-11-21 to 1944-11-21

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Skipton-on-Swale

433 Porcupine Squadron (Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique) Skipton-on-Swale, Halifax III aircraft MZ 284 BM-T missing during an operation against Castrop-Rauxel, in the Ruhr Valley, Germany 1944-11-21

Claim by Hptm Hubert Rauh Stab II/NJG4 - Haltern/Dattlen (KP 2): 5,000m at 19:02.(Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 Part 5 - Theo Boiten)

Plt Off Allen RCAF was initially buried in Oer-Erkenschwick Cemetery. Reinterred 25 April 1947.

Plt Off Seymour RCAF and Plt Off Robson RCAF were initially buried in Dattlen Cemetery.Reinterred 25 April 1947. (CWGC)

FS KEC Slack (RCAF) survived and was taken Prisoner of War. He was was part of Trupp 56. He arrived at Bankau on 26 December 1944.(The Long Road - Oliver Clutton-Brock). FS Slack drowned 1945-05-08 while trying to rescue a German guard who had fallen into the Elbe River near Shoenbeck, Germany. His body was not recovered and he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial

Bombing Arras France 1944-06-12 to 1944-06-13

434 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Croft

434 Bluenose Squadron (In Excelsis Vincimus) RAF Croft. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 293 WL-S missing during night operations against communications targets in Arras, France. The bomber was most likely shot down by a night fighter, crashing on the coast of France near Dunkirk. The entire crew was lost

Pilot Officer JK Swan (RCAF), Pilot Officer FA Tandy (RCAF), Pilot Officer CV Dymond (RCAF), Pilot Officer AJ Morgan (RCAF), Flying Officer RW Hewitt (RCAF), Pilot Officer PS Legge (RCAF)(USA) and Pilot Officer TRW Roberts (RAFVR) were all killed in action

There were three 434 Squadron Halifax aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials LW 173 WL-K and LW 713 WL-P for additional information

Research of France-Crashes 39-45

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Bombing Metz France 1944-06-28 to 1944-06-29

429 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Leeming

429 Bison Squadron (Fortunae Nihil) RAF Leeming. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 302 AL-E was attacked by a night fighter during an operation against rail communications in Metz, France in support of the D-Day Landings. The bomber was abandoned by the entire crew and crashed in a forest near La Folie farm, just north of the hamlet of Palesne, 3 km south-west of Pierrefonds, Oise, France

Sergeant GE Dunham (RCAF), Sergeant EO Clinton(RCAF) and Sergeant J Warrington (RAF) survived and all were taken as Prisoners of War

Flying Officer PG Agur (RCAF), Flying Officer JF Kennedy (RCAF), Flying Officer DF Hay (RCAF) and Sergeant KK Lyle (RCAF) survived and Evaded with the help of the French Resistance and escape organizations

Agur, Kennedy and Hay were all at the Freteval Camp, set up in the forest by the Resistance to help Allied evaders and escapers, but the Evader information for Lyle is unknown to date

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

Research for France-Crashes 39-45

Freteval airmen (41)

The Freteval Camp

Comet Line - Wikipedia

Minelaying Kattegat Strait Denmark 1945-02-14 to 1945-02-14

427 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Leeming

427 Lion Squadron (Ferte Manus Certas). RAF Leeming. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 355 ZL-W was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Herbert Kock of 1/ NJG 3 while on a mine-laying (GARDENING) operation over the Kadet Channel in the Western Baltic Sea. The Halifax crashed at Dyrvig Mark near Knaplund, Denmark

Most of the crew bailed out but both Air-Gunners, Pilot Officer JF Peak (RCAF) and Pilot Officer EM Ford (RCAF) were killed in action

Flight Lieutenant WB Brittain DFC (RCAF), Flying Officer CJ Driscoll (RCAF), Flying Officer H McKay (RCAF), Flying Officer RV Dallin (RCAF) and Sergeant P De Metz (RAVVR) survived, and all were taken as Prisoners of War

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

Halifax II MZ355 crashed near Knaplund 14/2 1945

427 Squadron Association - February 1945

14/15 February 1945 427 Squadron Halifax III MZ355 Sq/Ldr Brittain

Aviation Safety Network

Bombing Stuttgart Germany 1944-07-25 to 1944-07-26

429 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Leeming

429 Bison Squadron (Fortunae Nihil) RAF Leeming. Halifax III aircraft MZ 362 AL-Y was shot down by flak, crashing at Le Favril, Eure, France during an operation against targets in Stuttgart, Germany. The Halifax crashed at St-Maurice-St-Germain, Eure-et-Loir, France

