Wilson, R (Sergeant)
Survived 1943-September-28
Birth Date: unkown date
Born:
Parents:
Spouse:
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RAF
Unit
428 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Usque Ad Finem To the Very End
Base
Middleton St George
Rank
Sergeant
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
1389464
Target
Hanover Germany
Crew or Other Personnel
Halifax DK270
Mission
Halifax B/Met.Mk.V DK270
Ferry Flight Hanover Germany 1943-September-27 to 1943-September-28
428 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Middleton St George
Aircraft had been badly damaged by enemy fire over the target, resulting in the loss of the port outer engine. The pilot was able top nurse the aircraft back to England and was diverted to attempt a landing at the US Air Station, Framlington. On approach to landing, the port inner engine also failed , causing the Halifax to flip, strike some trees and crash
Quote from Steve Wilson, son of pilot Sergeant R Wilson, with his father's account of the night his plane crashed.
The aircraft was hit by accurate flak over the target after being caught in searchlights. As a consequence of this, the port outer engine was badly damaged and ceased to function. The bombs were jettisoned over the target and and the pilot turned the aircraft back for home at Middleton St George.
Whilst crossing the coast (Dutch coast I believe) theHalifax was again hit by flak from a German flak ship which damaged the inner port engine, but did not put it out of action. On regaining the English coast, the crew realised that they were now in serious trouble and the pilot was having problems keeping the aircraft airborne due not only to engine problems but also to damaged flight surfaces.
They broadcast the emergency call sign (blackie blackie for that night) and the US air base at Framlingham responded as the nearest airfield. The pilot headed for this base and all were gratified to seethe landing lights ablaze for them. They began a very difficult descent to the runway, but as fate would have it, the damaged port inner engine chose this moment to stop altogether.
The effect of this was to cause the aircraft to flip over onto its port side, the wing caught the tree tops and the plane crashed into the ground before ever reaching the runway.
There were three survivors - the pilot, the mid upper gunner and the tail gunner. The pilot was badly injured having a smashed pelvis, and other serious injuries and indeed when they found him one of his eyes was hanging down on his cheek.The rear gunner was also very badly injured but I do not know the extent of these. The mid upper gunner escaped without a scratch and went for help, but could not get out of the the heavily ploughed and muddy field that they were in due to barbed wire security fences that surrounded the field. It was nearly an hour before American forces got to them.
The official story simply states that the aircraft over shot the landing on return - this is not the case, they never even got to the runway, and the crash was was caused by battle damage.
Unit Desciption
428 (B) Sqn Usque Ad Finem ("Ghost")
History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington III, X, Halifax V, II, Lancaster X)
No 428 Squadron was the ninth long-range heavy bomber squadron and the 26th RCAF squadron formed overseas during the Second World War. It was formed at RAF Dalton in Yorkshire, England on November 7, 1942. The squadron was initially assigned to No. 4 Group RAF Bomber Command. With the creation of No. 6 Group RCAF, the squadron was reallocated on January 1, 1943 operating with it until April 25, 1945.
The squadron was originally equipped with Vickers Wellington Mk III and X, and its first operational mission was on January 26–27, 1943, when five Wellingtons bombed the U-Boat base at Lorient in Brittany, on the Bay of Biscay. In the early part of June 1943, the squadron moved to RAF Middleton St. George, Durham where it remained for the remainder of the war. Around this time the squadron was converted to Handley Page Halifaxes (Mk Vs, and later supplemented by Mk II Series IIA). In January 1944, Halifax bombers from No. 428 Squadron participated in the first high-level mining raid "Gardening", when mines were dropped by parachute from 15,000 feet (4,570 m) over Brest on 4/5 Jan and Saint-Nazaire on 6/7 Jan 1944. The squadron flew its last sortie with the Halifax on June 12, 1944 then converted to the Canadian-built Avro Lancaster Mk X, the first sortie taking place on June 14, 1944.
