New Zealand Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

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K4KittyCrew
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New Zealand Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

Post by K4KittyCrew »

New Zealand Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 to be listed here.
John
K for Kitty Crew - Winthorpe, 1661 HCU's - stirlingaircraftsoc.raf38group.org/
630 Squadron - East Kirkby
" There is nothing glorious about war with the exception of those who served us so valiantly"
Bob Wilton
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Re: New Zealand Aircrew Crew Losses - WW2 Files

Post by Bob Wilton »

Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum


Stirling III LJ442 JN-F. 75 New Zealand Squadron. Operation Leverkusen 19/20 November 1943

The crew of this Stirling took of from their base at RAF Mepal at 1701 hours on the afternoon
of Friday the 19th November 1943.Over Germany,just before the E.T.A. at target expired, the
navigator informed the pilot that they were running three minutes late. At the time the target
was not in sight and there were mo Path Finder idicators to be seen. The pilot proceeded to the
end of his E.T.A.,and then started to orbit.Whils orbiting he saw flares going down on a divers-
ionary attack on Duisburg, the aircraft started to get struck by predicted flak. He then completed
the orbit, and gave the order to the bomb airmer to jettison the bomb load.Then the navigator
then set course for home,and at that time the aircraft was flying at 13,000 feet. Twenty minutes
later the aircraft came under attack by an unidentified night fighter,which attacked four times
with cannon fire,which struck the Stirling starboard petrol tanks. From his position the mid-upper
gunner reported that the starboard wing was on fire near to the wing root, and shortly afterwards
the flames spread along the fuselage.

The order to abandon the aircraft was given by the pilot but,he received no acknowledgement from
his crew,and assumed that they were all putting on their parachutes,and preparing to bail out.
The Stirling at this time had lost altitude and was now flying at 8,000 feet,and the pilot then
observed the bomb aimer leave the aircraft by the front escape hatch. The pilot then put on his
own parachute,and was just adjusting it,when a large explosion occurred,and the next thing that
he knew was coming on the ground. It was hen he discovered that he had a bad laceration behind
his left ear,and his left hand little finger,and his face hadbeen cut too. Discovering that he
had difficulty moving his head,he was later to discover that he had fractured a small bone in
his neck,and that he had suffered three broken ribs on the right hand side. On the ground he
not see any of his fellow crew members from the moment he had been blown out of the aircraft.
With all his injuries,he managed to evade capture and made his way to Spain,arriving there on
Saturday 1st of January 1944.

The crew:

F/S N.N.Parker RAAF Evaded
Sgt S.Watkins RAFVR +
Sgt R.E.Griffith RAFVR Evaded
Sgt J.E.Hyde RNZAF POW
P/O W.R.Kell RNZAF +
Sgt W.Gilfillan RAFVR +
Sgt M.I.R.Day RAFVR +

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