Australia’s War Diary

Bay of Biscay. 461 Squadron’s F/Lt Col Walker and crew in Sunderland EJ134/N are attacked by six Ju 88s. In a 45 minute epic battle, the Sunderland’s gunners shoot down three and damage two. Badly damaged, with one crew member (Sgt E Miles) dead and five wounded, the Sunderland limps home on three engines to crash land near Marazion in Cornwall. Walker receives a DSO and other crew members a DFC, two DFMs and a MID.

June 3-Australia. Lancaster Mk III, ED930/”Q-Queenie”, captained by F/Lt Peter Isaacson, lands at Amberly, Queensland. It has flown from Britain, having departed on May 22 and travelled via Canada, the USA, Hawaii and Fiji and is the very first of this type to be sent from England to Australia.

June 4-Britain. Leading the Hornchurch Wing near Abbeville, W/Cdr Richard Ratten orders 122 Squadron RAF to act as top cover, and leads 453 Squadron in a diving attack on Fw 190s. He destroys one in flames. S/Ldr Barclay and F/Lt Smith damage one each.

Australia. The longest Catalina bombing mission to date. Staging through Groote Eylandt, two Catalinas of 20 Squadron attack Laha airfield on Ambon in poor weather and start large fires. Because of this, and four subsequent raids on Babo, a number of Japanese aircraft are believed destroyed on the ground, particularly on Babo on the 10th.

June 5-Britain. Three 456 Squadron Mosquitoes with crews and ground staff are detached to RAF Predannack for Operation Instep, long range fighter sweeps over the Bay of Biscay to protect Coastal Command aircraft. They form a temporary composite unit, with detachments from various other nightfighter squadrons. The 456 crews are:- F/Lt Panitz & F/O Williams, F/O Newell & F/Sgt Keating and F/Sgt Richardson & Sgt Landy.

June 6-Britain. First patrol by the Predannack detachment: F/O Newell and F/Sgt Richardson with two Mosquitoes of 25 Squadron strafe Vichy trawler Tadorre, leaving it on fire. June 11 Britain. 456 Squadron Predannack detachment crews with three Mosquitos from 25 Squadron bounce five Ju 88s over the Bay of Biscay. One Ju 88 crashes into the sea and F/O Newell damages two others.

Mediterranean. Pantelleria’s 11,000 strong Italian garrison surrenders without a fight. Over 5000 tonnes of bombs have been dropped on this small island since May 8.

June 11/12-Britain. Target Düsseldorf. 783 RAF aircraft carry out the city’s most damaging raid of the war. Thirty eight aircraft are lost, including one Lancaster (Sgt R Christie and crew) from 460 Squadron, two (S/Ldr D Mackenzie and crewin W4983 and F/Sgt B Wilmot and crew in ED304) from 467 Squadron and two Wellingtons of 466 Squadron. Halifax HR798/TL-A of 35 Squadron RAF is attacked by night fighters on three occasions. In the first, rear gunner F/Sgt Norman Williams and the mid-upper gunner are wounded. In the others, Williams’ explodes one attacking fighter and probably destroys the second. Despite severe wounds, Williams refuses to leave his position until they are safely back home. His turret is so badly damaged he has to be cut out ofit. The CGM is added to his DFM and bar.

June 12-Mediterranean. Heavily bombarded like Pantelleria, the island of Lampedusa surrenders. So also do Linosa (13th) and Lampione (14th).

June 12/13 – Britain. Bochum is bombed by 503 aircraft. Although completely cloud covered, accurate sky marking causes severe damage to the centre of city. 24 bombers are lost, including two from 460 Sqn, those of P/O L Hadley and Sgt R Vaughan. Two others suffer extensive damage. F/Sgt C Cope is hit by flak and incendiaries dropped from another bomber! The fuselage catches fire but Cope’s wireless operator, Sgt D Crouch, brings it under control after a ten minute battle. June 13-Britain. Venturas of 464 Squadron attack a viaduct at St Brieuc, France, but lose aircraft AE937/E. F/O Wilbur Parsons’ Ventura, AE908, is badly shot up, losing five feet (1. 5m) of its tailplane.

Australia. 79Squadron, commanded by S/Ldr Alan Rawlinson, with its initial issue of 12 Spitfires, is on its way from Laverton to New Guinea via Richmond, Amberley and Townsville. While landing at Townsville, Spitfire JG897 accidentally overruns Spitfire EE954. The churning propeller cuts EE954 to pieces half way down the runway. It bursts into flames and is gutted. Its pilot, Malta ace F/O Paul Brennan DFC DFM, dies of his injuries before reaching hospital.

