The 460 Sqdn left from Breighton at 1943-04-05 at 20:52

On Monday 05 April 1943, a member of the 460 Sqdn, Warrant Officer W B Ranclaud, took off from Breighton 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 20:52.

He flew with a Avro Lancaster (type I, serial W4310, code UV-C).

Campaign report of the USAAF:

(Eighth Air Force): VIII Bomber Command Mission 50: 104 B-17's of the 1st Bombardment Wing are dispatched against industrial targets in the Antwerp, Belgium area. The main force is directed at the Erla aircraft factory and Erla engine works. 82 B-17's drop 245.5 tons of bombs at 1530 hours local. We claim 23-8-4 Luftwaffe aircraft; we lose 4 to strong Luftwaffe fighter opposition; 13 aircraft are damaged. Casualties are 3 WIA and 40 MIA. HQ 56th Fighter Group and it's 61st, 62d and 63d Fighter Squadrons with P-47C's transfer from Horsham St Faith, England to Halesworth, England.

Campaign report of the RAF:

4/5 April 1943

577 aircraft - 203 Lancasters, 168 Wellingtons, 116 Halifaxes, 90 Stirlings - on the largest raid so far to Kiel, more than twice as many aircraft as on any previous raid taking part. This was also the largest 'non-1,000' bombing force of the war so far. 12 aircraft - 5 Lancasters, 4 Halifaxes, 2 Stirlings, 1 Wellington - lost, 2.1 per cent of the force. The Pathfinders encountered thick cloud and strong winds over the target so that accurate marking became very difficult. It was reported that decoy fire sites may also have drawn off some of the bombing.

5 April 1943

12 Venturas attacked a tanker at Brest. The ship was not hit but nearby dock installations were. 3 Venturas were lost.

With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!

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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