Australian Aviation’s War Diary

May 5- Italy. 239 Wing breaches the Pescara hydro-electric dam. 260 Squadron RAF attacks first with its new Mustangs. 3 Squadron Kittyhawks follows, then 5 Squadron SAAF. The sluice gates and the adjoining hydro-electric power house receive direct hits. The final blow is delivered by F/Lt K Richards. Resulting flooding seriously disrupts German supply lines to Cassino.

May 6/7 – Britain. 12 aircraft from 466 Squadron are part of 149 attacking Mantes-Gassicourt. Halifax LV943/G, piloted by F/O E Hourigan, bombs but shortly afterwards is shot up by a nightfighter. The crew bale out and several are taken prisoner. Hourigan escapes and, aided by the French underground, he returns to the squadron in mid July. May 7- Italy. Despite appalling weather, P/O A Macdonald of 3 Sqn scores a direct hit on a bridge over the River Esino. New Guinea. 16 Kittyhawks of 78 Squadron led by S/Ldr A Brydon fly to Hollandia carrying their own rations for 4 days because of critical shortages. They will return on the 10th. All patrols are carried out without a single enemy aircraft being seen.

May 8- Timor. Six Beauforts of No 1 Squadron attack the Japanese army barracks in Penfui. Two aircraft (S/Ldr G Roxburgh and F/Sgt T Wallace & their crews) are lost, apparently the victims of flak.

May 9- Eastern Front. Russian troops capture Sevastopol. German rearguards hold out for three days defending points at which the remains of the army evacuate. The Crimea is again in Russian hands.

Britain. 464 Squadron continues attacking V-1 sites in France. Because of flak damage, F/O H Tuck & P/O A Crowfoot crash-land Mosquito MM410 at Bradwell Bay. They are seriously injured when it overshoots the runway. May 10/11-Britain. The heaviest setback suffered by the RAAF bomber squadrons occurs this night. Waddington provides 31 of the 86 Lancasters attacking Lille. S/Ldr H Locke of 97 Squadron RAF controls this force and the bombing is concentrated. In numerous combats with fighters, 463 and 467 Squadrons each lose three aircraft (463 Squadron – S/Ldr M Powell, F/Lt E Scott and P/O D Ward and crews; 467 Squadron – S/Ldr D Smith, P/O W Felstead and P/O D Hislop and crews).

May 11 – Burma. 607 (Spitfire) Squadron intercepts Japa- nese fighters over Imphal. Two Oscars are destroyed and others damaged. F/O Wilf Goold’s victim bursts into flame and the pilot bales out.

May 11/12 – Britain. Numerous rail targets are bombed. For 460 Sqn, amid a force of 126 Lancasters and 6 Mosqui- toes, the target is Hasselt. Haze prevents accuracy, 5 Lancasters are lost including P/O J McLeery and crew. May 12 – Mediterranean. A large U-boat hunt develops between May 12-19 south-west of Sardinia, with Venturas (17 SAAF and 500 RAF), Hudsons (608 RAF) and Wellingtons (36 RAF and 458 RAAF) all assisting naval vessels. The Australians contribution 22 sorties and 3 attacks, one a very accurate assault by F/Lt R Knight. The whole operation brings about the destruction of U-616, U-960, U-731 and U-453. The enemy has lost five submarines in less than three weeks in the western Mediterranean.

Italy. Operation Diadem – the final assault on Cassino. 239 Wing flies “cab rank” ground support operations.

May 12/13 – Britain. Pre-invasion planning requires that German coastal batteries of the West Wall are heavily bombed. It is also necessary to make numerous diversionary attacks. RAAF Halifaxes bomb the marshalling yards at Hasselt. 466 Squadron loses two, LV826 and LV919, those of F/Sgt E Gaggin and F/O L Barnett and their crews. May 13 Italy. On a “cab-rank” patrol, the Kittyhawk of F/O Roediger of 3 Squadron is hit in the oil system. Roediger continues and bombs but while climbing away his engine begins failing. While he belly lands at a small landing strip it cuts out completely.

May 14 – Britain. Twelve 455 Sqn Beaufighters, with six “Tor-beaus” and six “Anti-flak-beaus” of 489 Sqn, attack a convoy off the Dutch coast. One merchant vessel is sunk, another set alight and one minesweeper left damaged. Mediterranean. A flight of 454 Squadron’s Baltimores raid Kalamata on the coast of Greece. Similar attacks will take place on the 18th and 21st. Enemy shipping remains inactive throughout the month.

Burma. P/O D Caldwell is an instructor at Amadar Road AFTU. He had already seen action with 258 and 79 Squadrons, and while ‘resting’ he visits 607 Squadron at Imphal and asks to fly a sortie. In a fight with Oscars he sends one crashing onto a hillside.

May 14/15 Britain. Around 100 German bombers sortie over Britain. British night fighters destroy 14. F/O McEvoy & F/O Austin of 456 (Mosquito) Squadron shoot down a Ju 88 over Salisbury Plain.

May 15 – Italy. 12 Kittyhawks of 450 Squadron led by F/Lt E Strom sink a 1000 tonne vessel in Ancona Harbour. May 15/16 Britain. 456 Squadron’s F/O Arnold & F/O Stickley destroy a Ju 88 after a long chase. Several more medium scale attacks are made on scattered points along the south coast in the latter half of the month. May 16-Britain. “Last-Trip” Scherf’s real “last trip”. After much cajoling his is one of two 418 Squadron Mosquitoes heading for North Germany and the Baltic. Over the sea they meet a He 111 which Scherf sends down burning. Over Zingst, he destroys an Fw 190. At Parrow, Scherf sends down a He 177 and strafes two Do 18s moored in a creek. Next, he destroys a He 111 and a Hs 123 despite hits from a flak battery. Meanwhile, his companion’s Mosquito is badly damaged and leaves for neutral Sweden. While returning home, Scherf collides with seagulls severely damaging the plane. He lands safely. Scherf has destroyed 13′ aircraft in the air, 10 on the ground, and damaged 7. He receives a Bar to his DFC and later a DSO.

