LEST WE FORGET
Air Operations (No. 467 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JA906), Germany, 3 August 1943
Date: 2-3 August 1943
Target: Hamburg
Total Force: Dispatched – 740, Attacking – 425
RAAF Force: No. 460 Dispatched – 24, Attacking – 22; No. 466 Dispatched – 15, Attacking – 14; No. 467 Dispatched – 15, Attacking – 15
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 939
Total Aircraft Lost: 30
RAAF Aircraft Lost: –
A final raid (previous raids – July 24-25, July 27-28, July 29-30) of the same dimensions, timed for 2nd-3rd August failed, not through enemy opposition but through the intervention of unexpectedly bad weather. The bomber stream ran into severe electrical storms and icing conditions, and consequently became very dispersed. Few Australian crews could find the target indicators and although all but three dropped their bombs, most of them admitted that they did so by navigational aids only. Many bombs were jettisoned all over north-west Germany and more than a hundred crews bombed alternative targets in Bremen and Wilhelmshaven. One pilot of No. 466 Squadron RAAF who struggled through the extremely adverse conditions and descended to 9,000 feet over Hamburg could see only a few scattered fires and Pathfinder markers in the target area. Enemy defences were ineffective and few fighters were seen, but several Australian aircraft suffered engine trouble caused by ice. These flew home only with great difficulty so it is probable that most of the aircraft missing on this occasion fell victims to weather hazards rather than enemy action.
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1954 – Pages 586, 588-9
Lancaster JA906 took off from RAF Bottesford at 0013 hours on the night of 2/3rd August 1943 to bomb Hamburg, Germany. The bomb load was 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) bomb, 72 x 30 lb (14 kg) and 1380 x 4 lb (2 kg) incendiaries. Fifteen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and all returned from the mission.
The crew members of JA906 were:
Sergeant G Noble (RAF) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) Safe
Sergeant Benjamin Pratt (1262759) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant E A B Sandford (RAF) (Mid Upper Gunner) Safe
Sergeant R G Silson (RAF) (Navigator) Safe
Sergeant E Sykes (RAF) (Flight Engineer) Safe
Pilot Officer David Stanley Symonds DFC (409611) (Pilot) Safe, Discharged from the RAAF: 22 March 1946
Sergeant H E Twitchett (RAF) (Bomb Aimer) Safe
JA906 completed the mission and landed at 0558 hours on the 3 August. In his report the Pilot stated “Sortie completed. Visibility nil. Tops 18,000 feet. Intense lightning. Weather extremely bad. Jettisoned two containers of incendiaries in two stages in an attempt to climb over 10/10ths cloud and intense electrical storm but failed. Finally jettisoned remainder when port inner failed six minutes from target. Came out same route. Raid a complete failure. Met forecast utter failure. One enemy aircraft attacked on leaving the Danish coast killing the Rear Gunner (Sergeant Pratt) and causing structural damage.”
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
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll