Australia’s War Diary

Pacific – Noemfoor

A tragic freak accident claims the life of Armament Fitter LAC F Adcock of 77 Squadron. A spark from a gun solenoid starts a fire on Kittyhawk A29-803 as he is performing its 160 hour inspection. This incident, coupled with inactivity through being stood down in anticipation of moving to Morotai, casts a gloom over the entire unit.

January 2 – Western Front Europe

F/Lt John Stubbs of 168 Squadron at Eindhoven becomes an indirect casualty of Bodenplatte when he crashes taking off to airtest a Typhoon that had been damaged on the 1st.

January 3 /4 – Italy

Snowfalls lift and four Wellingtons of 458 Squadron armed with bombs and six rocket carrying Beaufighters of 272 Squadron, carry out an armed recce. A 2000 tonne escorted tanker is discovered and bombed off Pola. Afterwards, F/O W Kelliher drops flares and the tanker (possibly the Prometheus) is seen, stationary. Kelliher drops more flares and more bombs.

January 4 – Pacific

From Morotai, 18 Beaufighters from 30 and 31 Squadrons bomb and strafe the Japanese dispersal area at Sidate in the Celebes. During the first week of January, 77 Wing will fly 142 sorties to the Celebes, Halmahera and the Vogelkop areas.

Western Front Europe

On armed recce near Rheine, P/O N Rankin of 80 (Tempest) Sqn shares a Fw 190.

January 4/ 5 – Britain

347 Lancasters and seven Mosquitoes to the German garrison at Royan, at the mouth of the River Gironde. In this tragic raid, an estimated 700 French civilians are killed. Four Lancasters are shot down, 463 Sqn losing F/O J Milne and crew when their Lancaster crashes in the town. Two more collide behind Allied lines in France, F/O R Eggins and crew of 467 Sqn finding their aircraft uncontrollable and baling out.

January 6 – Britain

Six aircraft from 455 Sqn with Beaufighters of 404 Sqn and Polish Mustangs of 315 Sqn, attack and damage a self propelled barge in Norway’s Fedge Fiord.

January 7 / 8 – Britain

The last major raid on Munich by Bomber Command is made by 645 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitoes. 467 Sqn loses F/O W McNamee and crew. Altogether, 11 Lancasters are shot down and four crash in France.

January 8 – Britain

Twelve Beaufighters, six from 455 Squadron escorted by Mosquitoes and an air-sea rescue Warwick, attack enemy shipping in Lyle Fiord, Norway, through thick cloud and a snow storm. The Beaufighters leave two vessels on fire.

January 9 – Britain

Twelve Beaufighters, eight from 455 Squadron, sink a 2500 tonne ship in Sogne Fiord.

January 10 – Britain

Eighteen Beaufighters, six from 455 Squadron, escorted by Mustangs, attack an enemy merchantman and a minesweeper off Lepsey. The merchantman explodes and sinks, while the minesweeper is left on fire. P/O A Winter’s Beaufighter (navigator, P/O C Dunshea) is seen to dive into the sea.

January 11 – Britain

Beaufighters from 144, 404, 455 and 489 Sqns, escorted by Mosquitoes and accompanied by air-sea rescue Warwicks, encounter enemy fighters. Three Bf 109s and one Fw 190 are shot down and a Fw 190 probably destroyed, but one Beaufighter of 144 Sqn, a Mosquito and a Warwick are lost. The Germans have been bringing troops, equipment and supplies from Norway to Germany, but soon all daylight shipping movement will be stopped.

January 13 – Western Front Europe

Near Stavelot, F/O A McLachlan of 80 (Tempest) Squadron runs into intense light flak and force lands in enemy territory.

January 14/15 – Britain

573 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos attack the synthetic oil plant at Leuna, reported as the most damaging raid on Germany’s synthetic oil industry. F/O F Howells’ Lancaster is damaged by a fighter. He force lands safely at Juvincourt. 463 Sqn loses a second crew when F/O R Leonard also force lands. Altogether, 10 Lancasters are lost including F/O G Walker & crew of 460 Sqn.