May 17- New Guinea. During a submarine search, F/Lt E Beer & P/O Fielding of 30 Squadron ditch Beaufighter A19-167 north of Sia. They are located in a dinghy next day and rescued by motor vessel.

May 18-Burma, Spitfires of 81 and 607 Squadrons intercept 6 Japanese Ki48 Lilly bombers escorted by 35 Oscars. The escorts shoot down a 607 Squadron Spitfire, but lose two Oscars, one to F/O Wilf Goold and the other to F/O J Filshie of 81 Squadron.

New Guinea. The Americans land on Wakde Island. May 20- New Guinea. Nine Beauforts of 100 Squadron from Nadzab bomb and strafe the Wom Point to Suain area at Wewak. After a strafing run on the building at the But Mission, Beaufort A9-571 is hit by ground fire. F/O L McLaren ditches offshore and the crew take to the dinghy. McLaren, F/O S Anderson (navigator) and F/Sgt F Maloney (WOAG) are killed when their dinghy is fired on by Japa nese troops. The only survivor is F/O Ray Graetz (WOAG) who swims ashore and escapes into the bush. For the next eight days he wanders unmolested through the Japanese base at Wewak. Although barefoot, wounded, suffering from loss of blood, hungry and often delirious, Graetz avoids capture by masquerading as a dejected Japanese soldier. He also sabotages Japanese guns and vehicles as well as searching for information. He is spotted at the Danmap River by USAAF P-39s on the 28th and rescued by PT boats. Graetz receives the Military Cross. May 21- New Guinea. 80 Sqn P-40s bomb enemy troops in the Tor River area. P/O L Mudge fails to return. May 21/22-Britain. Target Duisburg for 510 Lancasters and 22 Mosquitoes. 29 Lancasters are lost, including P/O R McDougall & crew of 460 Squadron. 350 buildings are destroyed, 665 seriously damaged and 124 people killed. May 22/23-Britain. 456 Sqn Mosquitoes score two suc- cesses. W/Cdr Hampshire & F/O Condon and P/O L Sanderson & Sgt G Nicholas each destroy a Ju 88. Meanwhile, three crews of 464 Sqn take off to attack German airfields. Two cannot identify their targets but F/O B Crofts & F/ Lt R Hepworth in Mosquito MT154 bomb Rheine airfield after the German controller gives them a green light to land. May 24-Italy. W/O Jennings of 3 Squadron bales out of his crippled Kittyhawk behind enemy lines. Aided by Italian peasants, he avoids capture and reaches Allied positions safely after four days.

May 26 Burma. In a melee over Imphal, S/Ldr Dave McCormack leads his 615 Squadron into some Oscars and damages two himself.

May 27 – New Guinea. US troops attack Biak. 78 and 80 Squadrons patrol over the convoy and on the day of the assault, joined by 75 Squadron, 49 RAAF Kittyhawk sorties cover the landing. F/Sgt Dawson of 75 force lands in the water off Anus Island and is picked up by native canoe. May 27/28 Britain. Pre-invasion planning requires that German coastal batteries of the West Wall are heavily bombed. It is also necessary to make numerous diversionary attacks. 15 aircraft of 466 Squadron, part of a force of 331, bombs a panzer barracks at Bourg Leopold. Halifax HX267 (P/O K Page & crew) fails to return following an attack by rocket firing fighters. F/O D Dobson, rear gunner of another Halifax, destroys an attacker. He is subsequently awarded a DFC. Meanwhile, 272 aircraft raid five coastal battery positions. One Mosquito and one Lancaster, F/Sgt R Kirkland & crew of 460 Squadron, are lost. May 29 – Italy. A tragic day for 450 Squadron, F/Os R Altoft and D Cumming, and F/Sgt F Stevenson are killed flying ground attack sorties.

Burma. The Japanese raid Imphal. 615 Squadron finds 30+ Oscars and attacks. S/Ldr McCormack damages one but breaks off when his Spitfire, MH640, develops a glycol leak. He is injured crash landing. F/Sgt H Young (Spitfire MA383) is shot down and killed.

May 29/30 – Mediterranean. A break from the routine of convoy escort for 459 Squadron occurs when six Venturas led by S/Ldr F McHale fly to Nicosia on Cyprus, refuel, and raid Porto Mercantile at Rhodes.

May 30- Italy. A convoy of 200 enemy motor transport is found on a mountain road near Subiaco. The vehicles are blocked by bombing either end. There follows a day of concentrated bombing and strafing by all of 239 Wing. 86 vehicles are destroyed and 37 damaged.

May 30/31 – Mediterranean. / Lt L Kroll leads another flight of 459 Sqn Venturas against Rhodes, this time hitting a storage area south of Acandia Bay. Intelligence later informs the Australians that the two raids in fact destroy an ammunition dump, an AA gun and two coastal defence guns. May 31 – Italy. F/Sgt Mallick of 450 Squadron is shot down and killed. P/O Garry Blumer’s Kittyhawk is badly shot up but he successfully force lands. 450’s record for the month is typical of the work done by the units in 239 Wing: 336 tons of bombs dropped in 546 sorties totalling 929 operational hours; 77 motor transport destroyed and 33 damaged; a 1000 ton vessel sunk; and two rail tenders destroyed for the loss of four pilots.