Kerr, John William (Flying Officer)
Killed in Action 1944-April-28
Birth Date: 1922-February-24
Born:
Parents: Son of William and Margaret Kerr, of Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada.
Spouse:
Home: Windsor, Ontario
Enlistment: Windsor, Ontario
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
432 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Saeviter Ad Lucem Ferociously toward the light
Base
RAF East Moor
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Air Gunner (Rear)
Service Numbers
C/18588
Home
Windsor, Ontario
Target
Montzen Belgium
Temporary Burial
Brusthem (St Trond) Cemetery, near crash site
Remains were later exhumed from this location and reburied
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Halifax MZ588
Mission
Halifax B.Mk.III MZ588
Bombing Montzen Belgium 1944-April-27 to 1944-April-28
432 (B) Sqn (RCAF) East Moor
144 aircraft- 120 Halifaxes, 16 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes-of 4, 6 and 8 Groups. The bombing force, particularly the second of the 2 waves, was intercepted by German fighters and 14 Halifaxes and I Lancaster were shot down. Only one part of the railway yards was hit by the bombing. The only Lancaster lost was that of Squadron Leader E M Blenkinsopp, a Canadian pilot of 405 Squadron who was acting as Deputy Master Bomber. Blenkinsopp managed to team up with a Belgian Resistance group and remained with them until captured by the Germans in December 1944. He was taken to Hamburg to work as a forced labourer and later died in Belsen concentration camp of 'heart failure'. He has no known grave.
432 Leaside Squadron ((Saeviter ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ588 QO-W missing from operations against the rail yards in Montzen, Belgium, shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of the Stab IV/NJG 1 from St Trond (Sint-Truiden, Belgium) in Bf 110 G-4 G9+DF. The Halifax crashed in the Verviers area, province of Liege, Belgium
Flying Officer GH Parker (RCAF), Flying Office LD DeLoughry (RCAF), Flying Officer JM McLay (RCAF), Flying Officer JW Kerr (RCAF), Pilot Officer HW Davis (RCAF), and Sergeant J Shearer (RAFVR) were all killed in action
Pilot Officer RL Small (RCAF) and Pilot Officer GG Farrell (RCAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War
There were three 432 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials LK 807 QO-J and LW 592 QO-A for additional information
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
432 Squadron Halifax III MZ588 QO:W Fg.Off. Deloughry,
"Belgians Remember Them": The Airmen fallen in action in WW2 in...
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.
Halifax MZ588 B.Mk.III - Bombing Montzen Belgium - 1944-04-27 to 1944-04-28
Squadron: 432 (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1944-04-27
Completion Date: 1944-04-28
Mission: Bombing
Operation: unspecified
Target City: Montzen Belgium
Target Specific:
Base: East Moor
Take Off Time: 23:30
Squadron Code: QO-W
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: Belgium
Crash Specifics: Verviers area, province of Liege
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: fighter
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim: Oberleutnant Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of the Stab IV/NJG 1
War Diary Unavailable
6 Bomber Group April 27/28, 1944
19 Lancasters from 408 and 426 Squadrons were ordered on an attack at Friedrichshafen. The crews were over the target at between 20,000 and 21,000 feet, releasing 48,000 lbs of high explosives and 77,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, this attack was accurate with severe damage being caused. A factory making tank gearboxes was totally destroyed.
While the Lancasters went to Freidrichshafen, 47 Halifaxes from 419,431, 432, and 434 Squadrons were joined by 8 Lancasters from 419 Squadron on an attack of the rail yards at Montzen. The crews were over the target at between 13,000 and 15,000 feet, releasing 591,000 lbs of high explosives.According to reports, the attack was scattered and only half of the yards were damaged. This attack was intercepted by German Night fighters and 10 crews failed to return.
90 Halifaxes from 420, 424, 425, 427, 428, 429, and 433 Squadrons were ordered on an attack of the rail yards at Aulnoye. The crews were over the target at between 3,000 and 7,000 feet, releasing 942,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, the target was accurately bombed with severe damage.
8 Halifaxes from 428 Squadron were ordered on a mining operation toCherbourg. The crews were over the garden at between 12,000 and 15,000feet, sowing 16@1500 lb mines. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
144 aircraft- 120 Halifaxes, 16 Lancasters, 8 Mosquitoes-of 4, 6 and 8 Groups. The bombing force, particularly the second of the 2 waves, was intercepted by German fighters and 14 Halifaxes and I Lancaster were shot down. Only one part of the railway yards was hit by the bombing. The only Lancaster lost was that of Squadron Leader E M Blenkinsopp, a Canadian pilot of 405 Squadron who was acting as Deputy Master Bomber. Blenkinsopp managed to team up with a Belgian Resistance group and remained with them until captured by the Germans in December 1944. He was taken to Hamburg to work as a forced labourer and later died in Belsen concentration camp of 'heart failure'. He has no known grave.
432 Leaside Squadron ((Saeviter ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Halifax BIII aircraft MZ588 QO-W missing from operations against the rail yards in Montzen, Belgium, shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of the Stab IV/NJG 1 from St Trond (Sint-Truiden, Belgium) in Bf 110 G-4 G9+DF. The Halifax crashed in the Verviers area, province of Liege, Belgium
Flying Officer GH Parker (RCAF), Flying Office LD DeLoughry (RCAF), Flying Officer JM McLay (RCAF), Flying Officer JW Kerr (RCAF), Pilot Officer HW Davis (RCAF), and Sergeant J Shearer (RAFVR) were all killed in action
Pilot Officer RL Small (RCAF) and Pilot Officer GG Farrell (RCAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War
There were three 432 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials LK 807 QO-J and LW 592 QO-A for additional information
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
432 Squadron Halifax III MZ588 QO:W Fg.Off. Deloughry,
"Belgians Remember Them": The Airmen fallen in action in WW2 in...