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March 1944 |
24th |
Tonight is Williams Eleventh operation.
811 aircraft - 577 Lancaster’s, 216 Halifaxes, 18 Mosquitos - to Berlin. 72 aircraft - 44 Lancaster’s, 28 Halifaxes – lost. This night became known in Bomber Command as 'the night of the strong winds'. A powerful wind from the north carried the bombers south at every stage of the flight. Not only was this wind not forecast accurately but it was so strong that the various methods available to warn crews of wind changes during the flight failed to detect the full strength of it. The bomber stream became very scattered, particularly on the homeward flight and radar-predicted flak batteries at many places were able to score successes. Part of the bomber force even strayed over the Ruhr defences on the return flight. It is believed that approximately 50 of the 72 aircraft lost were destroyed by flak; most of the remainder were victims of night fighters. Needless to say, the strong winds severely affected the marking with, unusually, markers being carried beyond the target and well out to the south-west of the city. This was the last major RAF raid on Berlin during the war, although the city would be bombed many times by small forces of Mosquitos.
147 aircraft from training units carried out a diversionary sweep west of Paris;
27 Mosquitos bombed night-fighter airfields and 15 Mosquitos bombed Duisburg, Kiel and Münster; aircraft of No 100 Group flew 4 RCM sorties and 10 Serrate patrols. 1 Serrate Mosquito lost. 9 aircraft dropped supplies to the Resistance without loss. |
No.78 Squadron |
23 aircraft detailed for operations, Target Berlin. 13 aircraft reached and attacked target. 2 aircraft did not take off.
The ground crew prepared and managed to get airborne the LV901, HX241, LV899, LV872, LV868, LV905, LW511, LW520, LK762, LV820, LW510, LV815, LW518, LW515, HX355, LV788, LW589, LV903, LK749, LW507 and LV795.
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6 Aircrafts were lost on this raid on Berlin. |
Handley Page Halifax BIII |
LK749 EY-J
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March 24th 1944 |
Target Berlin |
Airborn: |
18:51 hour, Breighton Yorkshire. |
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Bombing on: |
19000ft at 22:37 hour. |
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Landed: |
02:09 hour, Breighton Yorkshire. |
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Crew LK749 EY-J |
F/O Hudson, H. |
(Capt) |
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F/L Taylor, A |
(Nav) |
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F/O Uyen, William |
(Bomb) |
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Sgt. Monks, H. |
(W/Op) |
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Sgt. Hillis, J. |
(F/Eng) |
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Sgt. Nugent, Leslie |
(MU) |
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Sgt. Morris, J. |
(RG) |
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Returned early |
LW511 |
F/S Robinson left Breighton runway at 18:55, but returned early due to W/T failure. (Wireless Telegraphy). Farthest point reached 54:19N/ 02:11E. Bombs thrown safely into the sea. Turned back to the home front where the landing was initiated at 21:17. |
Returned early |
LV901 |
F/S Boswell took off at 19:00 from Breighton, did not attack primary target, Bombed alternativa targot Sylt. Bombed 10/15 searchlights, Aircraft unable to proceed further owing to electrical failures. No results obserev. Landed at Breighton at 23:16. |
Lost on Raid |
LW510 |