January 15 – Pacific

F/Lt Brian Ortlepp of 43 Squadron lands Catalina A24-60 in a heavy swell to recover the crew of Catalina A24-96, captained by F/Lt Ron Harrigan, which had suffered engine failure enroute to Soerabaya the previous night. Ortlepp’s Catalina is damaged while landing but an improvised patch prevents water getting in. A24-96 is sunk by strafing before the return trip to Darwin.

January 16/17 – Britain

Bomber Command flies 1238 sorties with major raids on Magdeburg, Zeitz, Brux and Wanne-Eickel. 371 aircraft, mainly Halifaxes, attack Magdeburg in bad weather and 44% of the target’s built-up area is destroyed. 17 Halifaxes are shot down including 466 Squadron’s NP969 (F/O L Barrett & crew).

January 17/18 – Britain

While attacking targets behind the Ardennes, Mosquito MM403N of 464 Sqn crashes near Merville. F/Lt R Trites is killed but navigator F/Lt Shanks parachutes to safety only 200m above the ground.

January 22 – Western Front Europe

F/O W Huddart, of 168 (Typhoon) Sqn, is reported missing. Two Tempests of 80 Sqn strafe gliders on the ground west of Dulmon, P/O F Lang destroying two. When 56 Squadron’s F/O V Turner blows up a train, his Tempest is damaged by debris.

January 23 – Pacific

The RAAF loses its first Liberator in combat, P/O Ken Richards and crew of 24 Squadron when A72-70 is hit by AA fire at Cape Chater, Timor.

Western Front Europe

Two Tempests of 3 Sqn, one flown by P/O J Torpy, fly to Gutersloh airfield where they destroy two Ju 52s on the ground and damage two more. P/O F Lang of 80 Sqn shares shooting down a Bf 109. P/O V Turner of 56 (Tempest) Sqn destroys another near Rheine.

January 24 – Western Front Europe

3 Squadron (RAF) Tempest pilots claim two aircraft damaged and a Ju 52 destroyed on the ground, this being credited to P/O R Adcock.

January 27 / 28 – Pacific

Catalina A24-204 of 20 Squadron, captained by F/Lt Jim Seage, fails to return from mining Laoet Strait, probably due to cyclonic conditions encountered over the Timor Sea.

January 28 / 29 – Britain

Bomber Command is last raid on Stuttgart. From 602 aircraft, 6 Lancasters, 4 Halifaxes and a Mosquito are lost. 460 Sqns F/O P Birt & crew are lost.

January 30 – Italy

During an attack on the railway bridge at Padova, 450 Sqn’s F/O Ted Adams is hit by ground fire. His P-40 crashes on the approach to the bridge and he is killed.

January 31 – Italy

Operating now from Cervia, only 40km from the Front, 450 Sqn flies close support “cab ranks” and destroys an ammunition dump at Arqua. About this time, Fl Sgt C Brian’s Kittyhawk “D for Doris” (he flew 81 sorties in it) is returned to the Aircraft Park having flown 299 operational hours without a break or an engine change, a Wing record and a tribute to ground crew A Mills and F Gibbins.

New Guinea

Dakota A65-34/VH-CUF of 36 Squadron fails to return from a supply drop in the Aitape area in February. S/Ldr Jackson (Captain) is seriously injured, copilot F/L Mathews dies of wounds in Tadji hospital and navigator F/Sgt Campbell is killed outright. Of three AIF supply droppers and two passengers on board, only one AIF member survives. The crashed aircraft is located in enemy territory by a patrol of AIF commandoes who rescue the survivors.

February 1 – Pacific

Eight Beaufighters from 31 Sqn attack an enemy personnel area near Tomohon. F/O D Taylor & P/O K Packham are killed when A8-10 crashes on a plateau south of the town. Intense AA fire forces the squadron to reform well away from the target before setting course for Morotai. Also lost, W/O W McGuigan & F/S A Lewis in Beaufighter A8-32 are last seen over the target area.

February 1 / 2 – Britain

Bomber Command mounts an all out attack on Germany, with 1273 bombers attacking Ludwigshafen, Mainz, Siegen and various other targets. The attack on the railyards at Siegen is unsuccessful because of faulty marking and sees the loss of F/Lt J Livingstone and crew of 467 (Lancaster) Squadron. Livingstone is KIA and the others captured. His navigator, S/Ldr Desmond Sands of WA, had been Flight Commander “A” Flight. 463 (Lancaster) Squadron loses F/O F Smith & crew.

