Molyneux, Kenneth Willam (Sergeant)
Killed in Action 1944-August-13
Birth Date: 1923
Born:
Parents: Son of William Arthur and Millicent Ruth Molyneux
Spouse:
Home: Erdington, Birmingham, England
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RAFVR
Unit
626 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
To Strive And Not To Yield To strive and not to yeild
Base
RAF Wickenby
Rank
Sergeant
Position
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Service Numbers
1579556
Target
Brunswick Germany
Temporary Burial
Westercelle Cemetery, Germany, near crash site
Remains were later exhumed from this location and reburied
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.comCrew or Other Personnel
Lancaster LM599
Mission
Lancaster Mk.I/III LM599
Bombing Brunswick Germany 1944-August-12 to 1944-August-13
626 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Wickenby
626 Squadron (To strive and not to yield) RAF Wickenby Lancaster Mk III aircraft LM 599 UM-A2 was shot down by night fighter pilot Leutnant Horst-Rudiger Blume of 8/NJG2 and crashed at Westercelle Celle Niedersachsen, Germany during an operation against targets in Brunswick, Germany
Sergeant Kenneth William Molyneux (RAFVR), Flight Sergeant James Mercer Reid (RAFVR) and Sergeant Joseph Kitchener Slack (RAFVR) were all killed in action
Flying Officer Ronald Stanley Bennett (RCAF), Flying Officer Arnold Victor Clifford (RAFVR), Flight Sergeant Leslie Eric Paradise (RAFVR) and Flying Officer James Purdie Slattery (RAF) all survived to become Prisoners of War
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 Part 4, 24 July - 15 October by Theo Boiten, page 41
Royal air Force Serial and Image DatabaseLancaster serial: LM599
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
WikipediaLancaster LM599 Mk.I/III - Bombing Brunswick Germany - 1944-08-12 to 1944-08-13
War Diary Unavailable
6 Bomber Group August 12/13, 1944
36 Halifaxes from 408, 415, 420, 424, 425, 426, 432, and 433 Squadrons were joined by 12 Lancasters from 408, 419, and 428 Squadrons on an attack of enemy troop positions at Falaise. The crews were over the target at between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, releasing 392,000 lbs of high explosives.According to reports, this attack was effective.
While some crews attacked Falaise, 48 Halifaxes from 415, 424, 427,429, 431, 432, and 434 Squadrons were joined by 21 Lancasters from 419 and 428 Squadrons on an attack at Brunswick. The crews were over the target at between 19,000 and 20,000 feet, releasing 379,000 lbs of high explosives and 120,000 lbs of incendiaries. According to reports, this attack was not marked by pathfinders and was scattered.
40 Halifaxes from 427, 429, 431, and 434 Squadrons were ordered on attacks of 2 V-1 sites at La Breteque and La Neuville. The crews were over the targets at between 9,000 and 10,000 feet, releasing 316,000 lbs of high explosives.
While the above attacks were taking place, 4 Halifaxes from 424 and433 Squadrons were ordered on a mining operation to Brest. The crews were over the garden at 13,000 feet, sowing 16@1500 lb mines. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
626 Squadron (To strive and not to yield) RAF Wickenby Lancaster Mk III aircraft LM 599 UM-A2 was shot down by night fighter pilot Leutnant Horst-Rudiger Blume of 8/NJG2 and crashed at Westercelle Celle Niedersachsen, Germany during an operation against targets in Brunswick, Germany
Sergeant Kenneth William Molyneux (RAFVR), Flight Sergeant James Mercer Reid (RAFVR) and Sergeant Joseph Kitchener Slack (RAFVR) were all killed in action
Flying Officer Ronald Stanley Bennett (RCAF), Flying Officer Arnold Victor Clifford (RAFVR), Flight Sergeant Leslie Eric Paradise (RAFVR) and Flying Officer James Purdie Slattery (RAF) all survived to become Prisoners of War
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 Part 4, 24 July - 15 October by Theo Boiten, page 41
