6 Bomber Group January 5/6, 1944
35 Lancaster from 408, 426, and 432 squadrons were ordered on an attack at Stettin. The crews were over the target at between 16,000 and 24,000 feet, releasing 136,000 lbs of high explosives and 42,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, bombing was accurate and severe damaged was caused. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
12 Squadron (Leads the Field) RAF Wickenby. Lancaster III ND 324 PH-E was intercepted and damaged by night fighter pilot Oberfeldwebel Kurt Welter of 5/JG302 during an operation against targets in Stettin, Germany. Unable to return to the UK due to the damage the crew managed to make their way to the skies over neutral Sweden and force-landed near Kalmar
Flight Lieutenant Walter Kroeker (RCAF), Flying Officer Clarence Edward Modeland (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant William Dalton Smith (RAFVR), Flight Sergeant Cyril Brooks (RAFVR), Flight Sergeant John Frederick Woodcherry (RAFVR), Flying Officer George Thomas Wood (RAFVR) and Flying Officer Charles J Butler (RAFVR) all survived to become Interned Prisoners
They returned to England 1944-09-24
Most of this crew, Flight Lieutenant Kroeker, Flight Lieutenant Modeland, Flight Lieutenant Smith, Flying Officer Wood, Flight Sergeant Brooks and Flight Sergeant Woodcherry would re-join 12 Squadron upon return to the UK. They would all be killed in action in Lancaster I aircraft RF 182 PH-P during a raid on the synthetic oil plant at Lutzkendorf, Germany 1945-04-05
Oberfeldwebel Welter would later go on to command a unit flying the German Messerschmidt ME262 twin-engine jet fighter
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 Part 1 1January - 15 March by Theo Boiten, page 24
Night Airwar, Personal recollections of the conflict over Europe 1939-45 by Theo Boiten, page 231
1 Group Bomber Command an Operational Record by Chris Ward with Greg Harrison and Grzegorz Korcz, page 171
Avro Lancaster The Definitive Record (2nd Edition) by Harry Holmes pages 87, 216
Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database
