On Sunday 24 September 1944, a member of the 9 Sqdn, Flight Sergeant T A Harrington, took off from Bardney 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 19:02.

He flew with a Avro Lancaster (type I, serial LL914, code WS-U).

With thanks to the SGLO and Ryan Jones

Campaign report of the USAAF:

STRATEGIC OPERATIONS

(Eighth Air Force): Weather grounds the bombers and fighters.

47 of 53 B-24s fly a TRUCKIN' mission delivering fuel to France.

TACTICAL OPERATIONS

(Ninth Air Force): Weather grounds the bombers.

XIX Tactical Air Command supports the 7th Armored Division of the US Third Army in E France and flies armed reconnaissance over E France and W Germany.

IX Air Defense Command flies night patrols from Paris to Aachen, Germany.

In France, HQ 98th Combat Bombardment Wing (Medium) moves from Lessay to Chartres; the 112th Liaison Squadron, Ninth Air Force, moves from Jullouville to Buc with L-5s; the 162d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, moves from Montrevil to Dijon with F-6s; the 514th Fighter Squadron, 406th Fighter Group, moves from St Leonard to Mourmelon with P-47s; the 572d Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 391st Bombardment Group (Medium), moves from Matching, England to Roye/Amy with B-26s.

Campaign report of the RAF:

23/24 September 1944

549 aircraft - 378 Lancasters, 154 Halifaxes, 17 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups to Neuss. 5 Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes lost. Bomber Command's report states that most of the bombing fell in the dock and factory areas.

136 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of No 5 Group to bomb the banks of the 2 parallel branches of the Dortmund-Ems canal at a point near Ladbergen, north of Münster, where the level of the canal water was well above the level of the surrounding land. Despite the presence of 7/10ths cloud in the target area, breaches were made in the banks of both branches of the canal and a 6-mile stretch of it was drained. Most of this damage was caused by 2 direct hits by 12,000lb Tallboy bombs dropped by aircraft of No 617 Squadron at the opening of the raid. 14 Lancasters -more than 10 per cent of the Lancaster force - were lost.

113 aircraft - 107 Lancasters, 5 Mosquitos, 1 Lightning - of No 5 Group carried out a supporting raid on the local German night-fighter airfield just outside Münster. 1 Lancaster lost. No photographic reconnaissance flight was carried out after this raid. Some of the bombs fell in Münster itself; the town records 100 high-explosive bombs but no fatal casualties.

38 Mosquitos to Bochum and 6 to Rheine night-fighter airfield, 31 RCM sorties, 45 Mosquito patrols. No aircraft lost.

Total effort for the night: 923 sorties, 22 aircraft (2.4 per cent) lost.

24 September 1944

Calais: 188 aircraft - 101 Lancasters, 62 Halifaxes, 25 Mosquitos. The German positions were completely covered by cloud at 2,000ft and only 126 aircraft bombed. Most of these bombed Oboe-aimed skymarkers, but some aircraft came below cloud to bomb visually and 7 Lancasters and 1 Halifax were shot down by light flak, which was very accurate at such a height.

2 Hudsons flew Resistance operations without loss.

This record can also be found on the maps of Back to Normandy with Google coordinates. You can find the maps by clicking on this link on this location.

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