6 Group Unavailable
II3 aircraft - 71 Wellingtons, 24 Halifaxes, 17 Hampdens, I Stirling. This was an experimental raid by a
force of oddments - Halifaxes of 4 Group which were being rested from major operations,
Hampdens of 5 Group and new crews from other groups. There were no Pathfinders. The moon was four fifths full and it was judged that this relatively undefended target, just inside Germany, could be successfully attacked while the main raid on Nuremberg was taking place.
The raid was not a success; bombing was scattered over a wide area. 15 houses were destroyed and 51 seriously damaged in Saarbriicken and one woman was killed. 7 aircraft - 4 Hampdens, 2 Halifaxes, I Wellington - lost, 6·2 per cent of the force.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Vickers Wellington B. Mk. III s/n DF665 and code VR*Q, was shot down by a BF 110 night-fighter flown by Oberluetnant Kurt Martinek 9./NJG 4 operating from Laon-Athies airfield in France.
The 'Wimpy' as the Wellington was affectionately known as, crashed at 23:30 hours at Petit-Deische, Namur, Belgium on the border with France and roughly 2 km's north-west of the French town of Givet. Only one crewmember survived and became an evader. R.C.A.F. Sergeant W. H. Ledford made it back to England on the 2nd of November, 1942.
Sadly after returning to ops, Ledford was killed in action on the 23rd of August while a member of No. 434 'Bluenose' (B) Squadron.
Oberleutnant Kurt Martinek and Oberfeldwebel Fritz Gudjons were both killed in crash of Bf 110E-4 w.n.3818 C9+AL of 3/NJG5 at Neudorf 5km's north-west of Stendal, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany on the night of the 3rd/4th of November,1942. It had been a non-operational flight.
source: Chris Charland
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Bomber Command Museum Monthly ORB