Pilot Officer FAJ Van Droogenboeck (RCAF) and Sergeant T Holmes (RAFVR) were killed in action

Flying Officer MB Tracey (RCAF), Sergeant FE Elderton (RCAF), Sergeant RJ Wasylkow (RCAF), Sergeant DWR Fairborn (RCAF) and Sergeant RE Cowan (RCAF) all survived to become Evaders

Addendum: - note the correct spelling of Le Favil is Le Favril. Detail provided by Joel Huard, Serquigny, France

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

Research of France-Crashes 39-45

Daily Operations

Bombing Kiel Germany 1944-08-16 to 1944-08-17

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

348 aircraft - 195 Lancasters, 144 Halifaxes, 9 Mosquitoes. 3 Halifaxes and 2 Lan¬casters lost. This raid was only partially successful. The local report shows that serious damage was caused to the docks area and to many of the local shipbuilding firms, but it also stated that a large number of bombs fell outside the town, particularly in the Suchsdorf area to the north-west. 6 people were killed and 33 injured.

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

Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 372 SE-Y was shot down by a night fighter into the Baltic Sea returning from an attack against the dock area facilities and shipping in Kiel, Germany

The entire crew was lost

Flying Officer TH Dahle (RCAF), Flying Officer CF O'Donnell (RCAF)(USA), Pilot Officer J Faragher (RCAF), and Sergeant SE Crawley (RAFVR) were all killed in action

Pilot Officer DE Snell (RCAF), Pilot Officer GE Gemliquet (RCAF) and Flight Lieutenant HDF MacAllister (RCAF) were missing, presumed killed in action

The missing have no known graves and are all commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial

Bombing Oberhausen Germany 1944-11-01 to 1944-11-01

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Skipton-on-Swale

288 aircraft - 202 Halifaxes, 74 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitoes - of 6 and 8 Groups. 3 Halifaxes and I Lancaster lost.,

The target area was cloud-covered and the bombing was not concentrated. 36 houses were destroyed in Oberhausen and 4 people were killed but other places in tho Ruhr may have been hit as well.

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

Halifax III aircraft MZ 376 QB-K missing during a night operation to Oberhausen, Germany, crashing at Echt, Netherlands, cause unknown.

Claim by Fw Hans-Eugen von Gienanth Stab IV/NJG1 - Maastricht - Sittard area (NM): 2,300m at 20:48. Crashed Heerdstraat at Echt. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 Part 5 - Theo Boiten)

source: John Jones

Pilot Officer A Jacobs (RCAF) Flying Officer J Fraser (RCAF), Pilot Officer W Yunsko (RCAF), Pilot Officer WJC Gibson (RCAF), Pilot Officer RJ Kay (RCAF), and FS HW Botterill (RCAF) and Sergeant GE Vernon (RAFVR) were killed (R Koval).

Bombing Chemnitz Germany 1945-02-14 to 1945-02-14

427 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Leeming

Thunderclap

427 Lion Squadron (Ferte Manus Certas) RAF Leeming. Halifax III aircraft MZ 422 ZL-N was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberfahnrich Helmut Bunje of 4/NJG6 during an operation against targets in Chemnitz, Germany. The bomber is believed to have crashed near Saalfeld near Katzhutte, a small town astride the River Schwarza, Germany

Flying Officer VS Roy (RCAF), Flight Sergeant AJ Cybulskie (RCAF), Flight Sergeant AN Scorah (RCAF) and Flight Sergeant H Gallagher (RCAF) were all killed in action

Flight Sergeant Scorah was badly burned and survived briefly but died of his burns in a German hospital after being captured

Sergeant AL Morrison (RCAF), Sergeant HLC Mayer (RCAF), and Flight Sergeant AR Williams (RCAF) survived were taken Prisoners of War, although POW details for these three airmen is unknown to date

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Additions and Amendments 1945: RAF Bomber Command Losses of...

