McLachlan, F T (Flight Sergeant)

Prisoner of War 1945-February-21

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Birth Date: unkown date

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Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

432 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Saeviter Ad Lucem Ferociously toward the light

Base

RAF East Moor

Rank

Flight Sergeant

Position

Air Gunner (Mid-Upper)

Service Numbers

R/271256

Target
Google MapWorms Germany
Footprints on the Sands of Time, RAF Bomber Command Prisoners of War in Germany 1939-45, page 359

Took off from East Moor at 16:44 in Halifax Mk VII (Sqn code QO-D Bomber Command) on a mission to Germany.

Shot down (flak or night fighter) crash location not known. McLachlan was the only survivor and was made a POW.

Killed: F/Lt Edward Stidston Maguire RCAF J/20939 KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Ref: 20. B. 21. F/Lt John Goodwin Maguire RCAF J/20876 KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Ref: 20. B. 22. F/Lt Corson Stewart Moir RCAF J/23484 KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Ref: 20. B. 25. Pilot Officer Edward John McClarty RCAF J/95360 KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Ref: 20. B. 24. Pilot Officer Ashley Alexander McDonald RAF KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Ref: Joint grave 20. B. 26-27. Flying Officer Colin William McMillan RCAF J/35127 KIA Rheinberg War Cemetery Ref: 20. B. 23.

Crew or Other Personnel

Halifax RG451

Flight Lieutenant Edward Stidston Maguire RCAF

Flight Lieutenant Maguire, Edward Stidston (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1945-February-21
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Flight Lieutenant John Goodwin Maguire RCAF

Flight Lieutenant Maguire, John Goodwin (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1945-February-21
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Pilot Officer Edward John McClarty RCAF

Pilot Officer McClarty, Edward John (RCAF)

Killed in Action
1945-February-21
cemetery unknown

Pilot Officer Ashley Alexander McDonald RAF

Pilot Officer McDonald, Ashley Alexander (RAF)
Flight Engineer
Killed in Action
1945-February-21
cemetery unknown

Flight Sergeant F T McLachlan RCAF

Flight Sergeant McLachlan, F T (RCAF)
Air Gunner (Mid-Upper)
Prisoner of War
1945-February-21
cemetery unknown

Pilot Officer Edward John McLarty RCAF

Pilot Officer McLarty, Edward John (RCAF)
Air Gunner (Rear)
Killed in Action
1945-February-21
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Flying Officer Colin William McMillan RCAF

Flying Officer McMillan, Colin William (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1945-February-21
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Flight Lieutenant Corson Stewart Moir RCAF

Flight Lieutenant Moir, Corson Stewart (RCAF)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Killed in Action
1945-February-21
Soldaten Friedhof Alliierte Piloten 2WK, Am Englischen Friedhof, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Mission

Halifax B.Mk.VII RG451

Bombing Worms Germany 1945-February-21 to 1945-February-21

432 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF East Moor

432 Leaside Squadron (Saevitir Ad Lucem) RAF East Moor. Halifax VII aircraft RG 451 QO-D missing from a night operation against targets in Worms, Germany. The cause of loss and crash location were not determined

Flight Lieutenant ES Maguire (RCAF), Flying Officer CW McMillan(RCAF), Pilot Officer EJ McLarty (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant CS Moir, (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant JG Maguire (RCAF) and Pilot Officer AA McDonald (RAF) were all killed in action

Flight Sergeant FT McLachlan (RCAF) survived to be taken as Prisoner of War, although no detail on POW number or POW camp has been found to date

Oddly unique, the crews' surnames all start with the letter 'M'

There were two other 432 Squadron Halifax aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials NP 803 QO-I and RG 476 QO-T for additional information

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

Unvetted Source Ops

Unvetted Source 21 Feb '45 BC attack Worms [Archive] Luftwaffe and Allied Air...

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.