Emmanuel George Robert Bestel

Prisoner of War 1942-January-15

Male Head

Birth Date: unkown date

Born:

Parents:

Spouse:

Home:

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

207 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Semper Paratus Always prepared

Base

RAF Bottesford

Rank

Warrant Officer 2

Position

Rear Gunner

Service Numbers

R/70458
PoW: 148

Target

Hamburg Germany

Took off from Bottesford at 17:09 in Manchester Mk I (Sqn code: EM-O Bomber Command) on an operation to Hamburg Germany.

Shot down by a night fighter and crashed in the target area

Killed: Sergeant James Wilfred Cadman RAF KIA Sage War Cemetery grave 8. B. 2.

POWs: Sergeant Geoffrey Ernest Allen RAF POW Stalag 383 Hohen Fels. Sergeant Emmanuel George Robert Bestel RCAF R/70458 POW Stalag 383 Hohen Fels. Flying Officer Gerald Bryan Dawkins RAF POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria. F/Lt Patrick James Edwards RAF POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria. Sergeant John Mercer RAF POW Stalag 383 Hohen Fels.

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Manchester serial: L7309

(RAF Photo)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Avro Manchester Mk. IA.

The Avro 679 Manchester was a British twin-engine medium bomber developed and manufactured in the United Kingdom. While not being built in great numbers, it was the forerunner of the famed and vastly more successful four-engined Avro Lancaster. Avro designed the Manchester to replace its inventory of twin-engine bombers. It first flew on 25 July 1939, and entered squadron service in November 1940, just over twelve months after the outbreak of the war. Operated by both RAF and the RCAF, the Manchester proved to be underpowered and unreliable, and production was terminated in 1941. However, the Manchester was redesigned into a four-engined heavy bomber, the Avro Lancaster, powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines.

200 airframes completed as true Manchesters were issued to front line RAF squadron's,. Of these, a total 77 aircraft were lost on operations and an additional 20 were lost in various accidents with those squadrons. An additional 24 aircraft were lost during training flights with non-operational units, such as those being used by Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) Flights. Combined losses therefore, were 121 or 60.50 percent of the original 200 aircraft. From those losses, 33 were directly due to engine failures - 12 with the squadrons, 21 with training units. Another 28 aircraft lost during operations, were thought to have been caused due to engine failure. As the airframes and engines could not be examined, these are listed as "Probably Lost Due To Enemy Action". Harold Skaarup web page

YouTube Manchester