166 Squadron (Tenacity) RAF Kirmington, Lancaster I aircraft ED 366 UV-C lost during a night trip to Kassel, Germany.
FS RH Butler (RCAF), Sergeant JT Costello (RCAF), Sergeant WG Gamage (RAFVR), Sergeant M Monaghan (RAF), Sergeant DG Rees (RAFVR) and Sergeant J Saffrey (RAFVR) were killed. Sergeant K Hurst (RAF) Prisoner of War.
Kassel, however, was hit very hard with concentrated and accurate bombing. A firestorm was started, although on a much smaller scale than had been seen in Hamburg. Middlebrook & Everitt note reports of 5,600 killed and 3,300 missing or untraced nearly a month after the attack, with over 100,000 rendered homeless. Over 150 industries were destroyed or damaged, and among these were the Henschel aircraft factories where production of V-1 weapons was seriously delayed, preventing their use against England before the invasion of France. (BC War Diaries)
Butler, Ronald Harris (Flight Sergeant)
Killed in Action 1943-October-22
Birth Date: 1919-May-21
Born: Ashby-de-la-Zouch, United Kingdom
Parents: Son of William and Hilda Butler, of North River, Prince Edward Island.
Spouse:
Home: North River, Prince Edward Island
Enlistment: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Enlistment Date: 1939-September-11
Service
RCAF
Unit
166 Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Tenacity
Base
RAF Kirmington
Rank
Flight Sergeant
Position
Bomb Aimer
Service Numbers
R/11601
Prev: R/111601
Target
Kassel Germany
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)
Unit Desciption
166 Sqn Tenacity (Huddersfield's Own)
No 166 Squadron RAF was originally formed at Bircham Newton, Norfolk on June 13, 1918, designed as a heavy bomber unit, to fly the Handley Page V/1500 aircraft. The squadron was never fully mobilized because the Armistice intervened. The squadron was re-formed in November 1936 as a heavy bomber unit, flying Handley Page Heyfords, later equipping with Armstrong Whitworth Whitleys. It was based at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire from November 1936 to January 1937, when it moved to Leconfield, Yorkshire. The squadron became part of an air observer's school on June 7, 1938, and then became a 1 Group pool squadron in May 1939. From September 1939 it was based at Abingdon, Berkshire until April 1940. In that month the squadron merged with no. 97 Squadron to form No. 10 OTU.
In January 1943 the squadron was re-formed at Kirmington, Yorkshire (53.578,-0.344, now Humberside Airport), from flights of Nos. 150 and 170 squadrons, when parts of these squadrons were posted to the Middle East. It was again bomber squadron, flying Vickers Wellingtons in No. 1 Group of Bomber Command. It remained at Kirmington until the end of WWII, later re-equipping with Avro Lancasters. In the period 27/28 January 1943 and 25 April 1945, it dropped 27,287 tons of bombs and laid 333 tons of mines. The squadron won "at least" 2 DSOs, 2 CGMs, 117 DFCs and 108 DFMs in the course of WWII. The squadron was disbanded on November 18, 1945.