Mercer, Laurence John (Sergeant)
Killed in Action 1945-03-31
Birth Date: 1925
Born:
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RAFVR
Unit
431 (B) Sqn- Squadron
The Hatiten Ronteriios Warriors of the Air: Iroquois
Base
RAF Croft
Rank
Sergeant
Position
Sergeant
Service Numbers
1893245
Hamburg Germany
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)
Lancaster Mk.X KB859
Bombing 1945-March-31 to 1945-March-31
(B) Sqn (RCAF) Croft
469 aircraft - 361 Lancasters, 100 Halifaxes, 8 Mosquitoes - of I, 6 and 8 Groups attempted to attack the Blohm & Voss shipyards, where the new types of U-boats were being assembled, but the target area was completely cloud-covered. The local report describes 'considerable damage' to houses, factories, energy supplies and communications over a wide area of southern Hamburg and Harburg. 75 people were killed.
8 Lancasters and 3 Halifaxes were lost, a number being victims of an unexpected intervention by the Luftwaffe day-fighter force. This was Bomber Command's last double-figure aircraft loss of the war from a raid on one city.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Lancaster aircraft KB 859 was shot down near Hittfeld, Germany during daylight operations, a raid against Hamburg, Germany. F/Os M. Hartog, F.R. Alty, P.B. Dennison, J.J. Casey, Pilot Officer A. Dorey, and Sergeant L.J. Mercer (RAF) were killed. One Canadian, Flight Lieutenant Hurley, was taken Prisoner of War.
May have been shot down by Me262 of JG7, which claimed several Lancasters in that area at that time. ORB refers to attack by jets. (see also KB869).
Avro Lancaster
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era.
The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use". Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Roy Chadwick and powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlins and in one version, Bristol Hercules engines. It first saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling. Wikipedia
Lancaster Bomber
Wikipedia
Harold A Skaarup Web Page431 (B) Sqn The Hatiten Ronteriios ("Iroquois")
History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington X, Halifax V, III, Lancaster X)
The Squadron was formed in November 1942 as the RCAF's 11th bomber squadron to be formed overseas, at Burn, Yorkshire, UK , as a bomber unit of No 4 Group of RAF Bomber Command. With squadron code letters SE it flew Vickers Wellington Mk X aircraft. In July 1943 it moved to Tholthorpe, Yorkshire , to become part of No 6 (RCAF) Group, at the same time re-equipping with Handley Page Halifax Mk V bombers. It moved again in December 1943 to become part of No 64 (RCAF) Base at Croft, Yorkshire , where it remained until the end of the war. Another change of aircraft, to Halifax Mk. III was made in March of 1944, and finally the squadron was equipped with Canadian-built Avro Lancaster Mk X aircraft from October 1944. After the termination of hostilities in Europe, it was earmarked to form part of the Tiger Force to attack Japan and left for Canada in June 1945. The Japanese surrender following the dropping of the atomic bombs made Tiger Force redundant, and the squadron was disbanded at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia in September of 1945.
In the course of operations the squadron flew 2584 sorties (including 11 bringing PoWs back to England) at a cost of 72 aircraft destroyed. Approximately 14000 tons of bombs were dropped. Aircrew awards were 1 DSO, 63 DFCs, 10 DFMs, 2 CGMs and 1 MiD. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943-44, Baltic 1943-44, 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 1944.Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin
Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)
Maps for Movements of 431 Squadron 1942-45
431 Squadron History Summary 1942-45
History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Tutor)
No. 431 (Fighter) Squadron re-formed at RCAF Station Bagotville, Quebec on 18 January 1954, using the new Canadair Sabre. The squadron was formed on a temporary basis until there were enough new CF-100s available to fulfill RCAF squadron needs. No. 431's duties included aerial combat training and displaying the capabilities of jet operations to the public at air shows: the team from No. 431 Squadron consisted of four Sabres and a solo aircraft. This was the first Sabre team to be authorized to perform formation aerobatics in Canada. 431 squadron was disbanded on 1 October 1954.
In 1969, Colonel O.B. Philp, base commander of CFB Moose Jaw and former leader of the defunct Golden Centennaires aerobatic team, considered using several of the leftover Golden Centennaire CT-114 Tutor aircraft for another team. These Tutors were still fitted for aerobatic flying. Philp, at this point, did not receive approval to form the new team; however, approval had been given for single Tutors to provide simple flypasts at local football games. To further the cause of an aerobatic team, Philp began informal enhanced formation practice for the instructors at 2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School with the aim of providing multi-aircraft flypasts at special events. In 1970, four-aircraft formations began providing flypasts at fairs and festivals, as well as Armed Forces Day at CFB Moose Jaw . In July 1970, a white Tutor was introduced to the formation for flypasts. Four white Tutors were finally flown together at the Abbotsford Air Show, followed by a flypast in Winnipeg. Known as the "2 Canadian Forces Flying Training School Formation Team", or informally as the "Tutor Whites", the team grew in size to seven aircraft in 1971 using eleven pilots, and gradually gained recognition. Formation flypasts were replaced with more complicated manoeuvres, and more aircraft were added as the team matured. A contest to give the air demonstration team a formal name was held at Bushell Park Elementary School at CFB Moose Jaw, and resulted in the name "Snowbirdsâ€, which was formally adopted on 25 June 1971. The Snowbirds were officially authorized to be designated the "Canadian Forces Air Demonstration Team" on 15 January 1975, and were formed into their own squadron by reactivating 431 Squadron (renamed 431 Air Demonstration Squadron) on 1 April 1978. .Wikipedia
And the rest is history……………………
Lancaster KB859 Mk.X - Bombing - 1945-03-31 to 1945-03-31
6 Bomber Group March 31, 1945
100 Halifaxes from 408, 415, 420, 425, 426, and 432 Squadrons were joined by 100 Lancasters from 419, 424, 427, 428, 429, 431, 433, and 434 on an attack at the Blohm & Voss shipyards at Hamburg. The crews were over the target at between 17,000 and 19,500 feet, releasing 1,908,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, the target was cloud covered but extensive damage was caused in the industrial area of Hamburg. 6 Group was in the last wave of the attack and were attacked by many ME-262s. 8 crews failed to return, mostly due to attacks by these aircraft. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
469 aircraft - 361 Lancasters, 100 Halifaxes, 8 Mosquitoes - of I, 6 and 8 Groups attempted to attack the Blohm & Voss shipyards, where the new types of U-boats were being assembled, but the target area was completely cloud-covered. The local report describes 'considerable damage' to houses, factories, energy supplies and communications over a wide area of southern Hamburg and Harburg. 75 people were killed.
8 Lancasters and 3 Halifaxes were lost, a number being victims of an unexpected intervention by the Luftwaffe day-fighter force. This was Bomber Command's last double-figure aircraft loss of the war from a raid on one city.
source: The Bomber Command War Diaries, Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt
Lancaster aircraft KB 859 was shot down near Hittfeld, Germany during daylight operations, a raid against Hamburg, Germany. F/Os M. Hartog, F.R. Alty, P.B. Dennison, J.J. Casey, Pilot Officer A. Dorey, and Sergeant L.J. Mercer (RAF) were killed. One Canadian, Flight Lieutenant Hurley, was taken Prisoner of War.
May have been shot down by Me262 of JG7, which claimed several Lancasters in that area at that time. ORB refers to attack by jets. (see also KB869).