February 2 / 3 – Britain

Bomber Command makes a maximum effort, 1252 bombers attacking Wiesbaden, Wanne-Eickel, and Karlsruhe plus other minor raids. For 250 Lancasters (of which 14 are lost) the target is Karlsruhe but heavy cloud causes this raid to fail. F/O E Oliver & crew of 463 Sqn fail to return. 467 Sqn loses F/O A Robinson & crew. F/O Keith Swain’s Lancaster is attacked by two fighters and severely damaged. Swain orders bale out but after the W/Op and two gunners do so the fire is contained and he manages to bring the aircraft home. 460 Sqn’s target is Wiesbaden and from 24 Lancasters, those of F/O J Maguire and G/Capt K Parsons DFC & their crews are lost. P/Os Wicky and Mountford of 464 Sqn are killed when Mosquito PZ452/Y hits a house at Horndean on the homeward flight.

February 3 / 4 – Britain

192 Lancasters and 18 Mosquitoes accurately bomb the Prosper benzol plant at Bottrop causing severe damage. Eight Lancasters are lost including F/Lt G Davies & crew of 460 Squadron.

February 7 – Britain

Lancaster ED932 is delivered to 467 Squadron. It had previously been AJ-G, “G-George” of 617 Squadron RAF, and flown by W/Cdr Guy Gibson on the famous “Dambusters” raid of May 16/17, 1943.

February 7/ 8 – Britain

While Bomber Command’s Main Force, 763 bombers, attacks Goch and Kleve in preparation for the British crossing the German frontier near Reichwald, 177 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos attack the Dortmund Ems Canal at Ladbergen. W/Cdr J Douglas & crew of 467 Sqn fail to return, one of three Lancasters lost. 466 (Halifax) Sqn bombs Goch supporting the 1st Canadian Army and F/O McCallum’s crew claims an Me 410 destroyed.

February 8 – Pacific

RAAF Liberators of 24 Squadron complete their successful, third and final raid on the Kali Konto power stations in Java. F/Lt Roger Court’s aircraft is unscathed when it is attacked by two Oscars, one of which drops a phosphorus bomb.

February 8 / 9 – Britain

475 Lancasters and seven Mosquitoes raid Politz damaging the synthetic oil plant so severely that it produces no further oil during the war. 12 Lancasters are lost, one of them coming down in Sweden. 463 Squadron loses F/O Fernley-Stott & crew and the rear gunner of F/O Wicks’ Lancaster shoots down an attacking fighter. The Lancaster is badly damaged but returns safely.

February 9 – Britain

Sunderland ML829/K of 10 Squadron crashes and sinks attempting to takeoff in poor weather. Two of F/Lt Stan Reeve’s crew are killed.

February 11 – Pacific

A combined assault by the 1st TAF results in 26 tonnes of explosives and incendiaries being dropped on Tondano by 59 Kittyhawks and 28 Beaufighters, including nine from 22 Squadron making their first strike since exchanging their last Bostons for Beaufighters. There are no losses to enemy action but the brakes of Beaufighter A8-65 fail on landing at Morotai and F/Lt E Morton of 22 Squadron has to retract the undercarriage to avoid overshooting the runway.

February 12 – Pacific

Ground fire hits Beaufighter A8-7 of 31 Squadron in the rear fuselage and W/O Chiffings has to ditch in the Molucca Passage. He is rescued by a Catalina next day but his navigator, Sgt E Frost, cannot be found.

February 13 / 14 – Britain

Operation Thunderclap. 796 Lancasters and nine Mosquitoes drop 1478 tons of high explosive and 1182 tons of incendiary bombs on Dresden. A firestorm, similar to the Hamburg one in July 1943, burns out large areas of the city. Great controversy has raged over the effects of this raid. It is generally accepted that the number of people who died may have exceeded 50,000. Bomber Command casualties are six Lancasters lost, with two more crashing in France and one in England. Next day, American B-17s add to the carnage.

February 14 – Western Front Europe

Tempests are active on armed reconnaissance missions, P/O J Rankin destroying a Bf 109, while P/O R Adcock and another pilot of 3 Squadron destroy two aircraft on the ground. Adcock’s Tempest EJ812 is hit by flak and he has to bale out. In the Nijmegen area, F/Lt Tony Gaze of 610 (Spitfire) Squadron shoots down an Me 262. This is the first jet confirmed destroyed for 125 Wing. Operation Thunderclap continues with 817 bombers again over Dresden losing eight Lancasters and five Halifaxes. Meanwhile, 224 Lancasters and eight Mosquitos attack the oil refinery in Rositz, a small town near Leipzig. Out of four Lancasters lost, 463 Squadron’s F/O J Padgham & crew fail to return.

February 20/21 – Britain

514 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitoes raid Dortmund destroying the southern half of the town. 14 Lancasters are lost including 460 Sqn’s F/Lt A Jenkins & crew. Bomber Command flies a total of 1283 sorties.

February 21 – Britain

453 Sqn’s attacks near the Hook of Holland on V-2 related targets continue. Two aircraft are lost. W/O John Carmichael’s Spitfire (SM255/FU-A) is hit by flak and he bales out 20km north of Leyden. He is hidden by the Dutch until liberated by Canadians. So too is W/O Bill Gadd who bellylands Spitfire SM244/FU-K at Rijswijk.

Italy

During an attack on Casarsa Bridge by 450 Squadron, W/O R Denholm’s Kittyhawk is seen in an inverted position and minus its port wing. He is KIA.

February 21/22 – Britain

Bomber Command flies 1110 sorties. 165 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of 5 Group attack the Mitteland canal near Gravenhorst for the second night running, this time successfully breaching the canal. Nine Lancasters are shot down, 463 Sqn suffering badly by losing W/Cdr W Forbes (the last operation of his second tour) & crew with an RAF Film Unit cameraman; F/O L Pederson & crew; and F/O G Farrow & crew in 463/Z all the latter baling out and evading capture. All seem to be the victims of German nightfighter ace, Major Heinz Wolfgang Schnaufer who claims seven Lancasters during this raid. 460 Sqn is in a force of 362 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitoes making the last heavy raid on Duisburg. Seven Lancasters are lost, including 460’s F/O B Heffer & crew. F/O D Davies, rear gunner in a Lancaster of 619 Sqn RAF, destroys one fighter, sets another on fire and beats off a third.

February 22 – Western Front Europe

Mosquitoes of 464 Squadron join a massive operation to destroy transport facilities across Germany. The full extent of the havoc caused will never be known but 464 loses two Mosquitoes, HX920 and NT177/O, from which P/O Judd, the sole survivor, is taken POW.

February 23 – Britain

297 Halifaxes, 27 Lancasters and 18 Mosquitoes raid the Krupps works at Essen. F/Sgt G Ferguson of 466 Squadron, a mid-upper gunner in Halifax.

March 2 – Britain

831 Lancasters, 303 Halifaxes and 24 Mosquitoes carry out a “highly destructive” attack on Cologne, now a front line city which will be captured by American troops in four days time. Six Lancasters, one of them F/Lt Holmes & crew from 460 Squadron, and two Halifaxes are lost. Jeff Holmes’ Lancaster is last seen falling in flames and crashing directly onto the target. A Halifax crashes in Belgium.

March 3 / 4 – Britain

On this, the 2000th night of the war, Bomber Command flies 785 sorties. 212 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos breach the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Ladbergen putting it out of action until after the war. Seven Lancasters are lost including F/O F Howells & crew in NG469 from 463 Sqn and F/O R Ward (ME453), F/O R Eggins (LM677), F/O Reid (PB808) and W/Cdr E Langlois (PB806) & their crews from 467 Sqn. Eric Langlois (KIA) had taken command of 467 on February 9. The Luftwaffe mounts Operation Gisela, sending 200 night fighters to follow the British bombers to England. British defences are taken by surprise and the Germans shoot down 20 bombers over England. Halifax crews of 466 Sqn returning triumphantly from Kamen are met over their own base by intruders. Eleven aircraft land before they appear but, of the six still airborne, two are shot down (Halifaxes NR250/HD-N and NR179/HD-C) before they can be diverted to more distant airfields. P/O A Schrank’s crew bales out safely but of F/O A Shelton’s crew, only the navigator and the two gunners manage to escape. Lancaster NG502/J of 460 Sqn returning from gardening (minelaying) is attacked and crashlands. Two of F/O W Warren’s crew are killed and three injured.

March 4 – Italy

Lt L Pyott, another South African in 450 (Kittyhawk) Squadron, fails to return.

March 5/ 6 – Britain

Bomber Command continues with a maximum effort with a total of 1223 sorties, for the loss of 31 aircraft over Germany. 248 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitos raid the synthetic oil refinery at Bohlen. Lancaster NG401/ JO-G of 463 Sqn is crippled by flak and two of F/O Angus Belford’s crew are badly wounded. Belford struggles the aircraft to a safe force landing at Juvincourt. 10 aircraft crash in England because of deteriorating weather. Meanwhile, 760 aircraft bomb Chemnitz, 460 Sqn losing F/Lt Johnny Holmes & crew. Returning from Chemnitz, sev in of 466 Sqn to bale out his crew but he afterwards manages to regain control of his Halifax at less than 2000ft and make a solo landing.

March 7 – Western Front Europe

In the Rheine area, F/O V Turner of 56 Sqn in Tempest NV728/X destroys a Bf 109.

March 7 / 8 – Pacific

Catalina A24-203 (P/O R Schulz & crew) of 20 Squadron fails to return from a minelaying mission to the Pescadores probably because of violent electrical storms south east of Roti Island.

Britain

526 Lancasters and five Mosquitoes bomb Dessau, a new target in Eastern Germany, with devastating results. 18 Lancasters are lost. 460 Sqn flies its 5000th sortie. Harburg’s oil refinery is bombed by 234 Lancasters and seven Mosquitoes. Included in the 14 Lancasters lost in this attack are F/Os E Jetson of 44 Sqn RAF, R Stark of 49 Sqn RAF and F Farren of 61 Sqn’s RAF and their crews.

March 10 – Italy

While attacking barges near Cavarzere, F/Lt Garry Blumer of 450 Squadron is hit in the knee by a 20mm cannon shell which breaks his leg. Despite this, he continues to lead his section home and forcelands his Kittyhawk with the undercarriage retracted.

March 12 – Pacific

No 20 Squadron loses another Catalina when A24-301 strikes a reef during takeoff from Jinamoc.

Britain

1108 aircraft, the highest number recorded to a single target, drop a record tonnage of bombs – 4851 – on Dortmund, stopping manufacturing completely. Two Lancasters are lost, including P/O F Burgess & crew of 460 Sqn.

March 16/ 17 – Britain

Bomber Command flies 717 sorties. 225 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos attack Wurzburg. Almost 90% of the industrial part of the city is destroyed. 467 Sqn loses F/O Thomas & crew. 460 Sqn raids Nuremberg losing F/O V Hedley & crew. Altogether, 30 Lancasters are lost.

March 18 – Britain

Just after attacking a rail junction west of Gouda, F/O Ernest Tonkin of 453 Squadron has to forceland Spitfire SM233/FU-P. He afterward makes contact with the Dutch underground.

March 19/ 20 – Britain

Bomber Command flies 844 sorties. 277 Lancasters and eight Mosquitoes make a highly accurate area raid on Hanau losing only one Lancaster, P/O G Browne & crew of 460 Squadron.

March 20 – Britain

F/O Marsh in Spitfire SM188/FU-S is No 2 to the Wing Leader, W/Cdr Don Andrews, attacking rail targets near Noordwijk when his engine loses oil pressure. He has to bale out 10km off the coast from The Hague and clamber aboard his dinghy.

Italy

W/O P Jackman RAF of 450 (Kittyhawk) Sqn fails to return.

March 20/ 21 – Britain

The target is Bohlen synthetic oil plant for 224 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitos. It is out of action until the end of the war. 463 Sqn’s F/O R Bennett & crew are KIA.

March 21 – Britain

453 Sqn Spitfires find F/O Marsh in his dinghy southwest of Zandvoort. They provide top cover while an air-sea rescue Catalina tries in vain to land on the high seas. Marsh is finally picked up by a German Red Cross boat off Ijmuiden Harbour. Mosquitoes from 140 Wing, including 464 Sqn, bomb the Gestapo HQ, the Shellhuset, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Four Mosquitoes and two Mustangs fail to return. 464 Sqn’s losses are two aircraft, F/O J Palmer & Sub/Lt Becker and F/Os R Dawson & F Murray.

Italy

239 Wing, including 3 and 450 Squadrons, and the 79th US Fighter Group participate in a large-scale precision strike on enemy shipping in the docks at Venice, a protected city. Venetians crowd their rooftops to watch. A torpedo boat, a tanker, and several barges are sunk and the Otto Leonhardt (3500 tonnes) sinks later. Large storage sheds and the West Quay are set ablaze.

March 21/ 22 – Britain

131 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitoes carry out an accurate attack on the Bruchstrasse benzol plant at Bochum losing one Lancaster, F/Lt D Heggie & crew of 460 Squadron.

March 22 – Western Front Europe

In a sweep over Rheine, 56 Sqn Tempests destroy four Fw 190s, one by F/O V Turner.

March 23 – Pacific

24 Sqn Liberator A72-80, “Old Nick”, crashes attempting to ditch into Vansittart Bay after being unable to gain height while taking off from Truscott airfield. S/Ldr N Straus & crew are killed.

March 24 – Western Front Europe

The most successful large scale Allied airborne operation of the war is made in coordination with a water borne crossing of the Rhine on the British front. 903 American and 669 British transport aircraft and glider tugs, towing 1326 gliders or carrying paratroops, are escorted by 679 US 9th Air Force and 213 Fighter Command fighters; 1253 more fighters from the US 8th Air Force patrol over German territory, while 900 from the 2nd TAF cover the drop and landing zones. Considering that the Anglo-American air forces can put at least 3000 bombers into the air in addition to these aircraft, some idea of the supremacy of Allied air power can be gained.

March 25 – Pacific

The CO of 200 Flight, S/Ldr Graham Pockley DFC & Bar, is lost near Borneo in Liberator A72-191. An unconfirmed report has it that the aircraft has been shot down by a Japanese ship.

March 26 – Pacific

Four Beaufighters of 31 Sqn led by F/Lt R Provost make an armed recce over Ambon. Only one strafing run is made over Haruka because of heavy AA fire but at Liang three twin engined aircraft and two motor transports are destroyed. Two Beaufighters are damaged by ground fire.

March 27 – Britain

The last V-2 rocket, the 1115th to fall on England, lands on Orpington in Kent.

March 27/ 28 – Western Front Europe

Held in reserve for much of the first quarter of 1945, No 456 Squadron flies a night Ranger operation from Bradwell Bay, attacking ground targets in Germany.

March 30 – Pacific

In another raid on Liang airfield, W/O Hart of 22 Squadron in Beaufighter A8-115, is wounded in both legs by intense AA fire. Navigator F/O D Wilson helps to control the aircraft while Hart applies emergency dressings to his wounds, they then fly 563km to Morotai and make a perfect landing. 77 Squadron is still languishing at Noemfoor. LAC R Hunter is killed when he walks backwards into a spinning propeller. The squadron looks forward to leaving Noemfoor with its sad losses and constant inactivity, to proceed on to Morotai.

Britain

The last anti-V-2 sorties are flown by 453 Sqn Spitfires against V-2 transporters in Katwijk and then on the 31st against trains transporting the rockets back into Germany.

Western Front Europe

Tempest EJ663 of 80 Sqn is crippled by flak in the Diepholz-Munster area. F/O N “Bluey” Rankin is heard on the R/T mentioning the possibility of baling out.

March 31 – Pacific

Beaufighter A8-33 of 31 Squadron is shot down after strafing anti-aircraft positions at Tulehu. W/O R Roberts ditches after both engines stop suddenly. He and Sgt B Phillips just have time to scramble into the dinghy as the plane rapidly sinks. Covered by strafing Beaufighters, a Catalina of 113 Air Sea Rescue Flight (F/Lt Mills) rescues the downed crew only 300 metres offshore and under heavy fire.