June 14 Bay of Biscay. F/L Hec Skinner and crew in Sunderland W3985/RB-Tsights three U-boats and calls in other patrolling aircraft. F/Lt G Singleton of 461 Squadron arrives in Sunderland W/461 and a third Sunderland from 228 Squadron RAF arrives but it impetuously attacks without waiting to make a coordinated effort. The U-boats submerge and escape before the Australian crews can join in, a good chance lost. Off the Spanish coast, two U-boats are found by 10 OTU Whitley BD220/C, flown by Sgt Arthur Benson. Because of previous damage, U-564 is unable to take any avoiding action as Benson makes his attack. Six depth charges rupture its hull but the Whitley is hit by defensive gunfire, badly damaging the hydraulics. As Benson struggles northwards his starboard engine fails and he has to ditch south west of the Scillies. He and his crew will drift for three days and nights until they are then picked up by a French fishing boat and handed over to the Germans to become POWs. Benson later receives the DFM. June 14/15-Britain. 197 Lancasters and 6 Mosquitoes bomb Oberhausen through 10/10ths cloud and very hostile defences. Oboe sky marking again proves accurate. Of 17 Lancasters lost, three crews are from 460 Squadron, those of P/O W Dennett, F/Sgt C Cope and Sgt RCrook. Sgt Mick Christensen’s Lancaster suffers a direct hit in the starboard outer engine, further hits rendering his nose and mid upper turrets and hydraulics systems u/s. F/Sgt J Hocking’s aircraft is damaged by cannon fire from a Ju 88.

June 15-New Guinea. Due to the lack of Japanese air activity in the area, 77 Squadron (Kittyhawks) moves from Milne Bay east to Goodenough Island. Here, along with 76 Squadron (Kittyhawks) and 79 Squadron (Spitfires), it forms 73 Fighter Wing under the command of G/Capt ID McLachlan. From Goodenough Island, Allied aircraft can strike at enemy bases on New Britain, including Rabaul.

June 16/17-Britain. Target Cologne. 14 Lancasters are lost. Bombing is scattered and because of bad weather half the force turns back. For 460 Squadron, Sgt F Phillips’ fails to return. Sgt D Strath calls Binbrook airfield saying he has been badly shot up. He is diverted to an emergency airstrip but crashes shortly afterwards at Elsham Wolds. No survivors. June 18-Australia. Escorted by 31 Squadron Beaufighters, 11 Vultee Vengeance dive bombers of 12 Squadron raid the Japanese occupied villages of Lingat and Werain, in the Tanimbars. This is the unit’s only operation while in the north western area.

June 18/19-Mediterranean. Wellingtons of 458 Squadron, now relocated at Protville in Tunisia, recommence regular shipping searches off Sicily and Sardinia. F/Sgt Bishop and crew sink a 7000 tonne tanker with torpedoes. Patrols off the Corsican coast continue with increasing intensity as the Allies prepare to invade Sicily and Southern Europe. By the end of the month, three crews are missing.

June 19-Britain. On patrol from Predannack, four Mosquitoes find a trawler steaming south east with eight Ju 88s escorting. One Ju 88 is destroyed and W/O Gatenby & F/Sgt Fraser claim one damaged.

June 20-Australia. The Japanese raid Darwin in a two stage attack by 21 Nakajima Ki-49 Helens (identified as Bettys), 9 Kawasaki Ki-48 Lilys, and 21 Zero fighters. They are inter- cepted by 46 Spitfires of No 1 Fighter Wing. Nine bombers and five fighters are destroyed for the loss of two 452 Squadron Spitfires: P/Os W Nichterlein and A Ruskin-Rowe. Among those accounting for bombers are: F/Lt Bob Foster (1); F/O M Hughes (2); and F/Lt John Bisley (1). Zeros are destroyed by F/OG Mawer, W/Cdr Clive Caldwell; G/Cp A Walters; and gun cameras evidence taken from Ruskin-Rowe’s Spitfire shows she accounted for two more before going down.

