LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Norman Brian BIRD
Service No: 431012
Born: Corowa NSW, 27 September 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 7 May 1943 (at Melbourne VIC)
Unit: No. 460 Squadron, RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 460 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB301), Germany, 3 February 1945, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Norman John and Katie Clarke Bird, of Corowa, New South Wales, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Corowa NSW
Remembered: Panel 107, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Adelong War Memorial, Adelong NSW
When in desperation the Germans turned to their benzol plants for alternative supplies of liquid fuel the Allies relentlessly widened their bombing programs to include the relatively small benzol, tar oil and alcohol units dotted throughout the Ruhr and other colliery districts. Bomber Command made 6 raids during January 1945, 9 in February, 18 in March and one in April against 24 separate plants. Altogether 3,851 aircraft dropped 15,867 tons of bombs in this period against this type of target, but the RAAF squadron effort was relatively low as they joined in only 8 raids during which 93 aircraft (out of 100 dispatched) dropped 366 tons of bombs. … Results were very hard for individual aircrews to assess, but general satisfaction was felt by No. 460 in its attacks on Bottrop (3rd-4th February), Herne near Bochum (13th-14th March) and the Bruchstrasse plant at Bochum (21st-22nd March).
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Pages 430
Lancaster PB301 took off from RAF Binbrook at 1627 hours on 3 February 1945 to bomb a synthetic oil and benzol plant at Bottrop, Germany. Bomb load 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) and 15 x 500 lb (225 kg) bombs. Seventeen aircraft from the squadron took part in the raid and PB301 failed to return to base. Post war it was established that the aircraft crashed in the middle of a wood approximately 8 kms north north west of a German airstrip at Kirchhellan.
The crew members of PB301 were:
Flying Officer John David Avery (431546) (Bomb Aimer) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF 10 December 1945
Flight Sergeant Norman Brian Bird (431012) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flying Officer Gordon Scott Brown (437490) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Gordon Atwood Tregaskis Davies (400365) (Pilot) PoW, Killed in a ground accident: 29 May 1945
Flying Officer Victor Dunn (429652) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Frank Herbert Wilkins (429034) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Roger Francis Winstanley (1868423) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
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
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/5/934
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line
Bibliography:
Firkins, P. C. (Peter Charles) (441386) Strike and Return, Westward Ho Publishing City Beach WA, 1985