6 Group Unavailable
The aircraft (KC-E), piloted by Flying Officer DW Carey DFC RAAF, flew from 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 not get a satisfactory view of the target. Thus, none of the bombers scored a hit on the battleship, although there was one near miss. The aircraft was badly damaged by flak and in no condition to make it back to Scotland, so the crew flew it through the mountains to Sweden and crash landed in a bog near Porjus, Lapland . Carey was injured but the rest of the crew were unharmed. They were all interned in Sweden.
There was one Canadian on board, Pilot Officer DH McLennan. The Pilot, Flying Officer DW Carey was with the Royal Australian Air Force, and the remaining crew members were with the RAF. They were Flying Officer GA Witherick DFM, Pilot Officer AM McKie and Flight Sergeants LW Franks and AE Young)