Bombing Hanover Germany 1945-01-05 to 1945-01-06

158 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Lissett

158 Squadron RAF (Strength in Unity) RAF Lissett. Halifax III aircraft MZ 432 NP-Q failed to return from operations against targets in Hanover, Germany. Cause of loss was not determined but most likely from an night fighter but there was also accurate heavy flak. The Halifax crashed somewhere between Bremen and Hanover with the loss of one crew member

Sergeant G Dacey (RAFVR) was missing, presumed killed in action

Sergeant Dacey has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial

Flying Officer GW Cross (RCAF), Flying Officer AG Robertson (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class 2 GE Marion (RCAF), FS FDE Rae (RCAF), FS TM Laurie (RAFVR) and Sergeant JJ Bromfield (RAFVR) baled and survived. All were taken as Prisoners of War

158 Squadron Halifax III MZ432 NP-Q F/O. Robertson, RAF Lissett,...

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Bombing Wilhelmshaven Germany 1944-10-15 to 1944-10-15

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

506 aircraft+ 257 Halifaxes, 241 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes - from all groups except, 5 Group, on the last of 14 major Bomber Command raids on Wilhelmshaven that began in early 1941.

Bomber Command claimed 'severe damage' to the business and residential areas. A short local report mentions only that the Rathaus was completely destroyed and that 30 people were killed and 92 injured. A further report from Wilhelmshavcu, giving overall air-raid details, shows that this port town - a major naval base escaped relatively lightly in the war. In 26 R.A.F. and American raids, only 510 civilians, 24 servicemen and 30 foreign workers were killed.

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

Halifax aircraft MZ 434 went down in the sea off Westerhever, Germany during night operations, an attack on Wilhelmshaven, Germany. F/Os. W.H.Sanders, A.M. Park, J.G. Nagell, P/Os W.G. Mann, D.H. Proudfoot, and FS S. Mara were killed. One of the crew, not Canadian, missing believed killed.

Bombing Hannover Germany 1945-01-04 to 1945-01-05

420 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Tholthorpe

420 Snowy Owl Squadron (Pugnamus Finitum) RAF Tholthorpe. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 471 PT-V was shot down six miles north of Wunstorf at Ottemhagen, Germany during a night operation against targets in Hannover, Germany. The bomber was most likely shot down by night fighter pilot Hptm Herman Greiner of Stab 4/NJG1 but there are also multiple flak battery claims for this loss

Pilot Officer JW Vandenberg (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant LW Brand (RCAF), and Pilot Officer GW Walker DFC (RAFVR) were killed in action

Pilot Officer CD Noble (RCAF) was severely wounded but managed to evade for a time until being captured and died from his wounds in a German hospital

Flying Officer KW Landers (RCAF), Pilot Officer DO Palmer (RCAF)(Nfld) and Pilot Officer JH Warren (RCAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War

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Daily Operations

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Bombing Hannover Germany 1945-01-05 to 1945-01-05

415 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF East Moor

415 Swordfish Squadron (Ad Metam) RAF East Moor. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 476 6U-Y was shot down in the Dehme Forest, three miles north-west of Twistingen, Germany during an operation against targets in Hannover, Germany. The bomber was claimed by Oblt Briegleb of 7/NJG2, one of two claims for the night

Pilot Officer JA Rinder (RCAF) and Pilot Officer JT Clarke (RCAF) were all killed in action

Flying Officer SH McFadden (RCAF), Flying Officer N Conner (RCAF), Pilot Officer FT Graves (RCAF) and Sergeant JJ Burton (RAFVR) survived to be taken as Prisoners of War. PoW information for these aircrew is incomplete to date

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

Rhind

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Daily Operations

Bombing Nuremberg Germany 1944-03-30 to 1944-03-31

432 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF East Moor

This would normally have been the moon stand-down period for the Main Force, but raid to the distant target of Nuremberg was planned on the basis of an early recast that there would be protective high cloud on the outward route, when the moon would be up, but that the target area would be clear for ground-marked robing. A Meteorological Flight Mosquito carried out a reconnaissance and reported that the protective cloud was unlikely to be present and that there could be cloud over the target, but the raid was not cancelled.

795 aircraft were dispatched- 572 Lancasters, 214 Halifaxes and 9 Mosquitoes. The German controller ignored all the diversions and assembled his fighters at 2 radio beacons which happened to be astride the route to Nuremberg. The first fighters appeared just before the bombers reached the Belgian border and a fierce battle in the moonlight lasted for the next hour. 82 bombers were lost on the outward route and near the target. The action was much reduced on the return flight, when most of the German fighters had to land, but 95 bombers were lost in all - 64 Lancasters and 31 Halifaxes, l l ·9 per cent of the force dispatched. It was the biggest Bomber Command loss of the war.

