Lagace, Joseph Maurice Conrad (Flight Sergeant)
Killed in Action 1943-June-25
Birth Date: 1923
Born:
Parents: Evariste Lagace & Antoinette Lagace
Spouse:
Home: Quebec City, Quebec (parents)
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
432 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Saeviter Ad Lucem Ferociously toward the light
Base
RAF Skipton-on-Swale
Rank
Flight Sergeant
Position
Air Gunner
Service Numbers
R/55654
Target
Wuppertal Germany
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
International Bomber Command Centre
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Wellington HZ518
Mission
Wellington B. Mk. X HZ518
Bombing Wuppertal Germany 1943-June-24 to 1943-June-25
432 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Skipton-on-Swale
Battle of the Ruhr
630 aircraft - 251 Lancasters, 171 Halifaxes, 101 Wellingtons, 98 Stirlings, 9 Mosquitoes. 34 aircraft- 10 Halifaxes, 10 Stirlings, 8 Lancasters, 6 Wellingtons- lost, 5.4 per cent of the force.
This attack was aimed at the Elberfeld half of Wuppertal, the Barmen half of the town having been devastated at the end of May. The Pathfinder marking was accurate and the Main Force bombing started well but the creep back became more pronounced than usual. 30 aircraft bombed targets in more western parts of the Ruhr; Wuppertal was at the eastern end of the area. These bombing failures were probably a result of the recent run of intensive operations incurring casualties at a high level: However, much serious damage was again caused to this medium-sized Ruhr town. The post-war British survey estimated that 94 per cent of the Elberfeld part of Wuppertal was destroyed on this night and Wuppertal's own records show that more bombs fell in Elberfeld than had fallen in Barmen on the last raid. 171 industrial premises and approximately J;OOO houses were destroyed; 53 industrial premises and 2,500 houses were severely damaged. Approximately ·1,800 people were killed and 2,400 injured.
There was a dramatic incident in Gelsenkirchen, 20 miles north of Wuppertal, when an R.A.F. 4-engined bomber crashed into the hall of a building which had been taken over by the Wehrmacht. The bomber blew up 'with a terrific explosion'. A German officer, 13 soldiers, the caretaker of the building and 5 Dutch trainee postal workers were killed and 2 more soldiers died later.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Wellington X aircraft HZ 518 QO-O crashed into the North Sea 10 km west of Den Haag, Zuid-Holland during an operation to Wuppertal, Germany. The Wellington was shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptmann Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein of the Stab IV/NJG 5 (detached to 1/NJG 1), flying a Ju 88 C-6 from Gilze-Rijen airfield., Netherlands
FS JMC Lagace (RCAF), FS MR Deverell (RCAF), FS JJ.Mercier (RCAF), Flying Officer JR Gingras (RCAF), and Sgt. MP Tobin (RAFVR) were initially missing presumed killed
FS Lagace's body washed ashore 1943-07-10
Flying Officer Gingras's body washed ashore 1943-08-29
FS Deverell's body washed ashore near Ouddorp, Netherlands, date unknown
All three are buried in cemeteries in the Netherlands
FS Mercier and Sergeant Tobin remain missing and are commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial
There was a second 432 Squadron Wellington aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Sparrow, W for information on Wellington HF 572 QO-J
Daily Operations 6bombergroup.caUnit 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.
Wellington HZ518 B. Mk. X - Bombing Wuppertal Germany - 1943-06-24 to 1943-06-25
Squadron: 432 (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1943-06-24
Completion Date: 1943-06-25
Mission: Bombing
Operation: Battle of the Ruhr
Target City: Wuppertal Germany
Target Specific:
Base: RAF Skipton-on-Swale
Take Off Time: 23.05
Squadron Code: QO A
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: Crashed in the sea off the Dutch coast.
Crash Specifics:
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: fighter
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim:
War Diary Unavailable
6 Bomber Group June 24/25, 1943
37 Halifaxes from 408, 419, 427, and 428 Squadrons were joined by 38 Wellingtons from 429, 431, and 432 Squadrons on an attack at Wuppertal. The crews were over the target at between 12,000 and 20,000 feet, releasing 96,000 lbs of high explosives and 188,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, bombing was accurate and severe damage was caused. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
630 aircraft - 251 Lancasters, 171 Halifaxes, 101 Wellingtons, 98 Stirlings, 9 Mosquitoes. 34 aircraft- 10 Halifaxes, 10 Stirlings, 8 Lancasters, 6 Wellingtons- lost, 5.4 per cent of the force.
This attack was aimed at the Elberfeld half of Wuppertal, the Barmen half of the town having been devastated at the end of May. The Pathfinder marking was accurate and the Main Force bombing started well but the creep back became more pronounced than usual. 30 aircraft bombed targets in more western parts of the Ruhr; Wuppertal was at the eastern end of the area. These bombing failures were probably a result of the recent run of intensive operations incurring casualties at a high level: However, much serious damage was again caused to this medium-sized Ruhr town. The post-war British survey estimated that 94 per cent of the Elberfeld part of Wuppertal was destroyed on this night and Wuppertal's own records show that more bombs fell in Elberfeld than had fallen in Barmen on the last raid. 171 industrial premises and approximately J;OOO houses were destroyed; 53 industrial premises and 2,500 houses were severely damaged. Approximately ·1,800 people were killed and 2,400 injured.
There was a dramatic incident in Gelsenkirchen, 20 miles north of Wuppertal, when an R.A.F. 4-engined bomber crashed into the hall of a building which had been taken over by the Wehrmacht. The bomber blew up 'with a terrific explosion'. A German officer, 13 soldiers, the caretaker of the building and 5 Dutch trainee postal workers were killed and 2 more soldiers died later.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Wellington X aircraft HZ 518 QO-O crashed into the North Sea 10 km west of Den Haag, Zuid-Holland during an operation to Wuppertal, Germany. The Wellington was shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptmann Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein of the Stab IV/NJG 5 (detached to 1/NJG 1), flying a Ju 88 C-6 from Gilze-Rijen airfield., Netherlands
FS JMC Lagace (RCAF), FS MR Deverell (RCAF), FS JJ.Mercier (RCAF), Flying Officer JR Gingras (RCAF), and Sgt. MP Tobin (RAFVR) were initially missing presumed killed
FS Lagace's body washed ashore 1943-07-10
Flying Officer Gingras's body washed ashore 1943-08-29
FS Deverell's body washed ashore near Ouddorp, Netherlands, date unknown
All three are buried in cemeteries in the Netherlands
FS Mercier and Sergeant Tobin remain missing and are commemorated on the Runnymede War Memorial
There was a second 432 Squadron Wellington aircraft lost on this operation. Please see Sparrow, W for information on Wellington HF 572 QO-J