6 Group Unavailable
1664 "Caribou" Heavy Conversion Unit RAF Dishforth. Halifax BIII aircraft NA 612 DH-S joined 451 aircraft as part of a diversionary force dropping 'window' to interrupt the German radar and prevent their directing aircraft to intercept the attacks on Kamen (Synthetic oil plant) and Ladbergen (Dortmund-Ems Canal) as part of Operation "Sweepstake" on the night of March 3/4, 1945
Sadly, on the same night, a group of over 100 German night fighters carried out Operation "Gisela" and followed the Allied aircraft back to their bases in England, shooting down at least five aircraft, Halifax NA-612 being one of them. Night fighter pilot Lt Arnold Doring of 10/NJG3 attacked NA 612 as it approached RAF Dishforth to land. The Halifax turned inverted and crashed directly to the ground near Brafferton, North Yorkshire, killing the entire crew. The aircraft was totally destroyed in the resulting fire
Sergeant L Boardman (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class 2 J W Buttrey (RCAF), Warrant Officer Class 2 L T Chevrier (RCAF), Flight Sergeant J E Fielder (RCAF), Pilot Officer K W Griffey (RCAF), Flying Officer G H Lloyd (RCAF) and Sergeant S Forster (RAFVR) were all killed in action and all were buried in various cemeteries in the UK
Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database
Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire