6 Bomber Group July 4/5, 1944
38 Lancasters from 408, 419, and 428 squadrons were joined by 64 Halifaxes from 424, 427, 429, and 433 squadron on an attack of the Rail yards at Villeneuve Saint-Georges. The crews were over the target at between 9,000and 13,000 feet, releasing 791,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, the target was accurately bombed with severe damage to the rail yards. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
282 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitoes of I, 6 and 8 Groups attacked railway yards at Orleans and Villeneuve. Both targets were accurately bombed. 14 Lancasters were lost, 11 from the Villeneuve raid and 3 from Orleans.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
419 Moose Squadron (Moosa Aswayita) RAF Middleton St George. Lancaster X KB 718 VR-J shot down by a night fighter during an operation to bomb the railyards at Villeneuve St Georges, France. The Lancaster crashed near the village of Fay, 2 km NE of Chailly-en-Biere, France
Flying Officer WC Watson (RCAF), Flying Officer LWA Frame (RCAF), FS J Morris (RCAF) and Sergeant PP Barclay (RAFVR) all survived and were Evaders
Pilot Officer D High (RCAF) evaded for a time but was betrayed by the Belgian traitor Jacques Desoubrie and arrested. One of 168 Allied sent to Buchenwald Concentration Camp but later moved to a Luftwaffe POW camp
Pilot Officer HB Hayes (RCAF) and Flying Officer WB Reynolds survived and were taken as Prisoners of War
There were three 419 Squadron Lancaster aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Gibson, WR for information on Lancaster KB 727 VR-H and Roe, AE for information on Lancaster KB 723 VR-U
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