The 466 Sqdn left from Leconfield at 1944-06-14 at 13:14. Crashed at 14:43
On Wednesday 14 June 1944, a member of the 466 Sqdn, Flight Sergeant R A Harrip and 6 other members, took off from Leconfield in the United Kingdom. The plane left at 13:14. Mission was a cross country test flight. He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type III, serial MZ305, code HD-).
Details:- MZ305 crashed at 14:43, near Deopham Green Airfield, 13 miles West-South-West of Norwich. All the RAAF crew are buried in Cambridge City Cemetery. Sgt Wren is buried in Denny & Dunipace Cemetery.
Summary : Halifax MZ305 took off from RAF Leconfield at 1314 hours on 14 June 1944 to carry out a cross country training flight. The aircraft crashed at 1443 approx one mile SSE of Meopham Green, 5 miles south of Gravesend, Kent. UK
Five of the crew were killed in the crash, and Sgt Wren (RAF) who was injured died later on 23 June 1944.
Sgt Tosh (RAF) survived the crash.
The four RAAF members of the crew and Sgt Humphreys (RAF) are buried in the RAF Cemetery, Cambridge, UK.
From the record s available it has not been possible to established the burial place of Sgt Wren (RAF)
An extract from a subsequent Court of Inquiry which appears on Casualty file 166/37/439 refers to the following : “Sgt Tosh stated th at no trouble was experienced in the aircraft except for unknown trouble of starboard engine s at 25,000ft. The air temperature was not excessively low –38degC. If coring did occur, the pilot used the wrong procedure when he feathered the props and stopped the engines.” An opinion was also expressed (by whom is not stated) that “the airc raft stalled and the engines failed to respond immediately to th e throttles because of congealed oil in the CSU’s and the low oil temperature in the e ngines due to prolonge d flying from a high altitude with the engi nes throttled back.”
Crew members
Photos left to right:
- Pilot P/O T W M Scott RAAF: Service No 414603 , SON OF THOMAS AND JANET LOUDEN MORTON SCOTT, OF SANDGATE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. Cemetery CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY Grave Grave 14107.
- Bomb Aimer F/S D C Martin RAAF, SON OF CECIL CHARLES AND ALICE IRENE MARTIN, OF COORPAROO, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. Cemetery CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY Grave Grave 13906.
- Navigator W/O I F Gould RAAF, Service No 410657 SON OF FREDERICK JAMES GOULD AND MAUDE ELIZABETH GOULD, OF ALPHINGTON, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. Cemetery CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY Grave Grave 14507.
- Wireless Operator F/S R A Harrip, Service No 418403 SON OF CHARLES EDWARD S. HARRIP AND ALMA MAUD HARRIP, OF ALBERT PARK, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA. Cemetery CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY Grave Grave 14307.
- Flight Engineer Sgt H Wren, RAF. Service No ?
- Mid Upper Gunner Sgt J Tosh RAAF
Survied the crash
- Rear Gunner Sgt H W Humphries
Information about Douglas Charles Martin by Sarah Whittington
Douglas Charles Martin. He is pictured here - on the left along with Ian Gould & R. Hannip
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): Mission 412: Bad weather again covers all strategic targets in Germany except one in the extreme N; a major effort is against tactical objectives, mainly in France; 1,357 of 1,525 bombers dispatched hit the targets listed below; 14 bombers are lost:
1. 502 B-17s are dispatched to hit airfields in France, i.e.,: Le Bourget (134 bomb), Coulommiers (24 bomb), Creil (25 bomb), Bretigny (69 bomb), Melun (50 bomb), Creil (66 bomb) and Etampes (69 bomb); they claim 0-5-1 Luftwaffe aircraft; 11 B-17s are lost and 139 damaged; 6 airmen are KIA, 14 WIA and 97 MIA.
2. 466 B-24s are dispatched to hit airfields at Chateaudun (103 bomb), Orleans/Bricy (97 bomb), Eindhoven, the Netherlands (63 bomb) and Coxyde, Belgium (7 bomb); and 61 hit the Emmerich, Germany oil refinery, 50 hit Beauvois, 44 hit Domleger, 12 hit targets of opportunity and 4 hit the Normandy beaches; 33 B-24s are damaged.
3. Of 191 B-24s, 7 hit Ham-sur-Somme, 32 hit targets of opportunity, 52 hit Lille/Vendeville, 12 hit Calas Tres, 12 hit Denain Drousey, 39 hit Laon/ Athies and 70 hit Chievres; 2 B-24s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 56 damaged; 10 airmen are KIA, 2 WIA and 4 MIA.
4. 351 B-17s are dispatched to hit targets in Belgium: 35 bomb St Trond Airfield, 95 hit Florennes Airfield, 52 bomb Le Culot and 61 attack Brussels/Melsbroek; 1 B-17 is lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 73 damaged; 1 airman is MIA.
5. 7 of 15 B-24s hit the Ham-sur-Somme Bridge and 5 use Azon missiles against targets of opportunity; no losses.
Escort for the bomber missions is provided by 103 P-47s; 2 P-47s lost, the pilots are MIA.
Other fighter missions are:
1. 168 of 176 P-47s fly fighter-bomber missions against Luftwaffe HQ at Chantilly, France and Panzer columns; they claim 0-0-1 Luftwaffe aircraft.
2. 234 of 242 P-38s, 178 of 190 P-47s and 171 of 197 P-51s fly beachhead patrols and sweeps in front of the bomber force; they claim 4-1-7 Luftwaffe aircraft; 3 P-38s, 1 P-47 and 1 P-51 are lost (all pilots are MIA; and 1 P-38 is damaged beyond repair.
Mission 413: 3 of 4 B-17s drop leaflets in France during the night.
20 B-24s fly CARPETBAGGER missions.
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): 500+ B-26s and A-20s attack rail communications SW of Paris and highway communications centers S of the beachhead area; junctions, bridges, marshalling yards, gun emplacements and various defensive strongpoints are included; 15+ fighter groups fly escort and attack numerous ground targets, including rail lines running from SW of Paris to the Rennes area, and highway traffic on the Cherbourg Peninsula and S of the beachhead area to the Loire River.
Campaign report of the RAF:
13/14 June 1944
8 Mosquitos to Münchengladbach and 3 to Düren, 15 Serrate patrols, 8 Stirlings and 4 Lancasters minelaying off Brest and St Nazaire, 2 Halifaxes on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
14 June 1944
221 Lancasters and 13 Mosquitos of No 1, 3, 5 and 8 Groups carried out Bomber Command's first daylight raid since the departure of No 2 Group at the end of May 1943. The objectives were the fast German motor-torpedo boats (E-boats) and other light naval forces harboured at Le Havre which were threatening Allied shipping off the Normandy beaches only 30 miles away. The raid took place in 2 waves, one during the evening and the second at dusk. Most of the aircraft in the first wave were from No 1 Group and in the second wave from No 3 Group. Pathfinder aircraft provided marking by their normal methods for both raids. No unexpected difficulties were encountered; the naval port area was accurately bombed by both waves with 1,230 tons of bombs and few E-boats remained undamaged. No 617 Squadron sent 22 Lancasters, each loaded with a 12,000lb Tallboy bomb, and 3 Mosquito marker aircraft to attack the concrete covered E-boat pens just before the first wave bombed. Several hits were scored on the pens and one bomb penetrated the roof.
This raid was regarded as an experiment by Sir Arthur Harris, who was still reluctant to risk his squadrons to the dangers of daylight operations but both waves of the attack were escorted by Spitfires of 1No 1 Group and only 1 Lancaster was lost.
14/15 June 1944
337 aircraft - 223 Lancasters, 100 Halifaxes, 14 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 5 and 8 Groups attacked German troop and vehicle positions at Aunay-sur-Odon and Évrecy, near Caen. These raids were prepared and executed in great haste, in response to an army report giving details of the presence of major German units. The weather was clear and both targets were successfully bombed. The target at Aunay, where the marking was shared by Nos 5 and 8 Groups, was particularly accurate. No aircraft were lost.
330 aircraft - 61 Lancasters, 255 Halifaxes, 14 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups attacked railways at Cambrai, Douai and St Pol. All of the targets were either partially cloud-covered or affected by haze and the bombing was not completely concentrated or accurate. 3 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster were lost, the Lancaster being the Master Bomber's aircraft at Douai.
35 Mosquitos to attack the Scholven/Buer oil plant. A short German report says that 3 bombs fell into the plant area and that 3 civilians outside the factory - a farmer, a lorry-driver and a housewife - were killed. No Mosquitos lost.
8 RCM sorties, 19 Serrate and 18 Intruder patrols, 12 Stirlings minelaying off French ports, 10 aircraft on Resistance operations. No aircraft lost.
Total effort for the night: 769 sorties, 4 aircraft (0.5 per cent) lost.
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