Operational Identification Challenge 104

[K4KittyCrew]

Ok chaps, were back on operations tonight.
You have been instructed to back over to Europe.
There will be over 400 hundred aircraft involved.

Your target will be a factory.
Good luck and watch that cloud cover.

Sources - Google Earth is your friend, likewise with The Bomber Command War Diaries: An Operational Reference Book, 1939-45 [Paperback]
Martin Middlebrook (Author), Chris Everitt (Author) .............. / Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary site ( online where applicable )

Name of target an operation date is required.

[PAFG]

I.G. Farben factory at Leverkusen, 22/23 August 1943.

Richard

[K4KittyCrew]

Richard, you are on fire, mate. I even rotated / flipped the map and you still got it.
No more clues for you.
Well done, totally correct.
John

[david layne]

My father was there that night.

55th operation 22nd August 1943 LEVERKUSEN (GERMANY)

Take off time from Bourn 2130. Lancaster ED 869 P. Crew: F/O Fletcher, F/O Stevens (2nd Pilot) Sgt. Nelson, F/Sgt. Dunn, Sgt. Beesley, F/Sgt. Layne, Sgt. White, Sgt. Page.

The R.A.F. dispatched 462 aircraft on this raid 417 of which reported bombing the target, the I. G. Farben industrial complex situated in Leverkusen. Bomber Command had planned a ground marking attack but on arrival at the target the Pathfinders found the target covered in three layers of 10/10th clouds. This raid was not a success with the bombing reported to be wide spread and scattered.

Carrying a bomb load of 1 x 4,000 lb. bomb, 6 x 1,000 lb. bombs and 4 x 250 lb. markers the Fletcher crew were detailed to attack Leverkusen. Arriving over the target Leverkusen they found it covered by 10/10th cloud which obscured the aiming point of the I. G. Farben factory. They bombed from 18,500 feet on E.T.A. onto a red glow which might have been a fire, or a T.I. marker. Only the glows of scattered fires were seen. A total of 4.45 hours of operational flight were logged on this trip.

Prior to the operations of 23rd August 1943 of the three flights of 97 Squadron “B” Flight departed to Gravely while the runways at Bourn were repaired and lengthened.

[K4KittyCrew]

Many thanks for sharing that with us David. It is amazing that he had survived 55 ops by as early as August 43.
John

[PAFG]

David - thanks for sharing your family memories. Our generation is so lucky - finding this on Google ain't like finding and marking the place at night in 1943.

[david layne]

Many thanks for sharing that with us David. It is amazing that he had survived 55 ops by as early as August 43.
John

My father survived another 8 operations before being shot down on his 64th (and final op of his second tour) on September 23/24 1943 on a raid to Mannheim. You can read about this operation here, http://wallyswar.wordpress.com/97-squadron-2/

Regards, David.