Flight of Tempest V EJ522 and Flying Officer K Watts on 1944-12-29

On 1944-12-29, Pilot K Watts (Flying Officer, RAAF) with servicenumber AUS.420315 flew a Tempest V with serial EJ522 F for this duty: unknown operation. His mission was not completed. Circumstances of the aircraft loss: Tempest EJ 522 of No 56 (Punjab) Sqn RAF took off on 29 December 1944, leading a formation of several other Squadron aircraft to carry out an armed recce of the Rheine ? Osnabruk and Hanover area. They attacked a train, results not known, and then found they were being followed by ME 109?s which kept making passes at them causing them to break formation. The Tempest?s were unable to engage the ME 109?s due to their superiority in height. Very shortly after a mixed force of ME 109?s and FW 190?s appeared above them and attacked. After the ensuing combat at approx 1530 hours, EJ 522 and another Tempest were not seen or heard of again. This aircraft was a part of squadron no. 56. The location for the map is Dummer Lake Germany. Circumstances at the end of this mission for Watts: he was killed. He is commemorated at: Runnymede Memorial, United Kingdom.
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