Crowley, Paul Anthony (Flight Sergeant)

Killed in Action 1944-August-13

Flight Sergeant Paul Anthony Crowley RCAF

Birth Date: 1924-June-13

Born: Ganonoque Ontario

Parents: Joseph J. Crowley & Lillian M. Crowley (nee Pelow)

Spouse:

Home: Brockville, Ontario (parents)

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

428 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Usque Ad Finem To the Very End

Base

RAF Middleton St George

Rank

Flight Sergeant

Position

Air Gunner

Service Numbers

R/195945

Home
Google MapBrockville, Ontario (parents)
Target
Google MapBrunswick Germany
Final Burial
Google MapCWG Cemetery
grave 5 B 13

Killed includes Crowley: Pilot Officer Henry Arthur Murphy RCAF J/86753 KIA Hanover War Cemetery grave 5. B. 11. Flight Sergeant Michael Sawry RCAF R/212173 KIA Hanover War Cemetery grave 5. B. 15. Flying Officer James Edward Spraggett RCAF J/28934 KIA Hanover War Cemetery grave 5. B. 12. Pilot Officer William John Hardwick RAF KIA Hanover War Cemetery grave 5. B. 14.

POWs: Flying Officer Clifford Greer RCAF J/28972 POW camp not listed. Flying Officer John Allan McGregor RCAF J/27912 POW camp not listed.

Flight Sergeant Paul Anthony Crowley was the son of Joseph J, and Lillian M. (nee Pelow) of Brookville, Ontario. TI1e family was originally from Gananoque, Ont., and spent their summers at the family cottage in the Thousand Islands.

Lancaster KB 758 had a total of 163 hours when it failed to return from an operation on 12/l3 August 1944. Records show that it had taken part in key operations to Hamburg on 28129 July 1944 and Caen 7/8 August 1944. On us final flight. the crew took off at 2103 from their home base at Middleton St. George on a raid to Brunswick, Germany, It was shot down by a night-fighter, crashing at 0015 near the town of Winsen on the Aller River.

Three months later. on November 11th, the Crowley family suffered the loss of another son, 23-year old flying Officer Francis Joseph Crowley, who was a member of 440 Squadron and a Typhoon fighter pilot.

Their father was an electrician in the RCAF serving in England and returned to Canada shortly before his second son was killed. A brother, John, served on the destroyer H.M.C.S. GATINEAU and was taken off the ship after his second brother perished. He had to serve for the remainder of the war as a member of the military police.(Source Geraldine Chase and Bill Beswetherlck)

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Canada Primary Source Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Crew or Other Personnel

Lancaster KB758

Flight Sergeant Paul Anthony Crowley RCAF

Flight Sergeant Crowley, Paul Anthony (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-August-13
CWG Cemetery, Hanover, Germany

Flying Officer Clifford Greer RCAF

Flying Officer Greer, Clifford (RCAF)

Prisoner of War
1944-August-13
cemetery unknown

Flying Officer J A McGregor RCAF

Flying Officer McGregor, J A (RCAF)
Pilot
Prisoner of War
1944-August-13
cemetery unknown

Pilot Officer Henry Arthur Murphy RCAF

Pilot Officer Murphy, Henry Arthur (RCAF)
Wireless Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-August-13
CWG Cemetery, Hanover, Germany

Flight Sergeant Michael Sawry RCAF

Flight Sergeant Sawry, Michael (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-August-13
CWG Cemetery, Hanover, Germany

Flying Officer James Edward Spraggett RCAF

Flying Officer Spraggett, James Edward (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-August-13
CWG Cemetery, Hanover, Germany

Unit Desciption

428 (B) Sqn Usque Ad Finem ("Ghost")

History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington III, X, Halifax V, II, Lancaster X)

No 428 Squadron was the ninth long-range heavy bomber squadron and the 26th RCAF squadron formed overseas during the Second World War. It was formed at RAF Dalton in Yorkshire, England on November 7, 1942. The squadron was initially assigned to No. 4 Group RAF Bomber Command. With the creation of No. 6 Group RCAF, the squadron was reallocated on January 1, 1943 operating with it until April 25, 1945.

The squadron was originally equipped with Vickers Wellington Mk III and X, and its first operational mission was on January 26–27, 1943, when five Wellingtons bombed the U-Boat base at Lorient in Brittany, on the Bay of Biscay. In the early part of June 1943, the squadron moved to RAF Middleton St. George, Durham where it remained for the remainder of the war. Around this time the squadron was converted to Handley Page Halifaxes (Mk Vs, and later supplemented by Mk II Series IIA). In January 1944, Halifax bombers from No. 428 Squadron participated in the first high-level mining raid "Gardening", when mines were dropped by parachute from 15,000 feet (4,570 m) over Brest on 4/5 Jan and Saint-Nazaire on 6/7 Jan 1944. The squadron flew its last sortie with the Halifax on June 12, 1944 then converted to the Canadian-built Avro Lancaster Mk X, the first sortie taking place on June 14, 1944.

For the final phase of the air campaign against Germany, the squadron took part in day and night raids, with its last operational sortie taking place on April 25, 1945, when 15 Lancasters bombed anti-aircraft gun batteries defending the mouth of the Weser, on the Frisian Island of Wangerooge. The squadron remained in service in the United Kingdom until the end of May 1945, then flew to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia . The squadron was intended to be part of the "Tiger Force" to carry on the war against Japan, but the Japanese surrender led to the disbandment of the force. The squadron was therefore disbanded at Yarmouth in September 1945.

In the course of WWII operations, the squadron flew 283 missions involving 3467 individual sorties. 84 aircraft were lost and a total of 9378 tons of bombs were dropped. the aircrew earned 2 DSO's, 71 DFC's, 2 CGM's and 6 DFM's. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943-44, Baltic 1944, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1943-44, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1943-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1943-44. Wikipedia, Kostenuk and Griffin

Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)

Maps for Movements of 428 Squadron 1942-45

MAP 1: 428 Squadron Bases 1942-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab

428 Squadron History Summary 1942-45

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck)

The squadron was re-activated as the fifth Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck equipped squadron, on June 21, 1954, at RCAF Station Uplands as 428 All-Weather (Fighter) Squadron. It was re-activated, as one of nine Canadian based RCAF squadrons, to be operating under the new RCAF Air Defence Command, protecting North American airspace from Soviet intruders and long range bombers. The squadron was finally disbanded on 1 June 1961.