6 Bomber Group January 21/22, 1944
45 Lancasters from 408, 426 and 432 squadrons were joined by 69 Halifaxes from 419, 427, 428, 429, 431, 433, and 434 squadrons on an attack at Magdeburg. The crews were over the target at between 18,000 and 23,000 feet, releasing 290,000 lbs of high explosives and 454,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, the attack was scattered with little damage. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
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
427 Lion Squadron (Ferte Manus Certas) RAF Leeming. Halifax BV aircraft LL 139 ZL-D missing during night operations against Magdeburg, Germany. The aircraft was attacked by a German night fighter while leaving Magdeburg at 19,500 feet. The aircraft was severely damaged and the order to bale out was given at 14,000 feet, but the bomber exploded almost immediately, before most crew members could react. The bomber crashed 3 km east of Unseburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany
Pilot, Squadron Leader DM Arnott DFC (RCAF), second pilot W/C AN Martin (RCAF), Pilot Officer LWW Jones (RCAF), Pilot Officer LS Gray (RCAF), Pilot Officer RO Nickerson (RCAF), Pilot Officer R Dawson (RAFVR) and Pilot Officer RAN Rondelet (RAF) were all killed in action
Pilot Officer Nickerson was killed in the air and the rest of the crew were found dead in the wreckage.
The bomb aimer Flying Officer WV Thom (RCAF), was blown clear, the only crew member to survive and was taken Prisoner of War
There were four 427 Squadron Halifax V aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Toal, GWC for information on Halifax LK 923 ZL-B, Martin, N for information on Halifax LL 169 ZL-L and Warwick, VM for information on Halifax LL 176 ZL-Q
Daily Operations 6bombergroup.ca
21/22.01.1944 427 Squadron Halifax III LL139 ZL-D Sqn.Ldr. Arnott, DFC, ...
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