Daily Operations

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.

P/O J. Symons and F/O D. Laidlaw from 419 squadron returned early as their instruments iced up.
F/Sgt C. Coutlee returned early due to severe icing.
Sgt J. Parker returned early as the navigation aids were u/s. They landed at Thornaby due to poor weather at base.
F/Sgt H. Bullis was attacked by a twin engined enemy fighter. There were holes in the port nacelle and rudder. They landed safely at Bassingbourne on return due to poor weather at base.
F/O B. Pringle landed at Linton on Ouse on return due to poor weather at base.
All other crews landed at Bassingbourne on return due to poor weather at base.

F/Lt W. Weston from 427 squadron returned early as the stbd outer was u/s. They landed safely at base on 3 engines.
Sgt J. Smith returned early as the rear turret was u/s.
F/Sgt J. Mawson returned as they could not climb through the icing.
F/Sgt S. Minter was attacked by an enemy aircraft. There were holes in the stbd inner nacelle and tire.
All crews landed at Polebrook or Downham Market on return due to poor weather at base.

F/Sgt W. Kruse from 428 squadron returned early as the port outer was u/s. They landed safely at base on 3 engines.
Sgt E. Sykes returned early due to severe icing.
P/O M. Kogan RCAF and crew, flying Halifax V DK-252 coded NA-O, returned early due to severe icing and the port inner being u/s. After crossing the coast the stbd inner also failed. The crew bailed out safely and then P/O Kogan crash landed, wheels up at Ludford Magna.

W/O F. Edwards had the stbd inner go u/s over the target. They landed safely at Mildenhall on 3 engines.
Sgt R. Wilson RAF and crew, flying Halifax V DK-270 coded NA-U, crashed while trying to land at Framlingham on return.*

*We received the following quote from Steve Wilson, son of pilot Sgt R Wilson, with his father's account of the night his plane crashed.

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"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) the Halifax 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 see the 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 overshot 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."

All other crews landed at Molesworth or Bassingbourne on return due to poor weather at base.

Sgt J. Farmer RAF and crew, flying Halifax EB-215 coded NA-T, failed to return from this operation.

F/O M. Whalley RCAF–POW and crew, flying Halifax V LK-915 coded NA-V, failed to return from this operation.

F/Lt M.Sherback RCAF and crew, flying Halifax II JB-968 coded NA-R, failed to return from this operation.

F/Lt B. Rawson, W/O2 D. Smith and P/O B. Jackson from 429 squadron all returned early with technical problems.
F/Sgt K. Bowly was hit by flak, not serious.
All crews landed at Thurleigh on return due to poor weather at base.

W/O A. Erickson from 432 Squadron returned early as the oxygen system was u/s.
All crews landed at Chelveston, Docking, Bassingbourne, or Downham Market on return due to poor weather at base.
P/O S. Atkinson RCAF and crew, flying Wellington X HE-817 coded QO-K, failed to return from this operation.

Sgt J. Keane and Sgt A. Nadeau from 434 Squadron returned early as their port inners were u/s. They landed safely at Linton on Ouse on 3 engines.
Sgt P. Escaravage returned early as the port outer was u/s. They landed safely at Thornaby on 3 engines.
P/O W. Winning had the stbd outer damaged after landing at Ridgewell when a truck ran into the propellor.
All crews landed at Ridgewell, Snetterton Heath, Chelveston or Cranfield on return due to poor weather at base.

F/Lt F. Lord RCAF and crew, flying Halifax V LK-648 coded WL-F, failed to return from this operation.

P/O O. Lytle RCAF and crew, flying Halifax V LK-917 coded WL-X, failed to return from this operation.

F/Sgt R. Smith RCAF and crew, flying Halifax V LK-919 coded WL-R, failed to return from this operation.

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