Johnson, Donald Woodrow (Flight Lieutenant)

Killed in Action 1944-July-26

Flight Lieutenant Donald Woodrow Johnson RCAF

Birth Date: 1917-December-30

Born: Flandreau, Moody County, South Dakota, USA

Parents: Son of Oscar Johnson and (deceased) Gertrude Mary (nee Abraham) Johnson of Flandreua, South Dakota. Stepson of Forrest H Partch of South Dakota

Spouse: Husband of Margaret Jean (nee Crawford) Johnson, married at Sibley, Iowa ,1940-10-14. She was born at Cavour, South Dakota

Home: Flandreau, South Dakota

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

432 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Saeviter Ad Lucem Ferociously toward the light

Base

RAF East Moor

Rank

Flight Lieutenant

Position

Pilot

Service Numbers

J/8913

Home
Google MapFlandreau, South Dakota
Target
Google MapStuttgart Germany
Final Burial
Google MapChurchyard
Collective Grave 1

Flight Lieutenant Johnson spent three years in the US Army, stationed at Sternberg General Hospital in the Philippines as a medic. After his discharge he obtained a private flying license as well as his own aircraft. When the USA entered the war, Johnson tried to enlist in the USAAF but was not accepted because of his private pilot papers. He instead went to Canada and enlisted in the RCAF, 1941-03-15 (although no Oath of Allegiance to the Crown was taken) and became an instructor at No 6 Service Flying Training School at Dunnville, Ontario before joining an operational unit

432 Leaside Squadron (Saeviter ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Halifax BVII aircraft NP 688 QO-X failed to return from an operation against targets in Stuttgart, Germany. The cause of loss was not determined but there are both night fighter and flak claims for this loss. The Halifax crashed at Breteniere, near Thorey-en-Plaine, 13 km SE of Dijon, France

Pilot Officer JR Giles (RCAF), Pilot Officer GB Martin (RCAF), Flying Officer KL Moss (RCAF), Flying Officer F Wittmack (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant DW Johnson (RCAF)(USA) and Sergeant FD Crawford (RAFVR) were all killed in action

The Navigator, Flying Officer GR Ellis (RCAF) was the sole survivor from this crew and was taken as a Prisoner of War

There were two 432 Squadron Halifax VII aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serial NP 687 QO-A for additional information on this aircraft and crew

Unvetted Source [Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...

Unvetted Source Research of France-Crashes 39-45

Unvetted Source Daily Operations

Unvetted Source Ops

Unvetted Source Halifax NP688 (bois) - Thorey-en-Plaine le 26 July 1944 I Aerosteles

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Grave Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Commonwealth War Grave Commission International Bomber Command Centre

Find-A-Grave Finadagrave.com

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

Crew or Other Personnel

Halifax NP688

Sergeant Forcer Douglas Crawford RAFVR

Sergeant Crawford, Forcer Douglas (RAFVR)
Flight Engineer
Killed in Action
1944-July-26
cemetery unknown

Flying Officer George Robert Ellis RCAF

Flying Officer Ellis, George Robert (RCAF)
Navigator
Prisoner of War
1944-July-26
cemetery unknown

Pilot Officer James Reginald Giles RCAF

Pilot Officer Giles, James Reginald (RCAF)
Air Gunner (Mid-Upper)
Killed in Action
1944-July-26
Churchyard, Breteniere, Cote D'or, France

Flight Lieutenant Donald Woodrow Johnson RCAF

Flight Lieutenant Johnson, Donald Woodrow (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-July-26
Churchyard, Breteniere, Cote D'or, France

Pilot Officer George Bernard Martin RCAF

Pilot Officer Martin, George Bernard (RCAF)
Air Gunner (Rear)
Killed in Action
1944-July-26
Breteniere Churchyard Cemetery, Cote D'or, France

Flying Officer Kenneth Lionel Moss RCAF

Flying Officer Moss, Kenneth Lionel (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-July-26
Churchyard, Breteniere, Cote D'or, France

Flying Officer Frederick Wittmack RCAF

Flying Officer Wittmack, Frederick (RCAF)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-July-26
Churchyard, Breteniere, Cote D'or, France

Mission

Halifax B.Mk.VII NP688

Bombing Stuttgart Germany 1944-July-25 to 1944-July-26

432 (B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor

Battle of Normandy

432 Leaside Squadron (Saeviter ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Halifax BVII aircraft NP 688 QO-X failed to return from an operation against targets in Stuttgart, Germany. The cause of loss was not determined but there are both night fighter and flak claims for this loss. The Halifax crashed at Breteniere, near Thorey-en-Plaine, 13 km SE of Dijon, France

Pilot Officer JR Giles (RCAF), Pilot Officer GB Martin (RCAF), Flying Officer KL Moss (RCAF), Flying Officer F Wittmack (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant DW Johnson (RCAF)(USA) and Sergeant FD Crawford (RAFVR) were all killed in action

The Navigator, Flying Officer GR Ellis (RCAF) was the sole survivor from this crew and was taken as a Prisoner of War

There were two 432 Squadron Halifax VII aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serial NP 687 QO-A for additional information on this aircraft and crew

Unvetted Source [Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...

Unvetted Source Research of France-Crashes 39-45

Unvetted Source Daily Operations

Unvetted Source Ops

Unvetted Source Halifax NP688 (bois) - Thorey-en-Plaine le 26 July 1944 I Aerosteles

Unit Desciption

432 (B) Sqn Saeviter Ad Lucem ("Leaside")

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

The Squadron was the twelfth RCAF bomber squadron to be formed overseas in WWII. It was formed on May 1, 1943 at Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire, UK as a unit of No 6 (RCAF) Group of RAF Bomber Command: indeed, it was the first bomber squadron to be formed directly into No 6 Group. Using the squadron identification letters QO it flew Vickers Wellington Mk X medium bombers until it moved to East Moor, Yorkshire on 19th September 1943, when it re-equipped with Avro Lancaster Mk II aircraft. East Moor was part of No 62 (RCAF) Base. The squadron re-equipped with Handley Page Halifax Mk III aircraft in February 1944, and with Halifax Mk VII in July of that year, and continued with them until the squadron was disbanded at East Moor on May 15, 1945.

In the course of operations the squadron flew 246 missions, involving 3130 individual sorties, for the loss of 73 aircraft. 8980 tons of bombs were dropped. Awards to squadron members included 2 DSOs, 119 DFCs,1 Bar to DFC, 1 CGM, 20 DFMs and 1 Croix de Guerre (France). Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1944, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1943-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1943.Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin

Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)

Maps for Movements of 432 Squadron 1943-45

MAP 1: 432 Squadron Bases 1943-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab

432 Squadron History Summary 1943-45

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

The squadron was re-formed at Bagotville, Quebec as an All-Weather Fighter unit on 1 October 1954. The squadron flew Avro CF-100 Canuck aircraft on North American Air Defence until it was disbanded on 15 October 1961.