Avro Lancaster Serial Groups Specifications

Conversion 1943-12-21 to 1943-12-21

1679 (B) HCU (RCAF) Wombleton

On 1943-12-21, Squadron Leader A. Ross Dawson, Chief Technical Officer at Wombleton, wrote in his diary:

"One of 1679's Lancasters, DS521 [sic] got closed off our circuit last night due to bad weather & was diverted to Topcliffe. Here he overshot & hit the tail end of a Halifax parked on a dispersal. It tore the tail right off & the Lanc turned end-over-end & stopping flat on its back with its wheels in the air & caught fire burning up completely. Three of the boys got out alive miraculously but the other three were lost."

Diary of A Ross Dawson, courtesy CWM

Bombing 1943-08-28 to 1943-08-28

(B) Sqn (RAF) Little Snoring

674 aircraft - 349 Lancasters, 221 Halifaxes, 104 Stirlings. 33 aircraft - I I of each type on the raid - lost, 4·9 per cent of the force.

The marking for this raid was based mainly on H2S. 47 of the Pathfinder H2S aircraft were ordered to check their equipment by dropping a 1,000-lb bomb on Heilbronn while flying to Nuremberg. 28 Pathfinder aircraft were able to carry out this order. Heilbronn reports that several bombs did drop in the north of the town soon after midnight. The local officials assumed that the bombs were aimed at the industrial zone; several bombs did fall around the factory area and other bombs fell further away. No industrial buildings were hit; one house was destroyed but there were no casualties.

Nuremberg was found to be free of cloud but it was very dark. The initial Pathfinder markers were accurate but a creepback quickly developed which could not be stopped because so many Pathfinder aircraft had difficulties with their H2S sets. The Master Bomber (whose name is not recorded) could do little to persuade the Main Force to move their bombing forward; only a quarter of the crews could hear his broadcasts. Bomber Command estimated that most of the bombing fell in open country south-south-west of the city but the local reports say that bombs were scattered across the south-eastern and eastern suburbs. The only location mentioned by name is the Zoo, which was hit by several bombs. 65 people were killed.

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

Took off from Little Snoring at 21:43 in Lancaster Mk II (Sqn code: KO-T Bomber Command) on an operation to Nuremberg Germany.

Shot down by a night fighter and crashed near the target area

KIlled: Sergeant Jack Kemm RAF KIA Durnbach War Cemetery grave 11. J. 27.; F/Lt Guy Leslie Mott RAF pilot KIA Durnbach War Cemetery grave 11. J. 28.

POWs: Flying Officer William Blades RAF POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria.; F/Lt Carl Clifford Bggild RCAF J/22440 POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria.; Sergeant Theodore Buchak RCAF R/178563 POW Stalag 4B Muhlberg (Elbe).; Sergeant Lewis Richard Alberte George Carpenter RAF POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria.

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

115 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF East Wretham

115 Squadron (Despite The Elements) RAF East Wretham, Kent, England. Lancaster II aircraft DS 673 KO-V was lost on a night operation to bomb targets in Hamburg, Germany, shot down by night fighter pilot Oberfeldwebel Erich Heitmann of 2/NJG3. The Lancaster crashed in the Waddensea, 5 km South of Spiekeroog, Niedersachsen, Germany

Flight Sergeant Kenneth Eckert Schlegel (RCAF), Sergeant Dudley Herbert Read (RAFVR), Sergeant Herbert Alfred Sparrow (RAFVR), Flight Sergeant Dudley William Bellamy (RAFVR), Sergeant Robert William Bennett (RAFVR), Sergeant William Henry Hodges (RAFVR) and Sergeant Leslie Ernest Fuller (RAFVR) were all killed in action.

Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 Part 2, 23 June - 22 September by Theo Boiten, page 51

Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database

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115 Squadron

Bombing Berlin Germany 1944-03-24 to 1944-03-25

115 (B) Sqn (RAF)

115 Squadron (Despite The Elements), Witchford, England. Lancaster aircraft DS678 failed to return from operations over Berlin Germany.

RAF Sergeants W Bowey, JW Burke, D Keeley and VJ Watson were also killed. Canadian Gray was taken Prisoner of War.

