Arnold, Ralph Sherman (Flying Officer)

Evader 1944-July-13

Male Head

Birth Date: 1917-December-12

Born:

Parents:

Spouse:

Home:

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

44 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Fulmina Regis Lusta The king's thunderbolts are righteous

Base

RAF Dunholme Lodge

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Pilot

Service Numbers

J/25365

Flying Officer Arnold evaded and joined the Maquis until liberated in Dijon, France in August 1944

RAF Evaders, The Comprehensive Story of Thousands of Escapers and Their Escape Lines, Western Europe, 1940-1945 by Oliver Clutton-Brock page 348

Unvetted Source Escaper List

Unvetted Source MI9 nos 2000 to 2499

Mission

Lancaster Mk.I/III LM638

Bombing Culmont Chalindrey France 1944-July-12 to 1944-July-13

44 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Dunholme Lodge

378 Lancasters and 7 Mosquitoes of 1, 5 and 8 Groups attacked railway targets at Culmont, Revigny and Tours. Culmont and Tours were accurately bombed but cloud interfered with the all- 1 Group raid at Revigny and only half of the force· bombed. I0 Lancasters were lost on the Revigny raid and 2 on the Culmont raid.

source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt

Lancaster III aircraft LM 638 KM-P returning from an operation to bomb the railway junction at Culmont-Chalindrey, France, was involved in a mid-air collision with 576 Squadron RAF Lancaster ND 859 UL-L2, which was circling in cloud trying to find another railyard at Revigny-sur-Ornain, France. Both aircraft were on missions in support of the D-Day landings, an attempt stop German troop and equipment movement on the French rail system

Lancaster LM 638 crashed near Auberive, Haute-Marne and ND 859 crashed at Giey-sur-Aujon, Haute-Marne, France

WO HL Brooks MC (RCAF) Sergeant RG Royle (RAF) survived and were taken as Prisoners of War.Warrant Officer Brooks would later escape from a POW work party 1943-05-10 and join the Polish underground for the duration of the war

Sergeant KW Green (RAF) survived and initially Evaded until captured at the Swiss border 1944-08-17 and taken Prisoner of War

Flying Officer RS Arnold (RCAF), Sergeant J Bray (RCAF),Sergeant WA Lamb (RCAF) and Sergeant L Wharton (RAF) survived and Evaded capture. Arnold, Lamb and Wharton all joined the Resistance movement until liberated by Allied Forces

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

Unvetted Source Search for France-Crashes 39-45

Unvetted Source Memoirs 52: July 13 1944: two Lancasters crashed in the south-...

Unvetted Source List of RAF-evaders-1940-1945.pdf