Flying Officer William George Wesley Johnson, Royal Canadian Air Force, age 20, was reported missing after air operations over enemy territory on June 3, 1944 and was assumed to having been killed in action. Johnson entered the bank at Lipton, Saskatchewan branch on July 2, 1940 and enlisted from the Cut Knife, Saskatchewan branch on May 12, 1942
Johnson, William George Wesley (Flying Officer)
Killed in Action 1944-May-23
Birth Date: 1924-May-12
Born: Melville, Saskatchewan
Parents: Son of Septimus George Johnson and Cecilia Marion (nee Lezon) Johnson, of Melville, Saskatchewan.
Spouse:
Home: Melville, Saskatchewan
Enlistment: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Enlistment Date: 1942-May-12
Service
RCAF
Unit
49 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Cave Canem Beware of the dog
Base
RAF Fiskerton
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Navigator
Service Numbers
J/24698
Prev: R/158310
Target
Brunswick Germany
Temporary Burial
Geestemunde Cemetery, Bremerhaven, Germany, near crash site
Remains were later exhumed from this location and reburied
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.com
Saskatchewan Virtual War Memorial
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Lancaster NE125
Mission
Lancaster Mk.III NE125
Bombing Brunswick Germany 1944-May-22 to 1944-May-23
49 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Fiskerton
49 Squadron (Cave Canem) RAF Fiskerton. Lancaster III aircraft NE 125 EA-K was coned by searchlights and shot down by a combination of flak battery 2/Flakschienw Abt 269 (o) Werfer 24 and night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz Seeler of 5/JG302 during operations against targets in Brunswick, Germany. The Lancaster crashed in a peat-bog 1km South of Hagen, Germany with the loss of the entire crew
Flying Officer William George Wesley Johnson (RCAF), Flying Officer Frederic Allan Newell Clifton (RAFVR), Flying Officer Francis Edward Sinden (RAFVR), Sergeant Norman Myer Goldberg (RAFVR), Sergeant Ernest George Jones (RAFVR), Pilot Officer Philip Rodney Graves-Hook (RAFVR), and Flight Sergeant George Henry Little (RAFVR) were all killed in action
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 Part 3 12 May - 23 June by Theo Boiten, page 19
Lancaster NE125 Mk.III - Bombing Brunswick Germany - 1944-05-22 to 1944-05-23
Squadron: 49 (B) Sqn (RAF)
Start Date: 1944-05-22
Completion Date: 1944-05-23
Mission: Bombing
Operation: unspecified
Target City: Brunswick Germany
Target Specific:
Base: RAF Fiskerton
Take Off Time: 22:18:00
Squadron Code: EA-K
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: Germany
Crash Specifics: in a peat-bog 1km South of Hagen
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: flakfighter
Flak Battery: 2/Flakschienw Abt 269 (o) Werfer 24
Enemy Claim: Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz Seeler of 5/JG302
War Diary Unavailable
6 Bomber Group May 22/23, 1944
27 Lancasters from 408 and 419 Squadron were ordered on an attack at Dortmund. The crews were over the target at between 20,000 and 21,000 feet, releasing 104,000 lbs of high explosives and 51,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, bombing fell into the south eastern sector with serious damage being caused.
2 Halifaxes from 428 Squadron were ordered on a mining operation to St. Malo. The crews were over the garden at 8,000 feet, sowing 4@1500 lb mines.
112 Halifaxes from 420, 424, 425, 426, 427, 429, 432, and 433 Squadrons were ordered on an attack of the rail yards at Le Mans. The crews were over the target at between 7,000 and 9,000 feet, releasing 826,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, bombing was accurate and severe damage was caused. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
49 Squadron (Cave Canem) RAF Fiskerton. Lancaster III aircraft NE 125 EA-K was coned by searchlights and shot down by a combination of flak battery 2/Flakschienw Abt 269 (o) Werfer 24 and night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz Seeler of 5/JG302 during operations against targets in Brunswick, Germany. The Lancaster crashed in a peat-bog 1km South of Hagen, Germany with the loss of the entire crew
Flying Officer William George Wesley Johnson (RCAF), Flying Officer Frederic Allan Newell Clifton (RAFVR), Flying Officer Francis Edward Sinden (RAFVR), Sergeant Norman Myer Goldberg (RAFVR), Sergeant Ernest George Jones (RAFVR), Pilot Officer Philip Rodney Graves-Hook (RAFVR), and Flight Sergeant George Henry Little (RAFVR) were all killed in action
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 Part 3 12 May - 23 June by Theo Boiten, page 19
Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database