Most of the returning crews reported that they had bombed Nuremberg but subsequent research showed that approximately 120 aircraft had bombed Schweinfurt, 50 miles north-west of Nuremberg. This mistake was a result of badly forecast winds causing navigational difficulties. 2 Pathfinder aircraft dropped markers at Schweinfurt. Much of the bombing in the Schweinfurt area fell outside the town and only 2 people were killed in that area.

The main raid at Nuremberg was a failure. The city was covered by thick cloud and a fierce cross-wind which developed on the final approach to the target caused many of the Pathfinder aircraft to mark too far to the east. A to-mile-long creep back also developed into the countryside north of Nuremberg. Both Pathfinders and Main Force aircraft were under heavy fighter attack throughout the raid. Little damage was caused in Nuremberg: 69 people were killed in the city and surrounding villages

432 Leaside Squadron (Saeviter ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Halifax BIII MZ 504 QO-C was lost on an operation against targets in Nuremberg, Germany. Out-bound, the Halifax was shot down by Ace Martin Becker of 2/NJG6 during operations against targets in Nuremberg, Germany. The Halifax crashed astride the railway line SSE of Friedberg, Germany

This aircraft was one of 108 Allied aircraft lost during this operation

Flying Officer E K Reid (RCAF), Pilot Officer R L Clarkson (RCAF)(USA) and Sergeant J A May (RAF) were all killed in action

Flying Officer J T Smith (RCAF), Pilot Officer V C MacDonald (RCAF), Flight Sergeant G G Maguire (RCAF), and Sergent J J Barr (RCAF) all survived to be taken as Prisoners of War

There were two 432 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serial LW687 QO-Z for additional information

This same crew had all previously survived the crash of another 432 Squadron Halifax BIII aircraft, LK 754 QO-Z, which swung on take-off for a raid on the ball bearing factories in Schweinfurt, Germany and came to rest in the trees on the airfield perimeter on 1944-03-24. The crew escaped serious injury. This was this bomber's first operational sortie with 432 Squadron. The aircraft was repaired and sent on to 76 Squadron RAF

The crew all survived without serious injuries

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

Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire

Daily Operations 6 bombergroup.ca

Ops

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Aces of the Luftwaffe - Martin Becker

Bombing Le Mans France 1944-05-23 to 1944-05-23

(B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

133 aircraft- 112 Halifaxes, 13 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes - of 6 and 8 Groups again attacked the railway yards. The local report confirms that the bombing was accurate, with much damage to the railways and the nearby Gnome & Rhone factory. Only 2 'French people were injured. 1 Halifax lost.

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

Halifax aircraft MZ 506 was shot down during night operations over Le Mans Flying Officer W.H. Mathews,P/Os J.E. Desmarais, S. Kuleski, E.P. Boutilier, W.W. Crum, M. Wiwsianski, and Sergeant ED. Horton (RAF) were killed.

Bombing Dusseldorf Germany 1944-04-23 to 1944-04-23

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

596 aircraft- 323 Lancasters, 254 Halifaxes, 19 Mosquitoes - of all groups except 5 Group. 29 aircraft- 16 Halifaxes and 13 Lancasters - lost, 4·9 per cent 9f the force.

2,150 tons of bombs were dropped in this old-style heavy attack on a German city which caused much destruction but also allowed the German night-fighter force to penetrate the bomber stream. The attack fell mostly in the northern districts of Diisseldorf. Widespread damage was caused. Among the mass of statistics· in the local report are: 56 large industrial premises hit (of which 7 were completely des¬troyed), more than 2,000 houses destroyed or badly damaged. Casualties recorded by 2.0 p.m. on 25 April were 883 people killed, 593 injured and 403 still to be dug out of wrecked buildings; at least three quarters of this last figure would have been dead.

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

Halifax aircraft MZ 514 Shot down by a night fighter from I./NJG 1, during night attack against Dusseldorf, Germany. F/O. P.G. MacGregor, P/O.s R.L.Lochhead, N.H. Lynch, F. Hatchman, J.L. Priamo, Sgt.s R.B. Corkill (RAF), and A. Howcroft (RAF) were killed.

Bombing Sterkrade Germany 1944-06-16 to 1944-06-17

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

Battle of Normandy

321 aircraft- 162 Halifaxes, 147 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitoes - of 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups to attack the synthetic-oil plant despite a poor weather forecast.

