6 Bomber Group August 5, 1944
172 Halifaxes from 408, 415, 420, 424, 425, 426, 427, 429, 431, 432,433, and 434 squadrons were joined by 52 Lancasters from 408, 419 and 428squadrons on an attack of a V-1 storage site at Saint-Leu D'Esserent. The crews were over the target at between 14,000 and 17,000 feet, releasing2,553,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, bombing was good and damage was caused. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
148 Squadron (Trusty). Halifax II aircraft JP 276 "A" did not return from a secret (SOE) operation at night over South Poland in support of the Warsaw Uprising
.FS AGW Liddell (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant AR Blynn (RCAF), Flying Officer HL Brown (RCAF), Pilot Officer GA Chapman (RCAF), FS CB Wylie (RCAF), Sergeant KJ Ashmore (RAF) and Sergeant FG Wenham (RAF) were killed.
There were two 148 Squadron aircraft lost the same night in the same area. Please see Beanland, CA for the details of the other Halifax II aircraft JP 181 and a casualty list.
23 aircraft attempted to fly arms to reinforce the uprising in Warsaw but only 12 made it to the target. Six were shot down, most of them by Russian fighter aircraft. The Russian forces had advanced and stopped just short of Warsaw and told the Polish underground General to rise up and attack the German occupying forces. This they did for 2 months while the Russian forces never moved - hoping the non Communist Polish underground army of 40,000 would be destroyed. They nearly all were. On August 14, 1944 a similar raid took place and 11 aircraft were shot down. This cemetery contains the graves of 7 Canadian, 62 British. 40 South African, and 15 Polish airmen all killed as a result of this operation.
>p>On Sept. 5, 2002 a plaque honouring the crew of JP 276 "A" was unveiled in the Most Holy Church of the Blessed Virgin, Odporyszow, Poland (Airforce, Vol. 26, 4). In November 2006 the wreckage was excavated by the Warsaw Uprising Museum. A small amount of human remains, documents, maps and personal items together with conainers of weapons and ammunition were found.