Bombing Bremen Germany 1942-09-04 to 1942-09-05

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Topcliffe

251 aircraft-98 Wellingtons, 76 Lancasters, 41 Halifaxes, 36 Stirlings. 12 aircraft- 7 Wellingtons, 3 Lancasters, 1 Halifax, 1 Stirling - lost, 4·8 per cent of the force.

The Pathfinders introduced new techniques on this night, splitting their aircraft into 3 forces: 'illuminators', who lit up the area with white flares; 'visual markers', who dropped coloured flares if they had identified the aiming point; then 'backers¬up', who dropped all-incendiary bomb loads on to the coloured flares. This basic pattern - illuminating, marking and backing-up - would form the basis of most future Pathfinder operations with proper target-indicator bombs and various elec¬tronic bombing aids being employed as they became available. The weather was clear and the Pathfinder plan worked well; heavy bombing of the target followed. Bremen confirms that this was a successful raid.

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

Minelaying 1943-02-07 to 1943-02-07

424 (B) Sqn (RAF) Topcliffe

424 Tiger Squadron (Castigandos Castigamus). Wellington aircraft BJ 658 was shot down in the Baltic Sea during a night operation. F/O J.M.Patterson, WO E.D. Coates, P/O E.T. Cox, FS H.M. Duke, and Sgt F.J. Allen (RAF) were killed. One other member of the crew, not Canadian, missing believed killed.

Bombing Lorient France 1943-01-26 to 1943-01-26

424 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Topcliffe

157 aircraft - 139 Wellingtons, 11 Lancasters, 4 Halifaxes, 3 Stirlings - dispatched and bombed in poor visibility. 2 Wellingtons and I Lancaster lost.

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

Wellington aircraft BJ 714 missing, presumed over target, presumed enemy action. FSs M.E.Putnam,V.F. McHarg and W.A. Masterman were killed. Three Canadians, Sgts A.G. Ingram, A.C. Riach, and K.G. Vallis were taken Prisoners of War.

Bombing Aachen Germany 1942-10-05 to 1942-10-05

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

Wellington aircraft encountered severe icing conditions enroute to the target and failed to return. Two 419 Squadron aircraft did not return from this sortie and four of the Squadron's aircraft had to turn back because of the severe weather conditions

257 aircraft- IOI Wellingtons, 74 Lancasters, 59 Halifaxes, 23 Stirlings. IO aircraft - 5 Halifaxes, 2 Stirlings, 2 Wellingtons, I Lancaster - lost, 3·9 per cent of the force. A further 6 aircraft crashed in England, possibly in thunderstorms which were present when some squadrons took off for the raid.

The weather continued to be bad over Germany. There was little Pathfinder marking at Aachen and most of the bombing fell in other areas. Aachen reports that the raid on this night was carried out by an estimated 10 aircraft and that the centre of the attack appeared to be in the southern suburb of Burtscheid, where a 4,000-lb bomb severely damaged a hospital and 2 nearby churches. 34 fires were started, 5 of them being classified as large. A moderate amount of housing was hit and, rather surprisingly, 22 industrial buildings were damaged. 5 people were killed and 39 injured.

Many of the bombs intended for Aachen fell in the small Dutch town of Lutterade, 17 miles away from Aachen, and it seems that most of the Pathfinder marking was over this place. The Mayor of Geleen, the Dutch district in which Lutterade is now situated, reports heavy bombing and much damage in Lutterade on that night. More than 800 houses were seriously damaged; 83 people were killed, 22 were injured md 3,000 were made homeless

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

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

426 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Dishforth

426 Thunderbird Squadron (On Wings of Fire) RAF Dishforth. Wellington aircraft BJ 762 OW-O was shot down during an operation against targets in Bochum, Germany by night fighter pilot Major Helmut Lent of the Stab 4/NJG 1, flying Bf 110 G-4 G9+AF from Leeuwarden airfield, Netherlands. The bomber crashed near Sondeler Leien, Gaasterland, Friesland, Netherlands

Flight Sergeant RE Todd (RCAF)(USA), Sergeant JA Bailey (RCAF), and Sergeant JF Gubb (RCAF) were all killed in action

Warrant Officer 1st Class JH Martin (RCAF), and Flight Sergeant J Taylor (RAF) both survived and were taken as Prisoners of War

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

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Results

Wellington MkIII - BJ762 - OW-O

Bombing 1942-10-24 to 1942-10-24

425 () (RCAF)

Bombing Krefeld Germany 1942-10-02 to 1942-10-02

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

188 aircraft- 95 Wellingtons, 39 Halifaxes, 31 Lancasters, 23 Stirlings. 7 aircraft - 3 Halifaxes, 2 Wellingtons, r Lancaster, r Stirling - lost, 3·7 per cent of the force.

The Pathfinders encountered dense haze and their marking was late. The raid which developed was dispersed and not expected to cause much damage. Krefeld's rather general report on wartime bombing does not class this as a 'Grossangriff' - a major raid; only 3 streets in the northern part of the town are mentioned as being hit but most of the 41 people recorded as being killed by raids in 1942 probably died on this night.

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

Bombing Cologne Germany 1942-10-15 to 1942-10-15

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

289 aircraft - 109 Wellingtons, 74 Halifaxes, 62 Lancasters, 44 Stirlings. 18 aircraft - 6 Wellingtons, 5 Halifaxes, 5 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings - lost, 6·2 per cent of the force.

This was not a successful raid. Winds were different from those forecast and the Pathfinders had difficulty in establishing their position and marking the target suffi¬ciently to attract the Main Force away from a large decoy fire site which received most of the bombs. Cologne reports I 'Luftmine' (out of 71 4,000-pounders carried by the bombing force), 3 other high-explosive bombs (out of 231) and 210 incendiary bombs (out of 68,590). 226 houses were damaged but only 2 of these received what was classed as 'serious damage'; 4 people were injured.

Operational 1942-10-10 to 1942-10-10

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

Bombing Essen Germany 1943-03-12 to 1943-03-12

424 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Topcliffe

457 aircraft - 158 Wellingtons, 156 Lancasters, 91 Halifaxes, 42 Stirlings, IO Mos-quitoes. 23 aircraft- 8 Lancasters, 7 Halifaxes, 6 Wellingtons, 2 Stirlings lost, 5·0 per cent of the force.

This was another very successful Oboe-marked raid. The centre of the bombing area was right across the giant Krupps factory, just west of the city centre, with later bombing drifting back to the north-western outskirts. Photographic interpretation assessed that Krupps received 30 per cent more damage on this night than on the . earlier successful raid of 5/6 March. Nearly 500 houses were also destroyed in the raid. The number of people killed is variously reported between 169 and 322, with 198 probably being the most accurate figure, made up of 64 men, 45 women, 19 children, 4 soldiers, 61 foreign workers and 5 prisoners of war.

German records say that one third of the bombs dropped on this night did not hit Essen and that 39 people were killed in other towns with Bottrop, just north of Essen, being the worst hit, but these towns were all close to Essen and there was often no clear division between overlapping built-up areas.

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

Served with No. 424 (B) Squadron, RCAF, coded QB*J when failed to return from attack at Essen on 12 / 13 March 1943. All crew were killed. Crashed on the north bank of the Waal, 4 kilometres east-north-east of Tiel, near Echteld or Gelderland, Holland.

Flying Incident - Court Martial 1944-01-01 to 1944-01-02

82 (B) OTU (RAF) RAF Ossington

Memorial stone near crash site. Image by Colin Dickinson of Haworth UK

The aircraft flew into a hillside at Tewitt Hall Wood above Oakworth. A stone unveiled recently in West Yorkshire was the work of the Oakworth Village Society, helped by a generous donation from an anonymous villager. Under the RCAF badge are the names of the six crew, all Canadians, who were killed in the crash. The memorial at the isolated crash site was dedicated on 4 July 1993 at a service attended by more than 500 people. Keighley Squadron, ATC, personnel from RAF Leeming and officers from The Canadian Armed Forces were present and a BBMF Spitfire made several low passes. Detail provided by David E. Thompson, Middlesborough, England.

Minelaying Frisian Islands Netherlands (Nectarines) 1943-02-20 to 1943-02-20

424 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Topcliffe

Served with No. 424 (B) Squadron, RCAF, coded QB*U, in the UK. Failed to return from mining operation to the Frisian Islands on 20 / 21 February 1943, shot down by Oblt Rudolf Sigmund of IV/NJG I into the North Sea, all were killed. Reported shot down at 19:46 local, 50 kilometres north of Texel. Crew was one RNZAF, 2 RCAF and 2 RAF.

Bombing 1943-03-29 to 1943-03-29

428 () () RAF Dalton

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

428 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Dalton

428 Ghost Squadron (Usque Ad Finem) RAF Dalton. Wellington BIII aircraft BK 564 NR-A was shot down during a raid on targets in Bochum, Germany and crashed near Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Pilot Officer JLRVF Cartier (RCAF) Flight Sergeant PB Gustavsen (RCAF) and Flying Officer JF Spencer (RAFVR) were killed in action. Two crew members were able to bail. One, Sergeant HF Rhodes (RAFVR) was injured and he survived to reach the ground but died from his injuries 1943-04-12 in hospital. Sergeant D King (RCAF) survived and was taken as Prisoner Of War

There were two 428 Squadron Wellington aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serial HE 175 NA-V for additional information

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

Daily Operations

Bombing Wilhelmshaven Germany 1943-02-19 to 1943-02-20

420 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St George

Aircraft was damaged by flak and then attacked by a Bf 110 night fighter. The rear gunner Warrant Officer 2nd Class Beresford baled out but did not survive. The pilot, Flight Sergeant RE Taylor (RCAF), managed to fly the damaged aircraft on one engine back to a safe landing in Coltishall, England. Taylor was awarded a DFM for this sortie. D Parker, R Koval, FF Years

Bombing Kiel Germany 1942-10-13 to 1942-10-13

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft

288 aircraft - roo Wellingtons, 82 Lancasters, 78 Halifaxes, 28 Stirlings. 8 aircraft- 5 Wellingtons, 1 each of other types - lost, 2·8 per cent of the force.

A decoy fire site was operating and at least half of the bombing was drawn away into open countryside, but the rest of the attack fell on Kiel and its immediate surroundings. The Kiel diarist records a now familiar list of area-bombing damage, the only items of particular interest being that 17 omnibuses were destroyed in their garage or parking area and that much of the bombing fell on the south-eastern suburbs of Elmschenhagen. He also refers to a constantly recurring theme in recent raids, the vast amount of roof damage and glass breakage with the increasing use by Bomber Command of high-capacity blast bombs. 250,000 square metres of roof tiling and 150,000 square metres of glass were blown away in Kiel on this night. Casualties were 41 killed and 101 injured. Finally, Herr Boelck writes: 'Amazingly, the Flak hardly opened fire for some time although the bombers were over the town.* This withholding of fire was a ploy which the German defences developed to hinder the identification of a target by the bombers, particularly when a nearby decoy site was being used. There were often disagreements between local party officials who wanted their people to see the Flak banging away vigorously, and the local Luftwaffe Flak commanders who were attempting this tactical deception.

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

Bombing Saarbrucken Germany 1942-08-28 to 1942-08-28

419 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Topcliffe

II3 aircraft - 71 Wellingtons, 24 Halifaxes, 17 Hampdens, I Stirling. This was an experimental raid by a

force of oddments - Halifaxes of 4 Group which were being rested from major operations,

Hampdens of 5 Group and new crews from other groups. There were no Pathfinders. The moon was four fifths full and it was judged that this relatively undefended target, just inside Germany, could be successfully attacked while the main raid on Nuremberg was taking place.

The raid was not a success; bombing was scattered over a wide area. 15 houses were destroyed and 51 seriously damaged in Saarbriicken and one woman was killed. 7 aircraft - 4 Hampdens, 2 Halifaxes, I Wellington - lost, 6·2 per cent of the force.

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

Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III s/n DF665 and code VR*Q, was shot down by a BF 110 night-fighter flown by Oberluetnant Kurt Martinek 9./NJG 4 operating from Laon-Athies airfield in France.

The 'Wimpy' as the Wellington was affectionately known as, crashed at 23:30 hours at Petit-Deische, Namur, Belgium on the border with France and roughly 2 km's north-west of the French town of Givet. Only one crewmember survived and became an evader. R.C.A.F. Sergeant W. H. Ledford made it back to England on the 2nd of November, 1942.

Sadly after returning to ops, Ledford was killed in action on the 23rd of August while a member of No. 434 'Bluenose' (B) Squadron.

Oberleutnant Kurt Martinek and Oberfeldwebel Fritz Gudjons were both killed in crash of Bf 110E-4 w.n.3818 C9+AL of 3/NJG5 at Neudorf 5km's north-west of Stendal, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany on the night of the 3rd/4th of November,1942. It had been a non-operational flight.

source: Chris Charland

Bombing Briatico Cape Semero Sicily 1943-08-17 to 1943-08-18

420 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Kairuan Tunisia

Mission: 11 aircraft were bombed up and took of to attack beach targets between Briatico and Capo Suvero Italy. There were no noticeable concentrations of personnel or barges on the beaches. Bombs were seen to burst in the vicinity of the aiming point. It is believed fuel storage supplies were struck, causing flames to reach 400 feet.

DF686 and crew not heard from again. Some sources say targeting Pizzo Italy

Bombing Rostock Germany 1942-04-25 to 1942-04-25

(B) Sqn (RAF) Elsham Wolds

ROSTOCK 128 aircraft of 6 types,110 to the town and 18 to the Heinke! factory. No aircraft were lost although crews reported that Rostock's Flak defences had been strengthened. (ORB confirms that DV579 was lost on this raid)

Heavy bombing of the town and many fires were achieved. Some aircraft also hit the Heinke! factory for the first time; the crews achieving this were flying Manchesters from 106 Squadron, which was commanded by Wing Commander Guy Gibson. source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt