Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

Bob Wilton
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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Bob Wilton
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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Bob Wilton
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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum

Hampden I P1201 UB-P 455 Squadron Operation Rover Patrol 7/8 November 1941

The crew of this aircraft took off from their base at 1840 hours on Friday
7th November 1941. After carrying out a low level bombing and machine-gun -
attack on the searchlight belt at Aachen-Mamstrick the pilot turned for home
flying at low level. Due to an incorrect meteorological forecast the aircraft
ended up off the intended course which took it into the foothills of the
Ardennes in Belgium. Whilst flying at 350 feet the aircraft collided with a
350 foot chimney stack and the impact tore off the lower part of the fuselage
and also the air gunners turret.The main fuel lines to the engines were damaged
and both engines stopped. The pilot had to make a quick decision to make a
crash landing.Luckily P/O J.D.Cordwell and Sgt M.N.Stokes both RAF came out
of the crash with slight burns. The gunner Sgt E.Holt RAF was taken to hospital
with injuries and he made a full recovery. The Pilot P/O J.A.C.Gordon RAAF was
unijured. All four crew members spent the rest of the war as prisoners of war.

P/O J.A.C. Gordon RAAF Pow
P/O J.D.Cordwell RAF Pow
Sgt M.N.Stokes RAF Pow
Sgt E.Holt RAF Pow
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Bob Wilton
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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum

Lancaster III ND557 MG-F. RAF 7 Squadron. Operatation Stuttgart 15/16 March 1944

The crew of Lancaster ND557 took off from their base at 1939 hours on Wednesday 15th March after being briefed
to bomb a Target at Stuttgart. At approximately 2300 hours the aircraft was seen approaching the German village
of Tannheim, and a witness said that it was burning fiercely in the air,and was seen to crash and explode on impact.
The explosion was so great that it rocked the surrounding area and it was believed to have been carrying its full
bomb load. The crater was 100 feet wide and 25 feet deep,and the wreckage was spread over a very wide area.
The bodies of the eight crew members were recovered by a Luftwaffe unit,and were buried i and were on Tuesday
21st March in the village cemetery at Villingen. The wreckage of Lancaster ND557 was taken away by a Luftwaffe
salvage unit.

After the war the No:2 MREU visited the scene of the crash which was on a hillside directly on the boundaries of three
small villages, Tannheim,Welterdingen and Klengen, which are situated approximately 6 Km NW of Donauchingen.
Map reference: L.49/W.525330.

P/O D.A.Carter RAAF +
P/O P.H.Hamby RAF +
SGT H.P.Riddle RAF +
F/O K.C.Dyer RAAF +
F/O I.H.Nicholson RCAF +
SGT R.G.Ryder RAF +
F/S G.A.Johnston RAAF +
F/S R.S.Smith RAAF +

We Shall Remember Them
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Bob Wilton
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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Short Stirling & Bomber Command Forum

Lancaster I PA265 UL-O2 RAF 576 Squadron Operation Nurnberg 16/17 March,1945

The crew of Lancaster PA265 UL-O2 took of from their base at Fiskerton at 1725 hours
on an operation to Nurnberg Germany. At 2300 hours Herr Siechart of the village of
Wieseth stated that during the attack on Nurnberg during the evening of Friday 16th
March,1945,that an aircraft had crashed two kilometre west of the village and had
blown up on contact with the ground.

The owner of the wood Herr Karl Buekel was at the time of the crash was in his home,which
was situated approximately 200 yards from the crash scene went immediately to investigate.
As he was standing by the wreckage a parachutist, later to be identified as Sergeant Hall
the rear gunner came down close by him. Sergeant Hall wanted to approach the aircraft but,
was prevented from doing so as their was a live unexploded 4000 Lb bomb in the wreckage.
Herr Siechart took Sergeant Hall prisoner and handed him over the local Bürgermeister.

The six members of the crew were buried in the local village cemetery and was organised by
the Bergermeister who was also a local Ortsguppenleiter.The burial took place on Sunday the
18th March.

Later the American Army arrived and supervised the disposal of the bomb,and contacted a local
scrap dealer named Lechler who removed all the wreckage to his yard at Feuchtwangen.

After the war the RAF MREU discovered that the wartime Bürgermeister was in prison awaiting a
war crimes trial.It is possible that the six members of this crew had been murdered

The Crew:

F/S J.F.Ryan RAAF +
Sgt J.E.Taylor RAFVR +
Sgt A.W.Garnet RCAF +
F/S K.L.Challis RAFVR +
Sgt D.W.E. Swift RAFVR +
Sgt J.Symonds RAFVR +
Sgt H.A.Hall RAFVR POW
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Bob Wilton
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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum

Lancaster III ED920 LE-D RAF 630 Squadron East Kirkby Lincolnshire Operation Leipzig Germany 03/04 December 1943


At 0031 hours on Sunday the 3rd December 1943,the crew of this Lancaster took off on an
operation to bomb a target at Leipzig. On reaching the target area the crew came under
attack from a night fighter which had attacked their aircraft from below.The attack was
to cause their Lancaster to almost lose control,and the Pilot Pilot Officer J.Syme then
ordered his crew to bail out at approximately 0400 hours.

The aircraft was observed from the ground to be circling the village of Volgfelde and was
burning in the air,and it appeared to be trying to make a crash landing. Meanwhile in the
aircraft the crew were starting to bail out.Then an explosion occurred which blew Sergeant
Cattley out of the aircraft. Back on the ground witnesses saw the Lancaster plunging to the
ground,and crashing 200 to 300 metres south west of the village close to the main road to
Gardelegen.Then a large explosion occurred, and the witnesses believed that the aircraft had
crashed with its full bomb load.On the ground the wreckage of the aircraft burnt fiercely for
more than two hours. When the fire had subsided, it was found that the explosion had scattered
the wreckage over a wide area,and that one of its engines had buried itself in the ground nearly
five metres away.The locals at Volgfelde were informed by a Luftwaffe officer at the crash scene
that the target had been Leipzig and that it was a possibilty that the aircraft had been attacked
by a night fighter before it reached its target.At daylight the Luftwaffe salvage unit found the
bodies of three of the crew,and the Luftwaffe asked the community of Volgfelde to bury the airmen
in the local village cemetery.The funeral took place on Tuesday the 5th December in the presence
of the local Bürgermeister.

The Crew:

P/O J.Syme RAAF +
Sgt G.Leggott RAFVR +
Sgt E.Hubbert RAFVR +
F/O J.C.Doherty RAFVR +
Sgt D.Cattley RAFVR POW*
Sgt K.Swinchatt RAFVR +
Sgt J.Heron RAFVR +

*Sergeant Cattley was a prisoner of war at Stalag IV-B Mühlberg, Brandenburg,POW Number 267151

We Shall Remember Them
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Bob Wilton
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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Short Stirling & Bomber Command Forum

A true story of an airmans courage and a determination to survive.

Wellington IV Z1470 UV-R RAAF 460 Squadron.Operation Bremen 02/03 July 1942


The crew of this Wellington took off from their base at RAF Breighton at 2331 hours on Thursday
2nd of July,on an operation to bomb a target at Bremen Germany. In the target area the crew came
under attack by a night fighter which shot up the fuselage, and F/O Lark was hit and fell down
wounded. He tried to contact his fellow crew members but his message was not acknowledged. The
pilot was still at the controls. Sgt Whittick,the navigator F/O Webb and the rear gunner Sgt
Hancocks were still at their crew positions. Then, Sgt Handcocks left his position to assist F/O
Lark to free himself from an entanglement,then went back over the main spar.By this time Wellington
Z1470 was well on fire, so F/O Lark went to the escape hatch and noticed that a bullet had severed
one of his parachute harness straps. He went out of the hatch at 12,000 feet with only one strap.
He landed in the sea and released his harness,and his Mae West kept him afloat. During the attack
he had been shot through the face and the bullet had exited through his right eye. A cannon shell
had penetrated right through his shoulder,and a bullet had entered his knee and had travelled up
his leg and lodged in the groin. In terrible pain and unable to use his arms he kicked out with
his legs to push himself through the rough choppy sea to get to the shore. I took him almost two
painful hours to reach the shore,and cold and wet staggered up the beach and pushed his way through
a clump of bullrushes.Then he came to a clearing,and further on came to a canal and tried to get to
the other side but,he sank to his knees, and pulled himself out and spent a cold miserable night
shivering in some long grass. Just before dawn,he decided to struggle on,and found a boat moored on
the canal,which he used to get to the other side. Coming across some cottages he climbed over the
fence and knocked on a door.Although the occupants heard him they were too afraid to open their door,
so he tried their neighbour. Here he got a better reception and the owner invited him inside.The
Dutchman lived with his wife and sixteen year old daughter,and they prepared hima bed of blankets on
the floor, and made him a cup of tea and gave him a cigarette.The daughter spoke English so he didn't
have a problem communicating.The family sent for the local doctor who came and examined his wounds
and told him that he was going to live,but minus his right eye. Later that day the daughter and her
mother took him to the Dutch Christian Hospital at Meppel where his wounds were treated. First they
removed his damaged eye,and then his shoulder wound was treated,but after operating on his groin wound
it was decided to leave the bullet where it was.

For seven weeks he remained in hospital,and he was treated with the greatest kindness.They washed and
repaired his clothes,gave him new socks and shoes,and gave him books to read.Three Luftwaffe guards
took it in turns to guard him night and day incase he tried to escape.During his stay he was visited
by two German officers.When fit enough to travel he was taken by train through Zwolle,Harderwijk,
Amersfoort and Utrecht and then to Amsterdam. From there the train went back through Utrecht, and
then to Arnhem and eventually crossed the border into Germany.The train It travelled down alonside the
Rhein,passing Düsseldorf,Köln,Mainz,Koblenz and finally to Frankfurt am Main where he was taken to a
prison camp some twenty miles outside the City.


The crew:

Sgt A.F.Whittick RAAF +
F/O A.E.W.Webb RAAF +
Sgt J.D.Handcocks RAAF +
F/O C.R.Lark RAAF POW*
Sgt A.E.McCrae RAAF +

We Shall Remember Them


Charles Roland Lark died in Queensland Australia in 2009

We Will Remember Him
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Re: Australian Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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Short Stirling & Bomber Command Forum

Wellington IV Z1212 UV-V. 460 Squadron RAF Breighton. Operation Kassel 27/28 August 1942

This aircraft and its crew of five took at 2007 Hours on the evening of Thursday 27th August 1942
to bomb at target at Kassel Germany. Whilst flying at an altitude of 14000 feet the aircraft came
under attack by night fighters.The fighters shot up the port wing and petrol tanks causing the fuel
to drain away. Also damaged in the attack was the intercommunication system and the hydrolics. The
Pilot Sergeant Viney was only able to give the order to abandon the aircraft by pointing downwards
with his thumb. The aircraft was gradually losing height when the first crew member Sergeant Munckton
bailed out,and as he did so the aircraft was flying at 1500 feet and all his fellow crew members were
still on board and the aircraft was starting to go out of control but was not on fire. On landing Sgt
Munckton was arrested by a Dutch policeman. He became a prisoner of war, POW 26873.In captivity the
Germans told him that the other four members of his crew had died in the crash. Three were found
inside the aircraft and a fourth was found lying alongside.

The Crew:

Sgt C.C.Viney RAAF +
Sgt W.W.Jarrett RAAF +
Sgt H.I.Munckton RAAF POW
Sgt C.H.McK Smith RAAF +
Sgt H.T.A.Turner RAAF +

We Will Remember Them
Dicam ex animo. Sed nostri evocatis, ut debemus eis libertatem.
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