For the final phase of the air campaign against Germany, the squadron took part in day and night raids, with its last operational sortie taking place on April 25, 1945, when 15 Lancasters bombed anti-aircraft gun batteries defending the mouth of the Weser, on the Frisian Island of Wangerooge. The squadron remained in service in the United Kingdom until the end of May 1945, then flew to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia . The squadron was intended to be part of the "Tiger Force" to carry on the war against Japan, but the Japanese surrender led to the disbandment of the force. The squadron was therefore disbanded at Yarmouth in September 1945.
In the course of WWII operations, the squadron flew 283 missions involving 3467 individual sorties. 84 aircraft were lost and a total of 9378 tons of bombs were dropped. the aircrew earned 2 DSO's, 71 DFC's, 2 CGM's and 6 DFM's. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943-44, Baltic 1944, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1943-44, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1943-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1943-44. Wikipedia, Kostenuk and Griffin
Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)
Maps for Movements of 428 Squadron 1942-45
MAP 1: 428 Squadron Bases 1942-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab
428 Squadron History Summary 1942-45
History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck)
The squadron was re-activated as the fifth Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck equipped squadron, on June 21, 1954, at RCAF Station Uplands as 428 All-Weather (Fighter) Squadron. It was re-activated, as one of nine Canadian based RCAF squadrons, to be operating under the new RCAF Air Defence Command, protecting North American airspace from Soviet intruders and long range bombers. The squadron was finally disbanded on 1 June 1961.
Halifax DK270 B/Met.Mk.V - Ferry Flight Hanover Germany - 1943-09-27 to 1943-09-28
Squadron: 428 (B) Sqn (RCAF)
Start Date: 1943-09-27
Completion Date: 1943-09-28
Mission: Ferry Flight
Operation: unspecified
Target City: Hanover Germany
Target Specific:
Base: Middleton St George
Take Off Time: 19:20
Squadron Code: NA-U
Radio Code:
Return Base: Framlingham
Return Time:
Crash City: Framlingham UK
Crash Specifics: USAAF Base
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: flak
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim:
War Diary Unavailable
6 Bomber Group September 27/28,1943
73 Halifaxes from 419, 427, 428, 429, and 434 Squadrons were joined by 9 Wellingtons from 432 Squadron on an attack at Hannover. The crews were over the target at between 17,000 and 21,000 feet, releasing 229,000 lbs of incendiaries and 124,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, most of the bombing missed the target to the north. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
Aircraft had been badly damaged by enemy fire over the target, resulting in the loss of the port outer engine. The pilot was able top nurse the aircraft back to England and was diverted to attempt a landing at the US Air Station, Framlington. On approach to landing, the port inner engine also failed , causing the Halifax to flip, strike some trees and crash
Quote from Steve Wilson, son of pilot Sergeant R Wilson, with his father's account of the night his plane crashed.
The aircraft was hit by accurate flak over the target after being caught in searchlights. As a consequence of this, the port outer engine was badly damaged and ceased to function. The bombs were jettisoned over the target and and the pilot turned the aircraft back for home at Middleton St George.
Whilst crossing the coast (Dutch coast I believe) theHalifax was again hit by flak from a German flak ship which damaged the inner port engine, but did not put it out of action. On regaining the English coast, the crew realised that they were now in serious trouble and the pilot was having problems keeping the aircraft airborne due not only to engine problems but also to damaged flight surfaces.
They broadcast the emergency call sign (blackie blackie for that night) and the US air base at Framlingham responded as the nearest airfield. The pilot headed for this base and all were gratified to seethe landing lights ablaze for them. They began a very difficult descent to the runway, but as fate would have it, the damaged port inner engine chose this moment to stop altogether.
The effect of this was to cause the aircraft to flip over onto its port side, the wing caught the tree tops and the plane crashed into the ground before ever reaching the runway.
There were three survivors - the pilot, the mid upper gunner and the tail gunner. The pilot was badly injured having a smashed pelvis, and other serious injuries and indeed when they found him one of his eyes was hanging down on his cheek.The rear gunner was also very badly injured but I do not know the extent of these. The mid upper gunner escaped without a scratch and went for help, but could not get out of the the heavily ploughed and muddy field that they were in due to barbed wire security fences that surrounded the field. It was nearly an hour before American forces got to them.
The official story simply states that the aircraft over shot the landing on return - this is not the case, they never even got to the runway, and the crash was was caused by battle damage.
