LEST WE FORGET
Air Operations: (No. 460 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LL906), Germany, 28 April 1944
Friedrichshafen, on the shores of Lake Constance, a very important centre of aircraft, tank-engine, gearbox and radar production, was attacked on 27th-28th April by 322 aircraft drawn mainly from No. 1 Group. In addition to 20 Lancasters of No. 460 Squadron, 17 other Australians captained aircraft engaged on this raid which took place in good visibility from 20,000 feet. The initial marking was accurate and a “Master of Ceremonies” closely controlled the whole operation with the result that within 15 minutes the whole area was afire and rent by heavy explosions. Three Dornier factories, the Maybach tank-engine plant, the Zahnradfabrik works and the Zeppelin hangar were heavily damaged, together with more than half of the residential and business areas. The experiences of crews on this eight hours and a half flight varied widely, many captains reporting a quiet trip while later arrivals had to face fighters over the target. Three Lancasters of No. 460 were among the 21 shot down, and Pilot Officer Cullen of the same squadron, off course on his outward journey was heavily engaged by the Strasbourg gun defences but continued on to Friedrichshafen and brought his crippled aircraft safely home.
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Pages 18-19
Lancaster LL906 took off from RAF Binbrook at 2132 hours on the night of 27/28th April 1944 to bomb Friedrichshafen, Germany. The bomb load 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) bomb, 60 x 30 lb (14 kg) and 600 x 4 lb (2 kg) incendiaries. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. Twenty aircraft from the squadron took part in the mission and three of
these failed to return. Following post war enquiries it was established that the aircraft was shot down by an enemy night fighter and crashed in the triangle formed by Appenwihr – Neuf – Brisch –
Hettenschlag (Haut – Rhin), and within 10 kms of the Rhine and Franco-German border. All the crew members were killed and they are buried in the Appenwihr Churchyard Cemetery, 7 kms south east of Colmar, France.
The crew members of LL906 were:
Flying Officer George Henry Brown (1338347) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Gordon Cranston (1452911) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Basil Forshaw (1038479) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Aubrey Thomas Grenville Jones (571686) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant William Milner (617405) (RAF) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Sebastian Rennie (1111502) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Edwin George Sneyd (1313128) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
No. 460 Squadron lost Lancaster ND364 (Warrant Officer Joseph Leary (415259) (Pilot)) on 28 April 1944.
No. 460 Squadron lost Lancaster LM523 (Squadron Leader Eric George Delancey Jarman (404507) (Pilot)) on 28 April 1944.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Chorley W R, Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War – Volume 5 Aircraft and Aircrew Losses 1944, Midland counties Publications, 1997
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Bibliography:
Firkins, P. C. (Peter Charles) (441386) Strike and Return, Westward Ho Publishing City Beach WA, 1985