V6 Bomber Group December 16/17, 1943
40 Lancasters from 408, 426, and 432 Squadrons were ordered on an attack at Berlin. The crews were over the target at between 20,000 and 22,000 feet, releasing 148,000 lbs of high explosives and 107,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, bombing was accurate with more fresh damage being caused. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
Events
426 Thunderbird Squadron (On Wings of Fire) RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Lancaster BII aircraft DS 762 OW-V, during an operation against targets in Berlin, Germany was hit by flak over Osnabruck, Netherlands, losing the aircraft hydraulics. Further flak hits and possible night fighter attack caused damage to multiple fuel tanks resulting in fuel leaks and a fire. The fire was extinguished, allowing the bomber to continue to Berlin and drop it's bombload. Unfortunately, the fuel loss meant a return flight to England was not possible so the the badly shot up Lancaster was turned north for neutral Sweden, where the pilot ordered his crew to abandon the aircraft. The bomber then crashed onto the ice covered Asnen Lake, Sweden
Pilot Officer A C Davies DFC (RCAF), Pilot Officer H L Garriock (RCAF), Sergeant E O George DFM (RCAF), Pilot Officer R H Ginson (RCAF), Flight Sergeant F T Mudry (RCAF), Pilot Officer R F Richards (RAF) and Sergeant R Engle (RAF) all survived
The crew, all safe, were arrested by police and as Sweden was a neutral country during the war, they all became interned prisoners rather than Prisoners of War. They were not held in POW camps, but were placed in hotels and bed and breakfast establishments in the Falun area, enjoying relative freedom of movement, unlike a Prisoner of War in a camp. They received their regular military pay from their home countries, which allowed them to actually be much better off than the local Swedish residents
The crew of Lancaster DS 762 were repatriated to the UK between September and October 1944
There were four 426 Squadron Lancaster II aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Lancaster aircraft serials DS 779 OW-C, DS 837 OW-Q and DS 846 OW-X for further information and detail
Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database
Bomber Command Museum Monthly ORB