The target was found to be covered by thick cloud and the Pathfinder markers quickly disappeared. The Main Force crews could do little but bomb on to the diminishing glow of the markers in the cloud. R.A.F. photographic reconnaissance and German reports agree that most of the bombing was scattered, although some bombs did fall in the plant area, but with little effect upon production. 21 Germans and 6 foreigners were killed and 18 houses in the vicinity were destroyed

Unfortunately, the route of the bomber stream passed near a German night-fighter beacon at Bocholt, only 30 miles from Sterkrade. The German controller had chosen this beacon as the holding point for his night fighters. Approximately 21 bombers were shot down by fighters and a further Io by Flak. 22 of the lost aircraft were Halifaxes, these losses being 13 ·6 per cent of the 162 Halifaxes on the raid. 77 Squadron, from Full Sutton near York, lost 7 of its 23 Halifaxes taking part in the raid.

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

Halifax III aircraft MZ 520 SE-O outbound on a raid to bomb the synthetic oil plants at Sterkrade/Holten, Germany, was intercepted and shot down by the night fighter crew of Feldwebel Morlock & Feldwebel Soika of the 3/NJG 1, from Venlo airfield (Netherlands) flying a Heinkel He 219 A-O

Pilot Officer AG Fairless (RCAF), Pilot Officer GO Massicotte (RCAF), Pilot Officer DC McPherson (RCAF), Pilot Officer JM McPherson (RCAF), Pilot Officer HG Robinson (RCAF) and Sergeant E Guinan (RAFVR) were all killed in action as a result of the night fighter attack and explosion

Sergeant Ellis survived to be taken as a Prisoner of War

There does not seem to be any relationship link between the two McPhersons

There were three other 431 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this same operation on this date. Please see Johnson, EO for information about Halifax LK 837 SE-L, Carter, RE for information on Halifax NA 514 SE-B and Johnstone MM for information on Halifax MZ 537 SE-L

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Bombing Haine-Saint-Pierre Belgium 1944-05-09 to 1944-05-09

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

123 aircraft - 62 Halifaxes, 53 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes of 6 and 8 Groups. 6 Halifaxes and 3 Lancasters lost. Severe damage was caused to half of the railway yards and to locomotive sheds.

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

Halifax aircraft MZ 521 Shot down by night-fighter (Lt Friedrich Potthast 1. Five Canadians, WOs MacStoker, Cassey, Flying Officer Schubert, Sergeants Walker, and Bull were either taken Prisoner of War or were Evaders. One of the crew, not Canadian, missing believed killed.

Bombing Montzen Belgium 1944-04-27 to 1944-04-28

431 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Croft

431 Iroquois Squadron (The Hatiten Ronteriios) RAF Croft Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 522 SE-U, homeward-bound from an attack the railway yards at Montzen, Blieberg, province of Liege, Belgium was severely damaged by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Friedrich Thorl of the Stab I/NJG 4, who had taken off from Florennes airfield. The Halifax was abandoned and crashed at Zepperen (Limburg) on the NE outskirts of St-Zuuiden, Belgium

Flying Officer J Stoyko (RCAF) and Pilot Officer JB Morison (RCAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War

Six crew members evaded capture: Sergeat JB Millar (RCAF) with an injured leg, Flying Officer CO Rooks (RCAF)(Trinidad) with a broken leg, Flight Lieutenant JM Hill (RCAF), Pilot Officer AC Donnell (RCAF), Pilot Officer JL Leyne (RCAF) and Pilot Officer GGM Gage (RAF). All were liberated by the arrival of US forces September 8,1944

There were four 431 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials LK 842 SE-N, MZ 529 SE-E and MZ 536 SE-F for additional information on these aircrew and aircraft

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Crash in 1944-Zepperen?

Bombing Montzen Belgium 1944-04-27 to 1944-04-28

431 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Croft

431 Iroquois Squadron (The Hatiten Ronteriios) RAF Croft. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 529 SE-E missing during operations against the rail yards at Montzen, Belgium, shot down by night fighter pilot Leutnant Ernst-Otto Hoevermann of the Stab III/NJG 2 (based at Twente airfield in the Netherlands), flying a Junkers Ju 88

The Halifax was abandoned by the surviving crew and crashed near Blauberg, Herselt, province of Antwerpen, Belgium

Pilot Officer RE Halzael (RCAF), Pilot Officer WE Woodrow (RCAF), Pilot Officer AL Gabel (RCAF), and Sergeant RH Aiano (RAFVR) were all killed in action

Pilot Officer JJ Lyng (RCAF) and Flying Officer LL Anderson DFM (RCAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War

Flying Officer WR Knowlton (RCAF) and Pilot Officer D Harrison (RCAF) survived and were Evaders

There were four 431 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost this date. Please see aircraft serial numbers LK 842 SE-N, MZ 522 SE-U and MZ 536 SE-F for additional information on aircrew and aircraft

Daily Operations 6bombergroup.ca

431 Squadron Halifax III MZ529 SE:E Plt Off Woodrow RAF Croft ...

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"Belgians Remember Them": RAF aircraft's crash sites: Blauberg

Halifax near Herselt I Aviationhistory.be I History Aircraft...

