Hi, I am trying to find out about any flights/crew who were lost over Germany from Holme-on-Spalding Moor, on or around the 27th of September 1943?
Hi Sue, No. 76 Squadron lost two aircraft (no survivors) on ops to Hannover 27-28 September 1943. Halifax DK266 MP-O (P/O SW Hickman, pilot) was shot down by night fighter and crashed at 2247 hrs at Neuenkirchen/ Halifax LK891 MP-X (P/O DG Griffiths, pilot) was lost without trace. Regards, Dave
a number of casualties here using Geoffs search engine Geoff's Search Engine 001 BARBER KA 134720 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE PANEL 123. 002 BRIERLEY F 537128 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE COLL. GRAVE 9. L. 18-21. 003 EMERSON JM 1678504 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE COLL. GRAVE 9. L. 18-21. 004 ENTWISLE DMRB 634999 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE PANEL 148. 005 FREEMAN RCH 1332204 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE PANEL 150. 006 GLENTWORTH L 1379631 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE PANEL 150. 007 GRIFFITHS DG 156084 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE PANEL 131. 008 HICKMAN SW 146867 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE 9. L. 22. 009 HOLMES AEH 1600328 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE PANEL 153. 010 KEENE GWL 127317 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE COLL. GRAVE 9. L. 18-21. 011 PRING AS 657628 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE 9. L. 17. 012 SCOTT G 1345479 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE 9. L. 16. 013 SHORTLAND BA 1178784 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE PANEL 139. 014 WALKER CR 1077177 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE PANEL 168. 015 WALTERS LCA 1261427 76 SQDN 27/09/1943 ROYAL AIR FORCE VOLUNTEER RESERVE COLL. GRAVE 9. L. 18-21.
76 Squadron Halifax V LK891 MP-X P/O. Griffiths, RAF Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, Hanover, September 1943 TD
Anne, attached is a page from the 76sqdn record book, recording the loss of your grandfather's crew. Will be back later with a full list of previous ops flown with the squadron if needed. regards....Alan.
Hi Anne, Just in case you did not already have this information. The crew were posted in to the squadron on 5th April 43 from 1652 CU Riccall. They were on their 27th op when lost....... Ops..... April 43.... 16th, Pilsen. 20th, Stettin. 26th, Duisberg. 28th, Gardening (Sea Mining) May..... 12th, Duisberg. 13th, Bochum. June.... 11th, Dusseldorf. 12th, Bochum. 19th, Le Cruesot. 21st, Krefeld. 22nd, Mulheim. 24th, Wuppertal. 25th, Gelsenkirchen. July..... 3rd, Cologne. 24th, Hamburg. 25th, Essen. 29th, Hamburg. August..... 2nd, Hamburg. 9th, Mannheim. 17th, Peenemunde. 22nd, Leverkusen. 23rd, Berlin. 27th, Nuremburg. September.... 15th, Montlucon. 22nd, Hanover. 23rd, Mannheim. 27th, Hanover, missing.
Hi Alan, Thank you very much for the information it’s something I didn’t have. Have recently come back from visiting Rhienberg War Cemetery and laying a wreath on his grave and small crosses on the crews graves. Anne
RAF Riccall just north of Selby off the A19 was the HCU of No 4 Group who along with No 6 Group (RCAF) were the two BC Groups based Yorkshire. Some notable targets of No 76 Squadron shown in Post #7 stand out. 16 April 1943. Pilsen ......an important target in Czechoslovakia and home of the Skoda works turning out large quantities of tanks and guns for the Wehrmacht 19 June 1943. Le Creusot...home of the large Schneider industrial concern manufacturing armaments for the Germans,considered to be the equivalent of Krupps and always a priority target for Harris.(At the time had the largest steam hammer of its industrial era.One now displayed in the town centre.) Previously the daylight target on 17 October 1942 when 9 squadrons flew in daylight under the radar screen across the breadth of France to their target in Burgundy.The raid did not severely damage the nearby Montchanin HV substation which supplied the industrial site.The continued raids were an effort to severely effect armament output at Schneider. 24 July 1943 Hamburg. the first of the July firestorm raids when the Luftwaffe radar was corrupted by the first use of the British ECM "Window" later referred to by the USAAF as "Chaff"....It paralysed the Luftwaffe night fighter defence system resulting in a reduction in the aircraft loss rate and caused the Luftwaffe to review its defence systems. 17 August 1943. Peenemunde. Target planned from intelligence and aerial reconnaissance of Hitler's rocket development centre on the Baltic which was severely damaged....key scientists killed but unfortunately included those involved as forced labourers.The raid resulted in an upheaval in the Third Reich political power structure when the responsibility for development and manufacture of the V2 was seized by the SS and transferred from Peenemunde to Nordhausen.....latter recorded as being a hell hole for all those individuals drawn into forced labour in the two tunnels developed beneath the Harz Mountains.Development said to have been pushed back about 3 months which may have proved vital for the events to be unfolded in the summer of 1944. Per Ardua ad Astra