Carpenter, Eric Charles (Flight Lieutenant)

Took off from Little Staughton at 10:31 in Mosquito Mk XVI ML-998 on Pathfinder operation to the Gremberg Marshalling yards at Cologne Germany.

Shot down over the target area by a night fighter and crashed at Jüchen near Cologne.Germany.

Claim by Maj Anton Hackl II CO/JG26 - Koln/Monchengladbach at 12:56. (JG26 Luftwaffe Fighter Wing War Diary Volume 2 : 1943-45)

Killed: F/Lt Eric Charles Carpenter RCAF J/4918 pilot KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery grave 11. A. 17. Flying Officer William Thraves Lambert RAF KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery grave 11. A. 16.

Carpenter had completed over thirty trips and had begun his second tour of operations when he lost his life. His pilot was S/L. R.A. Palmer D.F.C., who was a veteran RAF pilot of some 110operations, and was leading a Sqn of Lancaster bombers on a daylight raid against the Marshalling Yards at Cologne when they went down. S/L. Palmer received the Victoria Cross for this and other operations. addendum2: See page 107. F/L. Carpenter was a pilot of Mosquito aircraft ML998. The reference to S/L. R.A. Palmer is an error and is to be ignored. Detail provided by A. Radcliffe, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.