Bombing Juvisy France 1944-06-07 to 1944-06-08

76 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor

76 Squadron (Resolute) RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor. Halifax Mk II MZ 351I MP-D was lost on an operation to attack rail communications at Juvisy France.

The Halifax was shot down by flak after completing bomb run. Aircraft was abandoned by the crew and crashed near Etampes, Essonne, France

Warrant Officer Class 1 Donald Clark (RCAF), Sergeant Thomas Cameron Guy (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class II Gerald Conway Heddle (RCAF), Pilot Officer Philip Russel Hunt (RCAF) and Warrant Officer Class II James Frederick McGarvey (RCAF) all survived to become Prisoners of War

Sergeant Robert Dodds (RCAF) and Sergeant William Henry Eggleston (RAFVR) survived and both evaded capture as Evaders

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Search for France-Crashes 39-45

07/08 06 76 Squadron, Halifax III MZ531 Sergeant Phillip R Hunt RAF Hom...

Bombing Montzen Belgium 1944-04-27 to 1944-04-28

431 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Croft

431 Iroquois Squadron (The Hatiten Ronteriios) RAF Croft. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 536 SE-F failed to return from an operation to bomb the railyards at Montzen, Belgium. On the return leg of the trip, the aircraft was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Hermann Greiner, Staffelkapitan of the 11/NJG 1, who was flying a Bf 110 G-4 from St Trond (Sint-Truiden) airfield, Belgium

The Halifax crashed near Trognee, Hannuit, province of Liege, Belgium with the loss of the entire crew

Flying Officer DH Loewen (RCAF), Pilot Officer J Wilson (RCAF), Pilot Officer RW Pratt (RCAF), Pilot Officer GT Greig (RCAF), Flying Officer J Gilson (RCAF), Flying Officer TR Forsyth (RCAF), Flight Sergeant GQ Hansen (RCAF), and Sergeant R Wallace (RAFVR) were all killed in action

There were four 431 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials LK 842 SE-N, MZ 522 SE-U and MZ 529 SE-E for additional information on these aircraft and crews

Daily Operations 6bombergroup.ca

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"Belgians Remember Them": The Airmen fallen in action in WW2 in ...

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Bombing Sterkrade Germany 1944-06-16 to 1944-06-17

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

Battle of Normandy

321 aircraft- 162 Halifaxes, 147 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitoes - of 1, 4, 6 and 8 Groups to attack the synthetic-oil plant despite a poor weather forecast.

The target was found to be covered by thick cloud and the Pathfinder markers quickly disappeared. The Main Force crews could do little but bomb on to the diminishing glow of the markers in the cloud. R.A.F. photographic reconnaissance and German reports agree that most of the bombing was scattered, although some bombs did fall in the plant area, but with little effect upon production. 21 Germans and 6 foreigners were killed and 18 houses in the vicinity were destroyed

Unfortunately, the route of the bomber stream passed near a German night-fighter beacon at Bocholt, only 30 miles from Sterkrade. The German controller had chosen this beacon as the holding point for his night fighters. Approximately 21 bombers were shot down by fighters and a further Io by Flak. 22 of the lost aircraft were Halifaxes, these losses being 13 ·6 per cent of the 162 Halifaxes on the raid. 77 Squadron, from Full Sutton near York, lost 7 of its 23 Halifaxes taking part in the raid.

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

Flight Lieutenant MM Johnstone (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant JC Burns (RCAF), Flying Officer C Bell (RCAF), Flying Officer LO Stanley (RCAF), Flying Officer MB Steeves (RCAF), Flying Officer RJ Oates (RCAF) and Sergeant JC Fereday (RAFVR) all survived and were taken as Prisoners of War

There were three other 431 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this operation on this date. Please see Carter, RE for information on Halifax NA 514 SE-B, Johnson, EO for information on Halifax LK 837 SE-H and Fairless, AG for information on Halifax MZ 520 SE-O

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Bombing 1944-12-18 to 1944-12-18

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Tholthorpe

Having climbed to between three and five hundred feet in the minute after leaving the ground the aircraft then lost height and clipped two trees around forty feet high. The pilot then lost control and the aircraft crashed into a ploughed field some four hundred yards later near Alne village. Upon impact the bomb load on the aircraft exploded, the aircraft was destroyed and all on board were killed. The crash occurred around a mile and a half in a straight line from the end of the runway in use at Tholthorpe.

