Turner, Kenneth (Sergeant)

Prisoner of War 1945-January-13

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Birth Date: 1914-December-21

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Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RAF

Unit

429 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Fortunae Nihil Nothing to chance

Base

RAF Leeming

Rank

Sergeant

Position

Flight Engineer

Service Numbers

3040021

Took off from Leeming at 17:18 in Halifax Mk III (Sqn code AL-D Bomber Command) on an GARDENING (mining) operation to Flensburg Germany.

Aircraft was attacked by a night fighter at the German/Danish border. The Halifax was badly damaged by the attack and was abandoned by the entire crew before it crashed into the sea near Als Island, Denmark

Killed: Pilot Officer Herbert Lowe RCAF J/93826 KIA Brookwood Military Cemetery grave 55. H. 6.

POWs includes Turner: Flying Officer Richard Herbert Barnes RCAF J/36285 POW camp not listed. Flight Sergeant James Gordon Small RCAF R/250799 POW camp not listed. Flight Sergeant Otto Hugo Sulek RCAF R/265007 POP camp not listed. Warrant Officer Class 1 H L Johnson RCAF R/number POW camp not listed. Flying Officer R H Barnes RCAF J/36285 POW camp not listed. Flying Officer H K Friar RCAF J/38315 POW camp not listed. F/Lt A R Milner RAF pilot POW camp not listed.

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

Unvetted Source Halifax III NR 173 crashed in the sea east of the island of Als 12/1 1945

Footprints on the Sands of Time, RAF Prisoners of War in Germany 1939-45 by Oliver Clutton-Brock page 422

Mission

Halifax B.Mk.III NR173

Minelaying Flensburg Germany 1945-January-12 to 1945-January-13

429 (B) Sqn (RCAF) RAF Leeming

429 Bison Squadron (Fortunae Nihil) RAF Leeming. Halifax BIII aircraft NR 173 AL-D was attacked by a night fighter piloted by Hauptman Eduard Schroder of 3/NJG 3 during a GARDENING (mining) operation to Flensburg, Germany on the German/Danish border. The Halifax was badly damaged by the night fighter attack and abandoned by the entire crew before crashing into the sea near Als Island, Denmark

Flight Lieutenant AR Milner (RCAF), Flying Officer RH Barnes (RCAF), Flying Officer HK Frair (RCAF), Pilot Officer HL Johnson (RCAF), Pilot Officer JG Small (RCAF), Pilot Officer OH Sulek (RCAF) and Sergeant K Turner (RAF) survived and all were taken as Prisoners of War. They were sent to Dulag Luft Oberursel near Frankfurt, Germany for interrogation and then to Stalag 13D before finally to Stalag 7A from where they were liberated by advancing American troops 1945-04-29 and returned to England by 1945-05-10

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

Unvetted Source Halifax III NR 173 crashed in the sea east of the island of Als 12/1 1945

Unit Desciption

429 (B) Sqn Fortunae Nihil ("Bison")

History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington III, X, Halifax II, V, III, Lancaster I, III)

No 429 Squadron was the 10th bomber unit and 27th squadron formed by the RCAF overseas in WWII. It was formed in November 1942 at East Moor, Yorkshire, UK as part of No 4 Group of RAF Bomber Command. On April 1, 1943 it became part of No 6 (RCAF) Group at No 62 (RCAF) Base, still remaining at East Moor until August 1943, when it moved to Leeming, Yorkshire as part of no 63 (RCAF) Base: it remained at Leeming until its disbandment in May 1946. It undertook strategic and tactical bombing operations. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, it remained in England and transferred to No 1 Group, where it was engaged in transporting troops from Italy (Operation DODGE).

The squadron, with squadron code AL, flew Vickers Wellington Mks III and X until August 1943, when it re-equipped with Handley-Page Halifax Mk II, which it flew between August 1943 and January 1944, and Mk V between November 1943 and March 1944. These were superseded by Halifax Mk III aircraft in March 1944. In March 1945, the squadron re-equipped with Lancaster Mk I and III. In summary of its activities, it flew 3221 sorties, including airlifting 1055 PoWs back to England, for the loss of 71 aircraft. 9356 tons of bombs were dropped. The squadron was awarded45 DFCs and 2 Bars to DFC, 1 AFC, 1 CGM and 7 DFMs. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943-45, Baltic 1943-45, 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,Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin

Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)

Maps for Movements of 429 Squadron 1942-46

MAP 1: 429 Squadron Bases 1942-46 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab

429 Squadron History Summary 1942-46

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Buffalo, Hercules, Globemaster)

The squadron was reactivated at St. Hubert, Quebec on 21 August 1967 as a Tactical Transport Unit. It flew de Havilland CC-15 Buffalo aircraft for the Canadian Forces Mobile Command and was integrated into the Canadian Armed Forces on 1 February 1968. In August 1981 it was renamed 429 Transport Squadron and moved to CFB Winnipeg . The final move was in 1990 to 8 Wing in Trenton, Ontario . The squadron was disbanded in 2005.

Two years later in August 2007, 429 Squadron was again re-activated, this time operating the CC-177 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft. It used these new aircraft in support of Canada's operations in Afghanistan.