The 83 Sqdn left from Scampton at 1941-06-23 at 22:55. Loc or duty Bremen
On Monday 23 June 1941, a member of the 83 Sqdn, Flight Sergeant N E Byres, took off from Scampton in the United Kingdom. His mission is mentioned elsewhere on Back to Normandy. You can find the other details of this mission by searching here. Training and cargo flights are not separately mentioned as a mission. The plane left at 22:55.
He flew with a Handley Page Hampden (type I, serial AD969, code DL-X).
This story by WALTER N. CUSS. NEPHEW
WALTER GEORGE PRICE . SERGEANT PILOT 902862 20YRS . 83 SQN. WALTER GEORGE PRICE WAS BORN IN SEPTEMBER 1920 IN EDMONTON OXFORDSHIRE AND ATTENTED A CITY OF LONDON SCHOOL AND ON LEAVING BECAME AN AIRCRAFT DRAUGHTSMAN.
SOMETIME AT THE BEGINNING OF 1940 HE JOINED 83 RESERVE SQUADRON STATIONED AT R.A.F.SCAMPTON. W.G.PRICE ACCORDING TO MY MOTHER IN THE VERY EARLY DAYS FLEW UNDER THE TUITION OF GUY PENROSE GIBSON.
HE TOOK PART IN A NUMBER OF RAIDS OVER GERMANY AND ON THE NIGHT OF 22/23 JUNE,1941 AT 2255 SET OFF FOR BREMEN ON SUCH A RAID. HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY PILOT OFFICER 83977 RICHARD JOHN HEAVENS. AGED 23 YRS. FLIGHT SGT. W.OP AIR GUN. 751927 ERIC WILLIAM SPONER. FLIGHT SGT. W.OP/AIR GUN. 640781 NEIL ERSKINE BYRES. THAT EVENING 45 WELLINGTONS AND 25 HAMPDENS TOOK OFF ON THE RAID.
1 HAMPDEN AND 1 WELLINGTON WERE LOST. W.G.PRICE AIRCRAFT AD969 CODE DL-X CRASHED OUTSIDE BEVERN IN THE DISTRICT OF BREMERVORDE.GERMANY. MY GRANDMOTHER RECEIVED LETTER FROM AIR MINISTRY DATED 5TH JUNE, 1942 CONTAING TWO PHOTOGRAPHS OF W.G.PRICE AND CREW BEING BURIED WITH FULL MILITARY HONOURS.
A FURTHER LETTER WAS RECEIVED 30TH JANUARY,1951 SHOWING THAT HIS BODY AND THAT OF HIS CREW HAD BEEN MOVED TO BECKLINGEN WAR CEMETRY WHERE THEY ALL WERE FINALLY LAID TO REST IN ROW 13 F.1 F.2 F.3 F.4
Campaign report of the USAAF:
No report
Campaign report of the RAF:
June
On the 2nd, Blenheims attempting to block the Kiel Canal bombed several ships and succeeded in cutting off the page of vessels through the waterway for about 10 days. Towards the middle of the month, the night raids had increased again as the moon period worked in Bomber Command's favour. During 11th/12th June, 241 sorties were flown against Dusseldorf, Duisburg and Boulogne and on Gardening sorties. Unfortunately, a thick haze over Dusseldorf affected the accuracy of the attack, whilst the 80 aircraft sent to Duisburg managed to find a target of sorts. The following night saw a total of 339 sorties, mainly against railway yards; 91 Hampdens to Soest; 80 Whitleys and 4 Wellingtons to Schwerte; 82 Wellingtons to Hamm; 61 Wellingtons to Osnabrück and 11 Halifaxes and 7 Stirlings to a chemical works at Hüls with the balance of sorties being flown to Rotterdam and Emden. The first two targets were obscured by cloud and haze but the crews sent to Hamm and Osnabrück reported good bombing. The 4 Wellingtons despatched to Schwerte were from No 405 (Vancouver) Squadron and were the first operational flights by a Canadian squadron during the offensive. The first reports of intensive night-fighter activity were made during a raid on Bremen on the night of 27th/28th June. Almost a third (11 out of 35) of the Whitleys involved were shot down along with 3 Wellingtons. Many of the bombers however, appear to have found Hamburg by mistake (a 50-mile error). During the second half of June, the Blenheims resumed their Circus operations with airfields, factories and power stations in France coming under repeated attack.
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