427 Sqn RCAF (Leeming – Halifax V) 21-1-44
Twelve aircraft were detailed for an operation against MAGDEBURG, which turned out to be one of the most unfortunate efforts of the Lions in quite some time. Of the twelve aircraft which became airborne, aircraft “C” piloted by F/S King, returned early because flexible tube to Navigators oxygen mask was missing and could not be found in the aircraft thereby not permitting him to draw the necessary oxygen. Aircraft "Y" piloted by P/O T. COOPER returned early after the starboard inner engine became unserviceable due to a technical failure. Four aircraft failed to return from the operation including "D" piloted by the "A" Flight Commander S/L DON M. ARNOT, DFC, who had only a few days previous been awarded his gong. Flying as second pilot with S/L ARNOT was the new Officer Commanding of No. 424 Squadron, W/C MARTIN, who had only recently returned to England after very intensive and meritorious service in the Middle East. The remaining three crews which failed to return were captained by inexperienced pilots whose operational records range from 2 to 5 trips they were as follows, F/S R.N. WEIR, SGT G.W.C. TOAL, and F/O J.E. DICKINSON
The remaining aircraft arrived at the target area to find it covered by 5/10ths clouds, and each bombed as indicated in the individual sortie records on the Form 541. Aircraft "U" piloted by F/S C.H. COATHUP, immediately after the Bomb Aimer had ordered bomb doors closed, encountered a stream of tracer, and a Me.109 s sighted on the port bow, down, about 500 yards away. The pilot then executed combat manoeuvre which consisted of a diving tum to port. At this point the fighter was diving onto the Halifax and let loose with a short burst, of cannon and machine gun fire, which missed the target. His second burst, however, fared better and damaged both starboard engines. The fighter then broke off the attack on the port beamdown and flew away astern. Neither gunner were able to return fire as the hun was out of range by the time they could bring their guns to bear.
The action of “Z” under the capable captaining of F/S A.R. CLIBBERY, can boat be extolled by quoting an extract from the Wing Commander'srecommendation for the Distinguished Flying Modal, which was dispatched the following day.
"While over the target area coned in searchlights and surrounded by fighter flares, his aircraft was raked by cannon and machine gun fire from an enemy fighter, destroying the inner communication system, the supply of oxygen, shooting away all flying instruments and setting the aircraft on fire in the Flight Engineer’s position. Despite this attack, this captain completed his bombing run, and under very difficult weather conditions flew his aircraft home, and made a safe landing.
F/S Clibbery has shown great fortitude throughout the operation and by his skillful airmanship, successfully completed his duties."
In this action, the enemy fighter in question was destroyed by Sgt. R.K.QUALLE, the mid-upper gunner, under very trying conditions. The fighter had shot away one of his guns and had penetrated the turret perspex by machine gun fire. Even though Sgt. QUALLE was dazed by searchlights, and cut by flying perspex, he brought his guns to bear and downed the hum. For this skillful handing of his guns, he too was recommended for the award of the D.F.M.
ADDENDUM – Halifax V LK293 ZL-B. Crew: F/S GWC Toal RCAFKIA, Sgt R Richards KIA, F/O RA Carson RCAF KIA, Sgt R Fuller RCAF POW, WO2 WJ Ogilvie RCAF POW, Sgt F Spence POW, Sgt N Smith RCAF KIA. T/o 2000 Leeming. Outbound, very badly damaged by Uffz Emil Nonnenmacher 9./NJG, which left the Halifax with most of its rudders destroyed and petrol streaming from its tanks. Despite these immense difficulties, the target was attacked but shortly afterwards the engines started to fail due to lack of fuel. The aircraft was abandoned, and it crashed and exploded near Hamersleben. F/S Toal has no known grave, Sgts Richards and Smith are buried in the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery.
Halifax V LL139 ZL-D. Crew: S/L DM Arnot RCAF KIA, W/C AN Martin RCAF KIA, P/O RAN Rondelet RCAF KIA, P/O LWW Jones RCAF KIA, F/O MV Thome RCAF POW, P/O R Dawson KIA, P/O LS Gray RCAF KIA, P/O RO Nickerson RCAF KIA. T/o 2000 Leeming. Attacked at 19,500 feet by Uffz Albert P Thiele (3rd victory 1./NJG3. The order to abandon was given, but before the crew could react, the Halifax exploded, throwing clear F/O Thom. The others are buried in the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery. P/O Rondelet was from Belgium.
Note. It is believed this is the first all commissioned crew reported missing from BC Operations in 1944.
Halifax V LL169 ZL-L. Crew: P/O JE Dickerson RCAF POW, Sgt WH Blake POW, Sgt AA Deane POW, F/O CS Lambert POPW, Sgt JF Pratt POW, Sgt N Martin RCAF POW, Sgt RC Bechtold POW. Abandoned after being engaged by a night-fighter, at 19,000 feet in the target area, and crashed near Börssum, 90 km W of Magdeburg. The LW pilot was either Hptm Julius Schürbel (1st victory) 4./NJG5 or Lt. Robert Wof (5th victory) 3./NJG5.
Halifax V LL176 ZL-Q. Crew: F/S RN Weir RCAF KIA, Sgt JI Jones KIA, F/O VM Warwick RCAF KIA, F/O EL MacKeigan RCAF KIA, Sgt WT Morgan KIA, Sgt RN Lehman RCAF POW. T/o 2000 Leeming. Set on fire by a Ju-88 before being subjected to several attacks by an Me-109, exploded and crashed 1 km N of Glöthe. LW pilots were Fw Rudolf Frank (22nd vicory ) 6./NJG3 and Lt Manfred Dieterie (3rd vicory) 3./JG300. Those who died rest in Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery.
Note. These were the last Halifax Vs reported missing from 427 Squadron, now in the process of receiving Halifax IIIs.
BOMBER COMMAND
MAGDEBURG
648 aircraft – 421 Lancasters, 224 Halifaxes, 3 Mosquitoes – on the first major raid to this target. The German controller again followed the progress of the bomber stream across the North Sea and many night fighters were in the stream before it crossed the German coast. The controller was very slow to identify Magdeburg as the target but this did not matter too much because most of the night fighters were able to stay in the bomber stream, a good example of the way the Tame Boar tactics were developing. 57 aircraft – 35 Halifaxes, 22 Lancasters – were lost, 8.8 percent of the force; it is probable that three quarters of the losses were caused by German night fighters. The Halifax loss rate was 15.6 percent!
The heavy bomber casualties were not rewarded with a successful attack. Some of the Main Force aircraft now had H2S and winds which were stronger than forecast brought some of these into the target area before the Pathfinders’ Zero Hour. The crews of 27 Main Force aircraft were anxious to bomb and did so before Zero Hour. The Pathfinders blamed the fires started by this early bombing, together with some very effective German decoy markers, for their failure to concentrate the marking. No details are available from Magdeburg but it is believed that most of the bombing fell outside the city. An R.A.F. man who was in hospital at Magdeburg at the time reports only, ‘bangs far away’.
BERLIN
22 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitoes of 5 and 8 Groups carried out a diversionary raid; 1 Lancaster lost.
FLYING-BOMB SITES
111 aircraft – 89 Stirlings, 12 Lancasters, 10 Mosquitoes – carried out raids on 6 sites in France without loss.
Minor Operations: 8 Mosquitoes to Oberhausen and 5 to Rheinhausen, 8 R.C.M. sorties, 5 Serrate patrols, 8 Wellingtons minelaying off St-Nazaire, 16 O.T.U. sorties. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 843 sorties, 58 aircraft (6.9 percent) were lost. The number of aircraft lost was the heaviest in any night of the war so far, but only by 2 aircraft.
Magdeburg operation as planned:
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Operations for the night:
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2nd TAF
Units engaged in attacking the 'Noball' sites were finding the surrounding Flak defences even more effective. On the 21st, 21 Squadron lost two Mosquitoes off Bruneval during one such attack on a site at St Pierre, both aircraft coming down in the sea with the loss of both crews.
Several 'Ramrods' were undertaken during the day, 403 and 421 Squadrons sweeping to the Dieppe-Amiens-Cambrai-Arras area. Over the latter location, four Fw 190s were seen and attacked by 403 Squadron from 19,000 feet, two being claimed shot down and one damaged at 1240, one of the successful pilots again being Plt Off Claude Weaver. 'Ramrod 468" was an attack on Le Grismot by Mitchells, which was escorted by 122 Airfield Spitfires. Over the Somme Estuary an aircraft identified as an Me 210 (possibly an Me 410) was seen at 12,000 feet, Wg Car Grant leading pilots of 122 Squadron down to attack, and sharing its destruction with the squadron as a whole. A second such aircraft was spotted near Hucqueliers by Flt Lt Z.Drybanski of 306 Squadron, who attacked and claimed to have damaged this. Following an examination of his camera gun footage, this claim was upgraded to 'destroyed.
USAAF
ENGLAND: The first air echelon of the 457th Heavy Bombardment Group, in B-17s, arrives from the United States for service with the 1st Bombardment Division’s 94th Combat Bombardment Wing.
FRANCE: After being grounded for a full week by bad weather over the Continent, 795 Eighth Air Force B-17s and B-24s are dispatched against 36 V-weapons sites in the Cherbourg and Pas-de-Calais areas. Results are decidedly mixed due to heavy cloud cover. Four hundred one of the heavy bombers never drop their bombs, but 26 V-weapons sites and several targets of opportunity, including three airdromes, are eventually attacked by 394 heavy bombers releasing 1,141 tons of bombs. Six bombers are lost.
Escort and support for the mission is provided by a record 628 USAAF fighters (including a new P-47 unit, the 361st Fighter Group, in its combat debut). USAAF P-47 pilots down seven GAF fighters against the loss of one P-47 and its pilot. 56th Fighter Group P-47s turn in the first claims in the theater for GAF fighters destroyed during a strafing attack on an enemy airdrome.
One hundred nineteen IX Bomber Command medium bombers also attack V-weapons sites.
In an effort to stop at the source GAF bomber attacks on shipping and bases in Corsica and Sardinia, a total of 72 Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack the GAF airdromes at Salon-de-Provence and Istres-le-Tube at about noon with an aggregate of 228 tons of bombs. Damage is heavy and both bases are put out of commission temporarily just as a major Allied amphibious landing is about to take place in central Italy. Six GAF fighters are downed over southern France by 1st and 82d Fighter group P-38 escort pilots.
ITALY: Fifteenth Air Force B-24s attack marshalling yards at Pisa, Pontedera, and Prato; Fifteenth Air Force B-17s attack marshalling yards and a bridge at Rimini, and a marshalling yard at Porto Civitanova; XII Bomber Command B-26s attack rail bridges around Orvieto; XII Bomber Command B-25s attack a bridge at Pontecorvo and rail lines around Rome; XII Air Support Command A-20s attack Atina; and XII Air Support Command A-36s and P-40s attack numerous tactical targets, troop concentrations, and a radar station in the U.S. Fifth Army zone.
325th Fighter Group P-47 pilots down four FW-190s near Florence at about 1230 hours.
RAF
BASE CHANGES
64 Sqn (Spitfire VB) moves to Ayr
80 Sqn (Spitfire VB/VC)moves to Madna
168 Sqn (Mustang IA) moves to Lianbedr
174 Sqn (Typhoon IB) moves to Eastchurch
182 Sqn (Typhoon IB) moves to Merston
252 Sqn (Beaufighter TFX) moves to Mersa Matruh West
313 Sqn (Spitfire LFIXB) moves to Ibsley
331 Sqn (Spitfire LFIXB) moves to North Weald
332 Sqn (Spitfire LFIXB) moves to North Weald
FIRST AND LAST OPERATIONAL MISSIONS
78 Sqn (Brighton) flies its last OM in the Halifax II
87 Sqn (Hurricane IIC) flies its last OM in the Hurricane IIC
504 Sqn (Hornchurch) flies its first OM in the Spitfire LFIXB
547 Sqn (St. Eval) flies its first OM in the Liberator V
428 Sqn RCAF (Middleton St. George) flies its last OM in the Halifax V