Lancaster Mk M, ED930Q-Queenie”, captainedby F/LtPeter Isaacson, landed at Amberly on June 3 after departing Britain on May 22. Only two were delivered to the RAAF, the other being W4783/AR-G which arrived in November, 1944. These became A66-1 and A66-2 respec- tively. “Queenie” was meant to be a prototype for Australian production but this idea was abandoned. Both were used for war bond tours. “Queenie” was scrapped in 1948 but “George” eventually returned to PAF markings for display in the Australian War Memorial (Dennis Newton) June 20/21 – Australia. In retaliation for the Darwin raid, Hudsons of 2 Squadron and Mitchells of 18 Squadron bomb Koepang and Penfui.

Britain. 160 Lancasters successfully attack the Zeppelin works at Friedrichshafen. This raid marks the beginning of two new tactics. It is the first use of the “Master Bomber technique, the attack being controlled by W/Cdr G Gomm of 467 Squadron. Secondly, the bombers confuse the German night fighters waiting for the return over France by flying on in the first shuttle raid to North Africa. No Lancasters are lost.

June 21/22-Britain. Krefeld is raided by 705 aircraft. 44 bombers are lost, mostly falling to night fighters. The entire centre of the city is burnt out. 5517 houses are destroyed, the largest figure in the war so far. 1066 people are killed and 4550 injured. One 460 Squadron Lancaster is lost, Sgt A Teerman and crew on their second mission.

June 22/23-Britain. Target Mulheim. Out of 557 aircraft, 35 are lost. This single raid destroys 64% of the town. The Lancaster of F/OL Harrison of 460 Squadron is shot down and several others are badly damaged by flak. F/Sgt Frank Mathers of 77 Squadron RAF, safely reaches England flying a Halifax crip- pled by flak, with one turret smashed, two engines out of action, short of petrol and losing height. While limping across the Channel, an attacking Bf 110 is shot down. Mathers will receive the CGM.

June 23 – Britain. F/O Houston & P/O L. Engberg of 456 (Beaufighter) Squadron on Air Sea Rescue patrol find a Spitfire pilot in the sea. They drop him the observer’s dinghy and he is later picked up by a Walrus rescue aircraft.

June 23/24 – Britain. 52 Lancasters from the force which bombed Friedrichshafen 3 nights earlier fly from North Africa, bomb La Spezia, and continue to England, again without loss. June 24/25 – Britain. 630 RAF aircraft attack Wuppertal, losing 34. The Lancaster of Sgt G Stooke of 460 Squadron fails to return.

June 26/27-Britain. F/Sgt Richardson & Sgt Landy of 456 (Beaufighter) Squadron search for the pilot of a Spitfire who has parachuted into the Channel. Guided by flares dropped by other aircraft they orbited and see a torch flashing from the sea. The position is pinpointed and the pilot is subsequently rescued by a launch.

Middle East. At night, 73 Squadron RAF flies Hurricanes in defence of the Canal Zone, on intruder sorties and on convoy patrols. P/O Bruce Bretherton destroys a Ju 88. During the day it is converting to Spitfires.

June 27-Britain. P/O J. Ferguson of 453 Squadron destroys a Bf 109 in flames, while a S/Ldr Barclay scores a “probable”. Three Fw 190s are damaged.

June 28 – Australia. Nine enemy bombers escorted by nine fighters raid Darwin and are chased off by 42 Spitfires. Four fighters are destroyed and W/Cdr Caldwell claims a Betty. One Spitfire is lost.

June 30- Bay of Biscay. 10 squadron’s F/Lt Hec Skinner’s crew in Sunderland W3985/RB-T locates a single homeward bound U-boat in the south of the Bay. It takes evasive action and maintains heavy AA fire throughout Skinner’s attacks. One depth charge falls within 50 feet of the submarine. The Sunderland’s rear gunner, Sgt Steele Burnham, is mortally wounded and the rear portion of the Sunderland’s hull seriously dam-aged. With his aircraft almost unmanageable, Skinner has to break off and return home.

Australia. Japanese aircraft identified as 27 Bettys, with 21 Zero and Hap fighters, raid Darwin. They are intercepted by 38 Spitfires. Six bombers and three fighters are destroyed for seven Spitfires lost, three to enemy action. P/O J Wellsman of 64 Squadron is KIA and F/O W Lamerton dies of burns when his aircraft, A58-19, crashes at his home airfield, Strauss. F/Sgt C Duncan of 452 Squadron parachutes into rough country when his engine catches fire. After five days, he is rescued by a ground party. Among the scorers are F/Lt Bob Foster (1 Betty), W/Cdr Caldwell (1 Zero); and S/Ldr Eric Gibbs (1 Betty and 1 Zero).