FRANKFURT
{{webimage,wardiaries.jpg,float:right;width:150px;,Book no longer in print}}846 aircraft - 620 Lancasters, 209 Halifaxes, 17 Mosquitoes. The German fighter force was again split. One part was lured north by the Heligoland mining operation but the second. part waited in Germany and met the bomber stream just before the target was reached, although cloud made it difficult for these fighters to achieve much success. 22 aircraft- 12 Halifaxes, IO Lancasters -were lost, 2·6 per cent of the force.
The Pathfinders marked the target accurately and this led to heavy bombing of eastern, central and western districts of Frankfurt. The later phases of the bombing were scattered but this was almost inevitable with such a large force; new crews were usually allocated to the final waves. Extensive destruction was caused in Frankfurt. The local report gives a long list of 'cultural buildings', including the Opera House and the preserved medieval quarter, destroyed. Most of the report consists of statistics: 5,495 houses, 99 industrial firms, 412 small businesses, 56 public buildings= all destroyed or seriously damaged; many other buildings were lightly damaged. 421 civilians were killed and 55,500 were bombed out. A military train was hit and 20 soldiers in it were killed and 80 wounded but this may have been by the action of a Fighter Command Intruder aircraft; the Frankfurt report says that the train was shot up by cannon-fire.
6 Bomber Group March 18/19, 1944
25 Lancasters from 408 and 426 Squadrons were joined by 94 Halifaxes from 420, 424, 425, 427, 429, 432, and 433 Squadrons on an attack at Frankfurt. The crews were over the target at between 18,000 and 23,000 feet, releasing 73,000 lbs of high explosives and 411,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, target marking was accurate and serious damage was caused.
While the Frankfurt attack was taking place, 39 Halifaxes from 419,428, 431 and 434 squadrons were ordered on a mining operation to Heligoland. The crews were over the garden at between 11,000 and 12,000 feet, sowing74@1500 lb mines. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
433 Porcupine Squadron (Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique) RAF Skipton-on-Swale. Halifax BIII aircraft HX 282 BM-K failed to return from a raid on targets in Frankfurt, Germany. Homeward-bound, the bomber was shot down by night fighter pilot Ofw Karl-Heinz Scherfling of the 12/NJG 1, who was flying a Bf 110 G-4 and crashed at Krov, Rheinland-Pfalz on the Moselle River, Germany
Pilot Officer DE James (RCAF) and Pilot Officer JPOV Levesque (RCAF) were killed in action
Flight Lieutenant SA Sinclair (RCAF), Pilot Officer AG Sharpe (RCAF), Sergeant RT Stinson (RCAF), Group Commander LE Wray AFC (RCAF), Sergeant RD Green (RAF) and Sergeant RE Pearce (RAF) survived and were all taken as Prisoners of War
Nachjagtd Combat Archive 1944 Part Two 16 March - 11 May by Theo Boiten, page 7On VE Day, 1945-05-08, Squadron Leader A. Ross Dawson, the Chief Technical Officer with 424/433 Sqds at Skipton on Swale, went to Brussels as part of a fleet of 26 aircraft to pick up released POW's. He wrote in his diary: "The war is definitely over now with complete surrender all round " cease fire is at 1 minute after midnight tonight. . . Got everything organised for the other kites to take off at 12:40 & we got airborne at 10:30 am . . we finally found our aerodrome B58 at a little town called Melsbrock . . . We reached our parking strip & got out to be confronted with approx.. 3000 POWs of all nationalities. . . There were Assies & New Zealanders, Canadians & Americans, English, Poles, Russians etc. Several Canadians came up to speak to us having recognised our a/c letters. Even some from our own Sqdn were there with a Nav [Navigator] from G/C Wray's crew [HX282} & a F/Eng from W/C Blane's crew [LV997]. Also one from 433 "M" which was shot down in February when I was there. . . The POWs all had marvellous experiences to relate."
Diary of A Ross Dawson, courtesy CWM
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