February 1944
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24th
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William Uyen is still on leave after his crash so this night there is no operation planned for William.
734 aircraft - 554 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes, 11 Mosquitos - carried out the first Bomber Command raid on Schweinfurt, home of Germany's main ball-bearing factories. 266 American B-17s had raided the factories the previous day Bomber Command introduced a novel tactic on this night. The Schweinfurt force was split into two parts - 392 aircraft and 342 aircraft, separated by a 2-hour interval. Part of the German fighter force was drawn up by earlier diversions.
179 training aircraft on a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 60 Halifaxes and 50 Stirlings minelaying in Kiel Bay and the Kattegat, 15 Mosquitos to airfields in Holland, 8 Mosquitos to Kiel and 7 to Aachen, 12 Serrate patrols. 2 Stirlings were lost from the minelaying operation and 1 Serrate Mosquito of No 141 Squadron was lost, the first Serrate aircraft to be lost under Bomber Command control. 5 Wellingtons laid mines off Lorient
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Squadron 78 |
15 aircraft detailed for operations, Target Schweinfurt.
February 24 Weather: Cloudy with rain and drizale. Visibility moderate. Schweinfurt was an important target, it was a major manufacturing
Center for the ball bearing industry.
3 aircraft would not start,
7 aircraft reached and attacked the target.
The ground crew prepared the LV815, HX353, LH799, LW319,
LV795, LV794, LW507, LK748, lW510, LW517, LK762
and LW509 for this nights operation.
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February 1944, 24th |
Returned early |
HX355 EY-D |
returned early owing to blind flying instruments . u/s
Furthest point reached at 50.07N/02.40E
( HX355 crashed in raid of 24 march '44)
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Returned early |
LV794 EY-O |
returned early owing to vibrations of tail plane
at 52.12N/00.52E
( LV794 crashed tomorrow March 25, '44 )
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Returned early |
LW510 |
returned early owing to consuming to much fuel,
Furthest point reached at 49.40N/04.00E
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Returned early |
LK762 |
returned early owing to engine problems
at 50.08N/01.40E
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Lost in Action
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LW509 EY-T
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Airborne 18:24 hour from Breighton. reported missing after being shot down by night fighter, 6 POW, and 1 killed.
Outbound, shot down from 23,000 feet NW of Stuttgart by a night-
fighter. Sgt Airey is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. F/O C.E.Melin RAAF PoW Sgt M.Bradbury PoW F/O C.F.Richens PoW P/O D.Laver PoW P/O K.F.Smith PoW Sgt K.Wisleman RCAF PoW also spelled K.Wideman Sgt R.W.Airey KIA Sgt M.Bradbury was interned in Camps L6/357. PoW No.2135 with Sgt K.Wisleman, PoW No.2126. P/O D.Laver initially evaded until captured near Stuttgart, badly beaten by Gestapo until interned in Camp L3, PoW No.3576 with F/O C.E.Melin, PoW No.3580, P/O K.F.Smith, PoW No.3579 and F/O C.F.Richens, PoW No.3596.
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