LEST WE FORGET
Air Operations (No. 467 Squadron Lancaster aircraft DV237), Germany, 4 September 1943
Date: 3-4 September 1943
Target: Berlin
Total Force: Dispatched – 320, Attacking – 295
RAAF Force: No. 460 Dispatched – 24, Attacking – 24; No. 467 Dispatched – 15, Attacking – 15
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 906
Total Aircraft Lost: 22
RAAF Aircraft Lost: No. 460 – 3; No. 467 – 2
The third attack against Berlin on 3rd-4th September, although the smallest in numbers, was in some ways the most effective and caused heavy damage in the Siemenstadt, Charlottenburg and Mariendorf industrial suburbs. Four Mosquitos dropped decoy fighter flares well clear of the bomber stream and the usual diversionary attacks against towns and airfields were also mounted. The defences of Berlin were still strong, however, and the Australian squadrons suffered relatively high losses. No. 467, which had lost one commanding officer at Milan and his temporary relief three nights later at Peenemunde, now lost a newly-appointed flight commander, Flight Lieutenant Carmichael and one other crew. No. 460 also lost a flight commander (Squadron Leader Kelaher) and two other aircraft. One of these, captained by Flying Officer Randall, was badly crippled by gun fire and then by fighter attack over Berlin, but the pilot managed to fly it to Sweden before ordering his crew to bale out. Several other aircraft were badly damaged but the desperate battles with fighters had not brought any lowering of morale or determination. Flying Officer Gardner (10 continued his journey to bomb Berlin although his Lancaster had been badly damaged in a collision with another aircraft.
(1) Squadron Leader Clarence Charles Gardner DFC & Bar (416423) was discharged from the RAAF on 29 October 1945.
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1954 – Pages 581-582
Lancaster DV237 took off from RAF Bottesford at 1957 hours on the night of 3/4th September 1943 to bomb Berlin. The bomb load was 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (099 kg) bomb, 64 x 30 lb (14 kg), 600 x 4 lb (2 kg) incendiaries. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Fifteen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and two of these including DV237 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft crashed near Doberitz, Germany and that all the crew members were killed. Four of the crew Pilot Officer Turner, Sergeant Jennings, Sergeant Price and Sergeant McCartney are buried in the 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Berlin. The other three crew members are listed as missing and their names are commemorated on the Memorial to the Missing at Runnymede, Surrey, UK.
The crew members of DV237 were:
Flight Sergeant Ivor Derrick Jennings (R/130022) (RCAF) (Navigator)
Sergeant William Crawford McCartney (1370097) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Leonard Austin Price (1580639) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant David Bracken Richardson (1123968) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Eric Robson (1553859) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant James Alexander Stewart (636350) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Pilot Officer Ronald Vincent Turner (149548) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
No. 460 Squadron lost Lancaster W4988 (Flight Sergeant Norman James Conway (413829) (Navigator)) on 4 September 1943.
No. 460 Squadron lost Lancaster EE138 (Squadron Leader Carl Richard Kelaher (267504) (Pilot)) on 4 September 1943
No. 460 Squadron lost Lancaster EE132 (Flight Sergeant Robert Barr McPhan (413788) (Pilot)) on 4 September 1943.
No. 467 Squadron Lancaster ED541 (Flight Lieutenant Reginald Carmichael (412391) (Pilot)) on 4 September 1943.
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