Airborne with Captain F/O Wimberley at 18.59 from Breighton. On there way back a fix was received at 22:45 hours, also message from aircraft “Returning to base, one engine u/s. Another fix at 22:55 hours when the LW510 got permission to land at Cranfield, Bedfordshire. Aircraft crashed one mile ahead of runway. All crew were killed. Four were taken to Cambridge City Cemetery for burial, the rest were taken to their home towns for burial. Sgt. Neal and Sgt. Nelson both came from Liverpool and both are buried beside each other in Anfield Cemetery. F/O M.A.Wimberley KIA. Sgt. H.J.Neil KIA. F/S W.H.Shields KIA. f/O R.S.Kelly RAAF KIA. Sgt. L.J.Edge KIA. Sgt. D.H.A.Brignell KIA. Sgt. H.R.Nelson KIA. |
Lost by Flak |
LW518 |
F/S Barden had taken off from Breighton at 19.02. Reported missing. Shortly after completing the bomb-run and setting course for base, shot down by Flak, crashing at Fahlhorst, 7 km W of Ludwigsfelde. All were buried 28Mar44 at Fahlhorst. Their graves are now located in the Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery. F/S H.K.Barden KIA. Sgt. F.Curtis KIA. F/O A.Lees KIA. F/S N.S.Davidson RCAF KIA. F/S V.W.Spencer KIA. Sgt. J.A.Lincoln KIA. Sgt. P.D.Cleal RCAF KIA. |
Lost in Combat |
HX355 EY-D |
F/L Evarett took off from Breighton airfield at 18.50. Reported missing. Badly shot about over the target area by a night-fighter and later abandoned near Den Haag. The Halifax crashed in the North Sea near Oostvoorne (Zuid-Holland) some 4 km ENE of Brielle. F/L E.W.Everett PoW. Sgt. K.H.Jones PoW. Sgt. J.R.Stewart PoW. F/O J.K.M.Green PoW. Sgt. J.E.Johnson PoW. Sgt. J.R.Graham PoW. P/O A.P.Sinden PoW. F/L E.W.Everett was interned in Camp L1 with F/O J.K.M.Green. No POW. Sgt. J.R.Graham, POW No.3993. and Sgt. Stewardess, POW No.4025. Sgt. Johnstone in Camps 4B/L1, POW No.3993. Sgt. Jones in Camps L3/L1, POW No.3998. P/O Independent was captured at Rockland, Holland, december 20 1944 and interned in Camp L1. |
Lost in Combat |
LW589 EY-G |
F/S Jackson had taken off from Breighton at 18.41. Reported missing. Flew well S of track on the return and was eventually shot down by a night-fighter, crashing at les Hautes Rivieres (16 km NE of Charleville-Mézières, France. All are buried in les Hautes Rivieres Communal cemetery. F/S H.Jackson KIA. Sgt P.J.S.Crawford KIA. Sgt J.Dear KIA. Sgt J.Smith KIA. Sgt H.D.Patchett KIA. Sgt R.W.McNeil RCAF KIA. Sgt W.G.Baker KIA. |
Lost in Combat
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LV903 EY-H |
took off at 18.58 with Captain F/L Constable from Breighton. Reported missing. Cause of loss and crash-site not established. Those killed are buried in the Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery. F/L D.F.Constable DFC RAAF KIA. F/S G.T.A.Lovell KIA. Sgt D.T.Cash KIA. Sgt C.M.McLeod PoW. F/O H.A.Mace was interned in Camp L1, PoW No.4104. Sgt C.M.McLeod in Camps L6/357, PoW No.3262. |
Lost in Combat |
LW507 EY-K |
Sgt. Smith took off from Breighton airport at 18.54, and was reported missing. Cause of loss not established. Crashed in the near vicinity of Berlin, where Sgt Smith and Sgt Daniels are now buried in the city's 1939- 1945 War Cemetery. Sgt Middleton was able to convey a message from his PoW Camp indicating the German authorities had allowed two of the surviving crew to attend the funerals. Sgt B.T.Smith KIA. Sgt T.Willis PoW. Sgt L.W.Edwards PoW. Sgt H.Middleton PoW. Sgt S.Johnson PoW. Sgt L.Daniels KIA. Sgt R.J.Finn RCAF PoW. Sgt L.W.Edwards spent three days in Berlin's Spandau Prison before being interned in Camps L6/L4, PoW No.3367, with Sgt R.J.Finn, PoW No.3369 and Sgt H.Middleton, PoW No.3371. Sgt S.Johnson in Camps L6/357, PoW No.3370 with Sgt T.Willis, PoW No.3368 |
March 1944 |
25th |
No Operations or standby for No.78 Squadron. |
