LEST WE FORGET
Air Operations: (No. 464 Squadron Mosquito TA372), Germany, 24 April 1945
At 2210 hours on the night 23 April 1945 Mosquito TA372 took off from Melsbroek, Belgium as part of a force of 12 aircraft detailed to carry out night intruder operations in the Sternberg area including bombing Bremen under MRCP and bomb and strafe railway junctions, trains, engines, sidings, villages. The pilot of TA372 which did not return to base, was heard to say ‘baling out’.
The crew members of TA372 were:
Warrant Officer Douglas Ross Rutter (427949) (Pilot) Evaded capture, Discharged from the RAAF: 13 February 1946
Flight Sergeant Aubrey Arthur Taylor (429676) (Navigator) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 15 January 1946
The ORB records that on 26/4 “we were pleasantly astonished and relieved to see Warrant Officer Rutter return to us after his time spent in occupied Germany, evading capture and returning through our lines. He confirmed that Flight Sergeant Taylor had baled out although he lost track of him immediately after.”
Rutter reported that “after delivering an attack on a train, accurate 88mm ack-ack fire struck the aircraft rendering the elevators, rudder, trim controls and ASI useless. He called up to say that he and his nav were baling out. Rutter saw Taylor’s chute open but saw nothing further of him. Returned to unit on 26/4 after taking evasive action following chute descent about 30 miles north east of Bremen.”
No. 464 Squadron lost Mosquito NS943 (Flying Officer Peter Joseph Baker (J/36574) (RCAF) (Pilot)) on 23 April 1945.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166//36/554; A705,166/39/547
Bibliography:
Lax, M. (Mark) and Leon Kane-Maguire The Gestapo Hunters: 464 Squadron RAAF 1942-5, Banner Books Maryborough QLD 4650, 1999
Vincent, D. (David) Mosquito Monograph: A history of Mosquitoes in Australia and RAAF operations, David Vincent Highbury SA 5089, 1982