6 Group Unavailable
The aircraft, 617 Squadron (Apres moi, le deluge) Lancaster I NF 920 KC-E nicknamed "Easy Elsie" piloted by Flying Officer DW Carey DFC RAAF, departed from RAF Milltown, Scotland 
at 01:14, to attack the battleship Tirpitz which had been moved from Alten Fjord to Tromso Fjord in Norway after the partially successful attack by 617 and 9 Squadrons on September 11, 1944 (Operation Paravane). On this operation (Operation Obviate) the target was covered in cloud, and despite making several bombing runs, none of the crews could get a satisfactory view of the target. Thus, none of the bombers scored a hit on the battleship, although there was one near miss. After six runs over the target, NF 920 was badly damaged by flak and in no condition to make it back to Scotland, so the crew flew it through the mountains to neutral Sweden and force-landed in a bog near Porjus, Lapland . Flying Officer Carey was injured but the rest of the crew were unharmed and they all survived to became Interned Prisoners.
There was one Canadian on board, Bomb Aimer, Pilot Officer Douglas Hayden MacLennan (RCAF). The Pilot, Flying Officer Daniel William Carey DFC (RAAF), Rear Air-Gunner, Flying Officer Gerald Augustine Andrew Witherick DFM (RAFVR), Navigator, Pilot Officer Alexander Millar McKie DFM (RAFVR), Flight Engineer, Flight Sergeant LW Franks (RAFVR) and Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, Flight Sergeant Arthur Ernest Young (RAFVR). There were only six aircrew aboard as the top turret had been removed to lessen the overall weight of the aircraft and improve its range.
This aircrew were returned safe to the UK, flown from Stockholm to Leuchers, Scotland 1944-11-07 on a B.O.A.C. Dakota C47
Avro Lancaster The Definitive Record (2nd Edition) by Harry Holmes, pages 101, 219
Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database
Lancaster Easy Elsie - You Tube Lancaster Bomber Easy Elsie Plane Crash site - YouTube Easy Elsie the Lancaster bomber that crashed in Swedish swam... An Avro Lancaster Easy Elsie bomber that crash-landed in a Swedish swam...
