LEST WE FORGET

Warrant Officer Douglas William McCULLOCH

Service No: 425878
Born: Brisbane QLD, 3 April 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 21 May 1942
Unit: No. 164 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 164 Squadron Typhoon aircraft MN853), Germany, 10 April 1945, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William and Margaret McCulloch, of Annerley, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 126, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

On 10 April 1945, Typhoon MN953 flown by Warrant Officer McCulloch carried out a successful attack on Siron Point. While the aircraft was returning to base B91 and when in a position south west of Friesey the aircraft was seen to explode in the air, burst into flames and crash into a ploughed field on the outskirts of Hazelunne at 1850 hours.

The aircraft was hit by a 5.5 inch shell fired from a gun of 276 Battery, 121 Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery who were engaged with the enemy at a range of 16,000 yards. The elevation necessary for such a long range gave a very high trajectory to the shell of over 15,000 feet. The formation of Typhoon aircraft approached the gun position from directly ahead and MN853 came directly into the line of fire of one of the guns as the first salvo was fired from the Battery. The gunners did not see the aircraft until the actual moment when the first salvo was fired.

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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/26/896

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