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

408 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Linton-on-Ouse

408 Goose Squadron (For Freedom) RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Lancaster BII aircraft DS688 EQ-R was shot down while on a operation against targets in Cambrai, France by German ace night fighter pilot Hptm Heinz Wolfgang Schnaufer of 4/NJG1. The Lancaster crashed in a meadow at Tilloy-les-Cambrai, France

There were three 408 Squadron Lancaster aircraft shot down by Hauptmann Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer on this operation: DS688 EQ-R, DS726 EQ-Y and DS772 EQ-T

408 Squadron Lancaster II DS688 EQ-R Fl/Lt. Brice RAF Linton-on-Ouse

Search for France-Crashes 39-45

Aces of the Luftwaffe - Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer

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

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

408 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Linton-on-Ouse

408 Goose Squadron (For Freedom) RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Lancaster II aircraft DS 726 EQ-Y did not return from night operations to bomb railyards at Cambrai, France, shot down by night fighter ace Hauptmann Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of Stab IV/NJG 1, who had been scrambled from Chievres (Belgium) in a Bf 110 G-4. The Lancaster crashed at Seranvillers-Forneville, SSE of Cambrai, France

Squadron Leader WB Stewarts (RCAF), Pilot Officer RD Ochsner (RCAF), Flying Officer GE Mallory (RCAF),Warrant Officer HF Murphy (RCAF), Pilot Officer J Bray (RAF), and Pilot Officer N Varley (RAF) were all killed in action

Flying Officer WC Burns (RCAF) survived and was taken as Prisoner of War

Pilot Officer GJBJ Lapierre DFC (RCAF) survived and avoided capture as an Evader

There were three #408 Squadron Lancaster aircraft and crews lost on this operation, all shot down by Hauptmann Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer. Please see aircraft serials DS 688 EQ-R and DS 772 EQ-T for additional information

Research of France-Crashes 39-45

Aces of the Luftwaffe - Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer

Lancaster II DS726 [Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...

Bombing Schweinfurt Germany 1944-02-24 to 1944-02-25

408 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Linton-on-Ouse

408 Goose Squadron (For Freedom) RAF Linton on Ouse. Lancaster II aircraft DS 731 EQ-O was shot down by a night fighter near Erkshausen, Germany during operations against targets in Schweinfurt, Germany

Air Gunner Pilot Officer ME Hodgins (RCAF) was the only crew member lost, killed in action

Flying Officer G McKiel (RCAF), FS AC Keiller (RCAF), Pilot Officer A Walker (RCAF), Sergeant RE Loomer (RCAF) and Sergeant GN Parsons (RAFVR) all survived were taken as Prisoners of War

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

Bombing Berlin Germany 1944-01-02 to 1944-01-03

(B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

Battle of Berlin

383 aircraft - 362 Lancasters, 12 Mosquitoes, 9 Halifaxes. The German control rooms followed the bombers all the way to Berlin, which was assessed as the target 40 minutes before Zero Hour. Night fighters were sent to a radio beacon between Hannover and Bremen but these fighters missed the bomber stream and did not come into action until they were directed to Berlin. Most of the bomber casualties were in the Berlin area. 27 Lancasters were lost, 7·0 per cent of the force. The casualties included 10 Pathfinder aircraft; 156 Squadron, from Warboys, lost 5 of its 14 aircraft taking part in the raid.

This was another ineffective raid. Bombs were scattered over all parts of Berlin, with the local reports stressing that there were no large fires; the fire services were able to contain all fires soon after they started. 82 houses were destroyed and 36 people were killed. Industrial damage was insignificant.

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

432 Leaside Squadron (Saevitir Ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Lancaster BII aircraft DS 739 QO-Y was shot down during night operations against targets in Berlin, Germany by night fighter pilot Leutnant Wendelin Breukel of the 5/NJG 2 (based at Deelen airfield in the Netherlands), who was flying a Ju 88 C-6. The Lancaster crashed eighty miles southwest of Berlin at southern edge of Gross Rosenburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, near Kothen, Germany. The entire crew were lost

Warrant Officer Class 2 JE Scott (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant JA Allen (RCAF), Flying Officer HF Doull (RCAF), Flying Officer K Crawford (RCAF), Sergeant JA Cobbett (RCAF), Sergeant IAJ Dupuis (RCAF), and W.R. Collier (RAFVR) were all killed in action

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Bombing Brunswick Germany 1944-01-14 to 1944-01-14

(B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

Battle of Berlin

496 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes on the first major raid to Brunswick of the war. 38 Lancasters Jost, 7·6 per cent of the force. The German running commentary was heard following the progress of the bomber force from a position only 40 miles from the English coast and many German fighters entered the bomber stream soon after the German frontier was crossed near Bremen. The German fighters scored steadily until the Dutch coast was crossed on the return flight. Ir of the lost aircraft were Pathfinders.

Brunswick was smaller than Bomber Command's usual targets and this raid was not a success. The city report describes this only as a 'light' raid, with bombs in the south of the city which had only ro houses destroyed and 14 people killed. Most of the attack fell either in the countryside or in Wolfenbiittel and other small towns and villages well to the south of Brunswick.

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

Lancaster BII aircraft DS 740 QO-Z missing while engaged in an operation against targets in Brunswick, Germany. It is believed that the Lancaster was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at Lagershausen, NE of Northeim, Germany with the loss of the entire crew

Pilot Officer DT Lyng (RCAF), Pilot Officer DA Rae (RCAF),Warrant Officer WH Hoppus (RCAF), Sergeant KE Evans (RAFVR), Sergeant CF Tarr (RAFVR), FS EF Howe (RAFVR), and Flying Officer BV Holmes (RAFVR) were all killed in action

There were two 432 Lancaster II aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Rainville, GH for information on Lancaster DS 850 QO-M

War Cemetery - Hanover-Ahlem, Lower Saxony, Germany

Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire

Bombing Berlin Germany 1943-12-16 to 1943-12-17

426 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Linton-on-Ouse

426 Thunderbird Squadron (On Wings of Fire) RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Lancaster BII aircraft DS 762 OW-V, during an operation against targets in Berlin, Germany was hit by flak over Osnabruck, Netherlands, losing the aircraft hydraulics. Further flak hits and possible night fighter attack caused damage to multiple fuel tanks resulting in fuel leaks and a fire. The fire was extinguished, allowing the bomber to continue to Berlin and drop it's bombload. Unfortunately, the fuel loss meant a return flight to England was not possible so the the badly shot up Lancaster was turned north for neutral Sweden, where the pilot ordered his crew to abandon the aircraft. The bomber then crashed onto the ice covered Asnen Lake, Sweden

Pilot Officer A C Davies DFC (RCAF), Pilot Officer H L Garriock (RCAF), Sergeant E O George DFM (RCAF), Pilot Officer R H Ginson (RCAF), Flight Sergeant F T Mudry (RCAF), Pilot Officer R F Richards (RAF) and Sergeant R Engle (RAF) all survived

The crew, all safe, were arrested by police and as Sweden was a neutral country during the war, they all became interned prisoners rather than Prisoners of War. They were not held in POW camps, but were placed in hotels and bed and breakfast establishments in the Falun area, enjoying relative freedom of movement, unlike a Prisoner of War in a camp. They received their regular military pay from their home countries, which allowed them to actually be much better off than the local Swedish residents

The crew of Lancaster DS 762 were repatriated to the UK between September and October 1944

There were four 426 Squadron Lancaster II aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Lancaster aircraft serials DS 779 OW-C, DS 837 OW-Q and DS 846 OW-X for further information and detail

Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database

The night of the Intruders

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

408 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Linton-on-Ouse

408 Goose Squadron (For Freedom) RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Lancaster II aircraft DS 772 EQ-T was shot down by night fighter ace Hauptmann Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of Stab IV/NJG 1, who had been scrambled from Chievres (Belgium) in a Bf 110 G-4. The Lancaster crashed five and one half miles east of Cambrai, at Avernes Les Aubert, France during night operations against rail facilities in Cambrai, France

Flight Lieutenant TO Pledger DFC (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant HC McIver (RCAF), Pilot Officer WH Goodwin, (RCAF) Sergeant DM Russell (RAF), Flying Officer JH Wyatt (RAFVR), Flying Officer AJJC Dulait (RAFVR) and Flying Officer CAG Hanchar (RAFVR) were all killed in action

There were three #408 Squadron Lancaster aircraft and crews lost on this operation, all shot down by Hauptmann Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer. Please see serial DS 688 EQ-R and DS 726 EQ-Y for additional information

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Research of France-Crashes 39-45

Aces of the Luftwaffe - Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer

Lancaster II DS772 [Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...

Bombing Berlin Germany 1943-12-16 to 1943-12-16

(B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

Battle of Berlin

483 Lancasters and I0 Mosquitoes on the main raid and 5 further Mosquitoes dropped decoy fighter flares south of Berlin.

The bomber route again led directly to Berlin across Holland and Northern Germany and there wore no major diversions, The German controllers plotted the the course of the bombers with great accuracy; many German fighters were met T the coast of Holland and further fighters were guided on to the bomber stream throughout the approach to the target. More fighters were waiting at the target and there were many combats. The bombers shook off the opposition on the return flight by taking a northerly route over Denmark. 25 Lancasters, 5.2 per cent of the Lancaster force, were lost. Many further aircraft were lost on returning to England (see later paragraph).

Berlin was cloud-covered but the Pathfinder sky-marking was reasonably accurate and much of the bombing fell in the city. The local report says that the raid hit no identifiable aiming point but the central and eastern districts were hit more than other areas. Little industrial damage was caused; most of the bombing hit housing and railways. Conflicting figures on the number of dead are given; the overall tot may be 720, of which 279 were foreign workers - 186 women, 65 men and 28 youths 70 of these foreigners - all from the East - were killed when the train in which they were travelling was bombed at the Halensee Station. In the city centre, the National Theatre and the building housing Germany's military and political archives were both destroyed. The damage to the Berlin railway system and to rolling stock, and the large numbers of people still leaving the city, were having a cumulative effect upon the transportation of supplies to the Russian Front; 1000 wagon-loads of war material were held up for 6 days. The sustained bombing had now made more than a quarter of Berlin's total living accommodation unusable.

On their return to England, many of the bombers encountered very low cloud at their bases. The squadrons of 1, 6 and 8 Groups were particularly badly affected. Lancasters (and a Stirling from the minelaying operation) either crashed or were abandoned when their crews parachuted. The group with heaviest losses was 1 Group with 13 aircraft lost; the squadron with heaviest losses was 97 Squadron, 8 Group with 7 aircraft lost. There is a little confusion in Bomber Command records over aircrew casualties but it is probable that 148 men were killed in the crashes, 39 were injured and 6 presumed lost in the sea.

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

Lancaster BII aircraft DS 831 QO-N was shot down by night fighter pilot Oblt Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of 12/NJG1 over Holland during operation against targets in Berlin, Germany. The Lancaster crashed at Weidum - Wijtgaard, Friesland, Netherlands

Warrant Officer Class 2 HA Turner (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class 1 JS Briegel (RCAF), Sergeant R Hughes (RAFVR), FS TW Pragnell (RAFVR),Warrant Officer RK Saunders (RAAF) and Flying Officer WC Fisher (USAAF) were all killed in action

FS Lewis was either an Evader or was taken Prisoner of War and one of the crew, not Canadian, missing believed killed. Sergeant OD Lewis (RCAF) and FS MAT Brudell (RAAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners Of War

Detail provided by F McAfee, Regina, Saskatchewan

There were two 432 Squadron Lancaster II aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Hatfield, HB for information on Lancaster DS 832 QO-K

Results

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432 Squadron Lancaster DS831 QO-N F/O. Fisher, RAF East Moor,...

Bombing Berlin Germany 1943-12-16 to 1943-12-17

(B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

Battle of Berlin

483 Lancasters and I0 Mosquitoes on the main raid and 5 further Mosquitoes dropped decoy fighter flares south of Berlin.

The bomber route again led directly to Berlin across Holland and Northern Germany and there wore no major diversions, The German controllers plotted the the course of the bombers with great accuracy; many German fighters were met T the coast of Holland and further fighters were guided on to the bomber stream throughout the approach to the target. More fighters were waiting at the target and there were many combats. The bombers shook off the opposition on the return flight by taking a northerly route over Denmark. 25 Lancasters, 5.2 per cent of the Lancaster force, were lost. Many further aircraft were lost on returning to England (see later paragraph).

Berlin was cloud-covered but the Pathfinder sky-marking was reasonably accurate and much of the bombing fell in the city. The local report says that the raid hit no identifiable aiming point but the central and eastern districts were hit more than other areas. Little industrial damage was caused; most of the bombing hit housing and railways. Conflicting figures on the number of dead are given; the overall tot may be 720, of which 279 were foreign workers - 186 women, 65 men and 28 youths 70 of these foreigners - all from the East - were killed when the train in which they were travelling was bombed at the Halensee Station. In the city centre, the National Theatre and the building housing Germany's military and political archives were both destroyed. The damage to the Berlin railway system and to rolling stock, and the large numbers of people still leaving the city, were having a cumulative effect upon the transportation of supplies to the Russian Front; 1000 wagon-loads of war material were held up for 6 days. The sustained bombing had now made more than a quarter of Berlin's total living accommodation unusable.

On their return to England, many of the bombers encountered very low cloud at their bases. The squadrons of 1, 6 and 8 Groups were particularly badly affected. Lancasters (and a Stirling from the minelaying operation) either crashed or were abandoned when their crews parachuted. The group with heaviest losses was 1 Group with 13 aircraft lost; the squadron with heaviest losses was 97 Squadron, 8 Group with 7 aircraft lost. There is a little confusion in Bomber Command records over aircrew casualties but it is probable that 148 men were killed in the crashes, 39 were injured and 6 presumed lost in the sea.

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

Flying Officer HB Hatfield (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant JA Allen (RCAF), Flying Officer JL Higgs (RCAF), Flying Officer GJ Smith (RCAF), Pilot Officer GM McGregor (RCAF), Sergeant AC Phillips (RAF), Sergeant WH Poole (RAF) and Sergeant RA Hutchinson (RAFVR) all survived the crash with various injuries. Flying Officer Hatfield with a broken leg and Sergeant Poole with serious injuries suffered exiting the bomber. The other crew members with minor or no injuries

There were two 432 Squadron Lancaster II aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Turner, HA for information on Lancaster DS 831 QO-N

The night of the Intruders

Lancaster DS832

Conversion 1944-01-23 to 1944-01-23

1679 (OT) HCU (RAF) RAF Wombleton

1679 Heavy Conversion Unit, RAF Wombleton. The crew of Lancaster aircraft DS 839 were engaged in a daylight cross-country training exercise when they crashed at Ridgemont, Bedfordshire, England. Accident investigators couldn't establish the cause of the crash, mainly due to the level of destruction of the aircraft, but icing conditions were believed to have been a factor in the crash

Flight Sergeant F W MacDonald (RCAF), Flight Sergeant J J Farrell (RCAF), Flight Sergeant L I Hogan (RCAF), Flying Officer R W Grosser (RCAF), Sergeant S A Carr (RCAF), Sergeant L Thompson (RAFVR) and 1st Lieutenant R M Grove (USAAF) were all killed in this flying accident

Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database

RPT - Cresw Losses

Bombing Magdeburg Germany 1944-01-22 to 1944-01-22

(B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

Battle of Berlin

648 aircraft- 42 I Lancasters, 224 Halifaxes, 3 Mosquitoes - on the first major raid to this target. The German controller again followed the progress of the bomber stream across the North Sea and many night fighters were in the stream before it crossed the German coast. The controller was very slow to identify Magdeburg as the target but this did not matter too much because most of the night fighters were able to stay in the bomber stream, a good example of the way the Tame Boar tactics were developing. 57 aircraft - 35 Halifaxes, 22 Lancasters - were lost, 8·8 per cent of the force; it is probable that three quarters of the losses were caused by German night fighters. The Halifax loss rate was 15·6 per cent!

The heavy bomber casualties were not rewarded with a successful attack. Some of the Main Force aircraft now had H2S and winds which were stronger than forecast brought some of these into the target area before the Pathfinders' Zero Hour. The crews of 27 Main Force aircraft were anxious to bomb and did so before Zero Hour. The Pathfinders blamed the fires started by this early bombing, together with some very effective German decoy markers, for their failure to concentrate the marking. No details are available from Magdeburg but it is believed that most of the bombing fell outside the city. An R.A.F. man who was in hospital at Magdeburg at the time reports only, 'bangs far away'.

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

Lancaster BII aircraft DS 843 QO-O did not return from a raid on the synthetic oil plants at Magdeburg, Germany, shot down by a night fighter and crashing into the River Elbe at Breitenhagen, Germany

Sergeant DL Pocock (RCAF), FS EM Myer (RAFVR), Pilot Officer DJ O'Donnell (RAAF) and FS JS Poole (RAFVR) were killed in action

FS JH Williams (RAFVR), FS WM Thomson (RAFVR) and Pilot Officer MP Bailhache (RAFVR) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War

There were two 432 Squadron Lancaster II aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Legace, LF for information on Lancaster LL 724 QO-N

Daily Operations 6bombergroup.ca

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432 Squadron Lancaster II DS843 QO-O Fl/Sergeant Poole, RAF East Moor,...

Bombing Augsburg Germany 1944-02-25 to 1944-02-26

408 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Linton-on-Ouse

408 Goose Squadron (For Freedom) RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Lancaster II aircraft DS 845 EQ-T was orbiting at the final turning point leading to an operation against targets in Augsburg Germany when the engines began to lose power. Unable to maintain altitude, the Lancaster was abandoned near Abbeville, France, where it crashed. The entire crew survived

Flying Officer A W Bockus (RCAF), Flight Sergeant E A S Hetherington (RCAF), Sergeant S Thorvardson (RCAF) and Pilot Officer P E Fillion (RCAF) survived and were captured to become Prisoners of War

Sergeant R P Gigg (RAFVR) evaded until captured near Arras, France and became a Prisoner of War

Flying Officer R E Barnlund MiD (RCAF) and Sergeant K E Lussier DFC (RCAF) survived and both became Evaders

Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database

Search for France - Crashes 39-45

Daily Operations

Bombing 1943-11-16 to 1943-11-16

(B) Sqn (RCAF) Eastmoor

Lancaster aircraft DS 847 had engine failure and crashed at night one mile west of Ingham Village, Lincolnshire, England. ExWarrant Officer Andy Hoggins of Port Elgin, Ontario had this to say about this, his second crash, We converted to Lancs and were on a cross-country flight when all four of our Lanc engines broke out in flames one after the other. The Lanc went into a stall spin and FS J.B. Peel (Nav.), FS P.J. Powers (AG), Sergeant Calderwood (RAF - WOAG), and myself bailed out. FS W.J. Mayo (BA), Pilot Officer R.C. Burgess (P), and Sergeant K.C. Simmons (RAF - FE) were killed as the Lanc blew up on impact. I returned to Canada as they thought I'd been thru enough."

Please seeWarrant Officer R.M. Barlow for details of Noggins' and Mayo's previous crash.

Bombing Brunswick Germany 1944-01-14 to 1944-01-14

(B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

Battle of Berlin

496 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes on the first major raid to Brunswick of the war. 38 Lancasters Jost, 7·6 per cent of the force. The German running commentary was heard following the progress of the bomber force from a position only 40 miles from the English coast and many German fighters entered the bomber stream soon after the German frontier was crossed near Bremen. The German fighters scored steadily until the Dutch coast was crossed on the return flight. Ir of the lost aircraft were Pathfinders.

Brunswick was smaller than Bomber Command's usual targets and this raid was not a success. The city report describes this only as a 'light' raid, with bombs in the south of the city which had only ro houses destroyed and 14 people killed. Most of the attack fell either in the countryside or in Wolfenbiittel and other small towns and villages well to the south of Brunswick.

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

Lancaster BII aircraft DS 850 QO-M, was hit by flak, while engaged in an operation against targets in Brunswick, Germany. The flak caused much structural damage to the aircraft and ruptured fuel tanks in the wings. The order to abandon the aircraft was given in the vicinity of Rheine and the Lancaster crashed on the Engdener Wuste, Moor east of Nordhorn, Lower Saxony, Germany

Sergeant JH Aplin (RAFVR)(AUS) and Sergeant RA Hutchinson (RAFVR) were killed in action

Flight Lieutenant GH Rainville DFM (RCAF), FS GC Pike (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant CV Wales (RCAF), FS JS Evans (RAFVR), FS WJT Garvey (RAFVR) and Sergeant ALJ Thomas (RAFVR) all survived and were taken as Prisoners of War

POW information regarding Sergeant Garvey and Sergeant Thomas is not known to date

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Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire