John Griffiths - 196 Squadron - 31 August 1944

[Bruno]

Hello,

Here is a request posted by Peter Jones in the Guest Book of the website:

Hello
I'm looking for information about my late uncle, John Griffiths, and his fellow airmen.
I am told that he was a Wellington (12 missions) then Stirling (3 or 4 missions) pilot in 196 squadron.
His plane was shot down over Holland in, I think, 1943 and he was the only survivor and was captured and became a POW.
I have a squadron photo with 5 signatures on the back, one of them my uncle's.
Two of the others are DLP Justice and I Llewellyn. I have discovered that both are buried at Enschede General East Cemetary in Holland.
The War Graves Commission records show that both died on 31 August 1943. This may be the date of my uncle's final crash.
The other two names on the photo are (the writing is not totally clear) are C P Pierce and G S Ould. I can not find either among War Graves Commissions records.
If anyone has any information or would like to obtain any from me I would be very please.
Many thanks.

Peter Jones

[Bruno]

Night 31 August to 1 September 1943
Operation: Berlin
Stirling III EH961 ZO-'D' of 196 Squadron
Take off at 20h37 on 31 August 1943 from RAF Witchford.
EH961 was shot down by a night-fighter (Hauptman August Geiger, III./NJG1) and crashed at 23h28 some 9 kilometers South of Enschede (Overijssel), Holland.
Funeral services for those who died were held on 2 September 1943 at the Eastern General Cemetery.
At 18, Sergeant Pierce RCAF was not only amongst the youngset Canadians killed on Bomber Command duties in 1943, but he was also one on the youngest navigators employed in operations.

Crew onboard EH961:
Sergeant J Griffiths (Prisoner of War)
Sergeant G P Poynter (Prisoner of War)
Sergeant C P Pierce RCAF (Died)
Flying Officer D L P Justice (Died)
Sergeant I Llewellyn (Died)
Sergeant G A Sperring (Prisoner of War)
Sergeant G S Auld RCAF (Prisoner of War)

50 aircraft (not only Stirlings) were lost this night for Operation Berlin.
16% of the Stirlings which participated to Operation Berlin this night were lost.

These infos are taken from 'Bomber Command Losses' by W R Chorley.
I'm greatly interested by the photo of the crew.
Feel free to ask more questions if you need.
Regards.

Bruno

[Andyc]

Hi Peter,

I've just come across your letter on the Stirling Aircraft Society website.

My father, Sgt DH Canning A/B, was on 196 Squadron at Witchford at the same time as your uncle Sgt John Griffiths. According to records I have, which I obtained from many visits to the National Archives in Kew, they were at Leconfield and 1651 HCU Waterbeach in June and July 1943 also. My fathers aircraft (EH952) ditched off Denmark 24/8/43 and was the first Stirling lost by 196 Squadron, one week before your uncle's aircraft was lost.

Believe it or not they also ended up as POW's in the same camp Stalag IVB, Muhlberg/Elbe for the duration of the war until the camp was liberated on 23/4/45 by the Russians. All of my fathers crew survived the ditching and were also in the same camp. The 3 other survivors from your uncle's aircraft were also at Stalag IVB.

I understand you have a photo(s) of 196 Squadron and /or your uncle? I would love to have copies of any photo's you have so that I could show my father (he's 87) to see if he can remember anyone or anything else that may be of interest.

Look forward to hearing from you and if you require anymore information, copies of records, etc please ask.

Kind Regards,
Andy Canning

[K4KittyCrew]

Hi Andy,

These are just some of the basics, you more than likely have these details but its just a starting point.
Chorleys losses, page 288, volume 4, 1943, report .......

Stirling EH952 Information
Type Stirling
Serial Number EH952
Squadron 196
X1D ZO-?
Operation Air Sea Rescue
Date 1 24th August 1943
Date 2 24th August 1943


Further Information
"Serial Range EH921 - EH961. 41 Stirling Mk.111. Part of a batch of 120 Short S.29 Stirling Mk.111. EH875-EH909; EH921-EH961; EH977-EH996; EJ104-EJ127 Mk.111, of which EH897, EH950 and EJ106 were converted to Mk.1V. Delivered by Austin Motors Ltd between Jun43 and Sep43. Contract No.B982939/39. Delivered to No.196 Sqdn 2Jul43. Airborne 1247 from Witchford to seek possible ditched air-crews from the previous night's Berlin operation. Cause of loss not established. Crashed in the North Sea roughly 100 km W of Esbjerg, Denmark. All were picked up by the Danish fishing vessel 'E403 Conni' out from Esbjerg and whose crew had witnessed the ditching. This was the first Stirling lost from No.196 Sqdn, whose transfer to 3 Group had been effective from 20Jun43. Sgt P.W.Brett PoW Sgt R.A.Treadwell PoW Sgt E.W.J.Kerr PoW Sgt D.H.Canning PoW Sgt L.H.Huggins PoW Sgt D.F.Moore PoW Sgt E.Lawton PoW Sgt P.W.Brett was interned in Camp 4B. PoW No. 222486, with Sgt R.A.Treadwell, PoW No.222649, Sgt D.H.Canning. PoW No.222577, Sgt E.W.J.Kerr, PoW No.222610, Sgt D.F.Moore, PoW No.222530 and Sgt L.H.Huggins, PoW No.222607. Sgt E.Lawton in Camps 4B/L3, PoW No.222614. "
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Will keep searching for the aircraft code letters ( ZO-?) and further details.
John

[Andyc]

Hi John,

Thanks for the information but you are right, unfortunately I already have this same copy.

However the reason EH952 ditched was due to a sudden loss of the starboard engines during a low level sea search. My father tells me that this was not their "usual" aircraft which was u/s, and that EH952 had only just returned to operations after having engine problems!!

Hoping you turn up some more info and photo's re: 196 EH952

Best Wishes,
Andy

[K4KittyCrew]

No worries Andy,

I'll get serious and start digging a bit deeper. I've got some contacts, see how we go.
John

[K4KittyCrew]

Hi again Andy,

Sent messages off to our good friends at http://www.forum.12oclockhigh.net/ and received messages back from Bas and Leendert.

Leendert posted details http://www.flensted.eu.com/19430086.shtml from the site 'Airwar over Denmark', which includes photos and detail. ...........

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stirling III EH952 ditched in the North Sea 24/8 1943.


The aircraft belonged to RAF 196 Sqn Bomber Command and was coded ZO-?
T/O 12:47 24/8 Witchford. OP: Air Sea Rescue.


After having crossed the North Sea and having entered the search area Pilot Sgt P.W. Brett was forced to ditch EH952 approx. 65 miles south west of Barren (Barren is the location where a German Vorpostboot guarded the entrance to Esbjerg harbour) due to the loss of the two starboard engines at approx. 17:15 hrs.
The tail struck first and broke away leaving a gaping whole where the tail plane had been. As the front end dipped into the sea, the crew clambered up to the opening, which was a two step forward, one step backwards exercise as the oil and the hydraulic fluid made it a difficult uphill climb.
The whole crew got out and eventually entered the aircrafts dinghy which had been released automatically. After having floated around for a period of time they spotted a fishing boat heading towards them.
It was E 403 “Conni” of Esbjerg. Skipper Hans Kromack Christensen had seen the aircraft ditch and had set course for the dinghy. The crew was taken onboard and given what dry clothes could be found and the dinghy was taken in tow. The fishing boat had been at sea for six days but now wanted to return to the fishing ground to finish fishing before they set course for Esbjerg. The Englishmen wanted the fishing boat to take them to Sweden but due to lack of fuel that was not a possibility. On the next morning when E 403 “Conny” had set course for Esbjerg a German Ju 88 flew over the fishing boat and when “Conni” met with the most westerly German Vorpostboot by Skallingen, the Germans set a guard of two marines onboard the fishing boat, and ordered it to sail direct to the traffic harbour.
Here they arrived at 18:30 hours. Under German guard the airmen were taken to Küstenüberwachungsstelle and handed over to Kapitän Bösch. They were placed under guard in a nearby schoolhouse.
When interrogated by the Danish police, Skipper Christensen told them that he had sighted the aircraft ditch at 07:00 hours on the same morning, thus hiding that he had actually picked the crew up the day before but had continued fishing afterwards.

The crew were: Pilot Sgt Percy William Brett, Navigator Sgt Eric Walter John Kerr, Air Bomber Sgt Douglas Henry Canning, W/Op-Air Gnr. Sgt Louis Henry Huggins, Flt. Engr. Sgt Raymond Albert Treadwell, Air Gnr. Sgt D.F. Moore and Air Gnr. Sgt Edward Lawton.

From Esbjerg they were placed in a railway freight wagon and sent via Hamburg to Dulag Luft at Oberursel near Frankfurt for interrogation. They arrived in Oberursel and stayed for a bit more than a week. They were then sent to Stalag IVB Mühlberg a.d.Elbe where they stayed until the end of war. They were released on 23/4 1945.




(Andy Canning)

Air Bomber Sgt Douglas Henry Canning


(Andy Canning)

Air Bomber Sgt Douglas Henry Canning





Sources: UA, Report Esbjerg Police, AS 64-855, AIR 27/1166, OLCB, Trevor Huggins, Douglas H. Canning via Andy Canning

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Regards,
John

[Andyc]

Hi John,

Thanks for the latest information ............... but ............ if you look at the photo and article credits you will see my name!! I assisted the compilation of that article.

Still looking for that elusive code letter (ZO-?) and any photo's of EH952 or anything related to 196 Squadron.

Thanks again.

Andy

[Bruno]

Hello Andy,

Steve Smith (the 3 Group writer and researcher) has checked every 3 Group document he has to try and establish the code letter of EH952 and he is afraid to say he has drawn a complete blank. He has one more avenue to explore, he will be checking the AM form 1180 and Form 78's just to make sure the code letter is not on these documents.
An other question: Has your father always his Log Book?
Regards.

Bruno

[Andyc]

Hi Bruno,

Thanks for your reply and thanks to Steve Smith also.

Don't quite understand your question. If you are asking whether my father still has his logbook, the answer is no. Alas it disappeared during his time as a POW unfortunately. It would have answered a lot of questions!

My father says he can tell you where the aircraft is if you know some good SCUBA divers. If they go down there could they also look for his flask of hot chocolate. He's not worried about the flask but could he have the chocolate back please!

Thanks.

Regards,
Andy