Bombing Montzen Belgium 1944-04-27 to 1944-04-28

432 (B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

144 aircraft- 120 Halifaxes, 16 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes-of 4, 6 and 8 Groups. The bombing force, particularly the second of the 2 waves, was intercepted by German fighters and 14 Halifaxes and I Lancaster were shot down. Only one part of the railway yards was hit by the bombing. The only Lancaster lost was that of Squadron Leader E M Blenkinsopp, a Canadian pilot of 405 Squadron who was acting as Deputy Master Bomber. Blenkinsopp managed to team up with a Belgian Resistance group and remained with them until captured by the Germans in December 1944. He was taken to Hamburg to work as a forced labourer and later died in Belsen concentration camp of 'heart failure'. He has no known grave.

432 Leaside Squadron ((Saeviter ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ588 QO-W missing from operations against the rail yards in Montzen, Belgium, shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of the Stab IV/NJG 1 from St Trond (Sint-Truiden, Belgium) in Bf 110 G-4 G9+DF. The Halifax crashed in the Verviers area, province of Liege, Belgium

Flying Officer GH Parker (RCAF), Flying Office LD DeLoughry (RCAF), Flying Officer JM McLay (RCAF), Flying Officer JW Kerr (RCAF), Pilot Officer HW Davis (RCAF), and Sergeant J Shearer (RAFVR) were all killed in action

Pilot Officer RL Small (RCAF) and Pilot Officer GG Farrell (RCAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War

There were three 432 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials LK 807 QO-J and LW 592 QO-A for additional information

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

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432 Squadron Halifax III MZ588 QO:W Fg.Off. Deloughry,

"Belgians Remember Them": The Airmen fallen in action in WW2 in...

Bombing Hamburg Germany 1944-07-28 to 1944-07-29

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

Battle of Normandy

307 aircraft - 187 Halifaxes, ro6 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitoes - from 1, 6 and 8 Groups. German fighters again appeared, this time on the homeward flight, and 18 Halifaxes and 4 Lancasters were lost, 7·2 per cent of the force. The Halifax casualties were 9·6 per cent; 431 (Canadian) Squadron, flying from Croft airfield in Co. Durham, lost 5 of its 17 aircraft on the raid.

This was the first heavy raid on Hamburg since the Battle of Hamburg just a year earlier. The bombing on this raid was not well concentrated. The Germans estimated that only 120 aircraft bombed in the city area, with no recognizable aiming point, though western and harbour areas received the most bombs. A large proportion of the attack fell on areas devastated in 1943 but 265 people were killed and more than 17,000 had to be evacuated from homes damaged in this raid, many of which were probably only temporary wooden accommodation at this stage of the war. Brunswig (p. 339) describes how a panic developed at the large Reeperbahn air-raid shelter when a lone aircraft came in to bomb after the all clear had sounded and nearby Flak guns opened fire. 2 women were trampled to death and others were badly hurt.

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

431 Iroquois Squadron (The Hatiten Ronteriios) RAF Croft, Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 589 SE-H missing during night operations over Hamburg, Germany, lost without a trace. The bomber is believed to have crashed into the North Sea about 18 miles (25 km) east of Heligoland, Germany after being shot down by Lt Rolf Ebhardt in an 8/NJG 1 night-fighter

Pilot Officer WG Sorel (RCAF) Flying Officer JB Coliver (RCAF), Flying Officer N Bailey (RCAF), Flying Officer MER MacFarlane (RCAF), Pilot Officer RA Leman (RCAF), Pilot Officer NS Jermey (RCAF) and Sergeant WE Desborough (RAFVR) were all missing, believed killed in action

This aircrew have no known graves and are all commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial

Twenty-two 6 Group aircraft and crews failed to return from this operation

Daily Operations 6bombergroup.ca

Bombing Metz France 1944-06-28 to 1944-06-29

(B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

Battle of Normandy

202 Halifaxes of 4 and 6 Groups with 28 Pathfinder Lancasters attacked yards at Blainville and Metz. Both targets were hit. 20 aircraft were lost, 1 I Halifaxes of 4 Group and I Lancaster from the Blainville raid and 7 Halifaxes of 6 Group and 1 Lancaster from Metz. The combined loss rate was 8·7 per cent

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

Halifax aircraft MZ 591 missing during night operations against Metz, France. Pilot Officer(s) W Fernyhough DFC,, H.J. Kennedy, J. Musser, R.A. McEwan, J. Hembry (RAF), and Flight Lieutenant J.I. Williams (RAF) were killed. One of the crew, not Canadian, taken Prisoner of War.

Bombing Hamburg Germany 1944-07-28 to 1944-07-29

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

Battle of Normandy

307 aircraft - 187 Halifaxes, ro6 Lancasters, 14 Mosquitoes - from 1, 6 and 8 Groups. German fighters again appeared, this time on the homeward flight, and 18 Halifaxes and 4 Lancasters were lost, 7·2 per cent of the force. The Halifax casualties were 9·6 per cent; 431 (Canadian) Squadron, flying from Croft airfield in Co. Durham, lost 5 of its 17 aircraft on the raid.

This was the first heavy raid on Hamburg since the Battle of Hamburg just a year earlier. The bombing on this raid was not well concentrated. The Germans estimated that only 120 aircraft bombed in the city area, with no recognizable aiming point, though western and harbour areas received the most bombs. A large proportion of the attack fell on areas devastated in 1943 but 265 people were killed and more than 17,000 had to be evacuated from homes damaged in this raid, many of which were probably only temporary wooden accommodation at this stage of the war. Brunswig (p. 339) describes how a panic developed at the large Reeperbahn air-raid shelter when a lone aircraft came in to bomb after the all clear had sounded and nearby Flak guns opened fire. 2 women were trampled to death and others were badly hurt.

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

Halifax BIII aircraft MZ 597 SE-B was shot up by an enemy night fighter aircraft and exploded in mid-air and crashed at Kleinvillah, 5 km NW of Stade, Germany

Flying Officer AM Mills (RCAF)(USA) and Flying Officer JF Harris (RCAF) were killed in action

Flying Officer EP Gill (RCAF), Sergeant FM Brown (RCAF), Pilot Officer TH Grant (RCAF), Sergeant R Haill (RAF) and Sergeant C Eastwood (RAF) survived and were taken Prisoners of War

There were four other 431 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost in the same area on this date. Please see Sidebottom, GE for information on Halifax MZ 859 SE-A, Miller, RJ for information on Halifax LK 845 SE-J, Sorel, WG for information on Halifax MZ 589 SE-H and Aldred, WM for information regarding Halifax LK 833 SE-R

Twenty-two 6 Group aircraft and crews failed to return from this operation

Daily Operations 6bombergroup.ca

Bombing Cambrai France 1944-06-12 to 1944-06-13

432 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF East Moor

671 aircraft- 348 Halifaxes, 285 Lancasters, 38 Mosquitoes-of 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups to attack communications, mostly railways, at Amiens/St-Roch, Amiens/Longueau, Arras, Caen, Cambrai and Poitiers. (It is interesting to note that, with the exception of Caen, all of these targets were the sites of well-known battles of earlier wars and Caen was soon to be the scene of fierce fighting,)

Bomber Command's records state that the Poittiers attack by Group 5 was the most accurate of the night and that the 2 raids at Amiens and the raid at Arras w, of reasonable accuracy. The target at Cambrai was hit but many bombs also fell the town. The most scattered attack (also by 5 Group) was at Caen.

Bombing Versailles France 1944-06-07 to 1944-06-08

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

337 aircraft - 195 Halifaxes, 122 Lancasters, 20 Mosquitoes - attacked railway targets at Acheres, Juvisy, Massey-Palaiseau and Versailles. Bombing conditions were better than on the previous night. All targets were accurately bombed and, although no details are available, it is probable that fewer civilians were killed. The · targets were mostly more distant from the battle front than those recently attacked and German night fighters had more time to intercept the bomber forces. 17 Lancasters and 11 Halifaxes were lost, 8·3 per cent of the forces involved.

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

Flying Officer HA Morrison (RCAF), Pilot Officer JP Artyniuk (RCAF), Pilot Officer WD Mullin (RCAF), Pilot Officer GB Jose (RCAF), Flying Officer PJ Gandy (RCAF), Pilot Officer GA Curtis (RAF), FS DA Flett (RAFVR) and Sergeant W Teape (RAFVR) were all killed in action

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