On 4/7th June 2010 Arthur Collins’s son Roger and 2 grandsons attended the 78 Squadron reunion at RAF Breighton Yorkshire being the airfield from which he left in his Handley Page Halifax LV794 E-YO bomber for Augsburg south Germany on the 24th/25th February 1944 which he failed to return. On that fateful final flight on 25th February 1944 returning from bombing the MAN diesel factory in Augsburg Germany his aircraft was shot at by a JU88 night fighter and the aircraft caught fire and exploded. The Luftwaffe pilot Maj. Major G�nther Radusch engaged the Halifax at a height of 6,500 mtrs. at 00.20 hrs. over the village of Fischbach bei Dahn, Rheinland-Pfalzer in southern Germany. At the date the aircraft went ‘missing’ Arthur had logged up 300.75 hours flying time. Arthur was blown out of the aircraft after been shot down by Halifax LV794 was shot at by a night fighter and the aircraft caught fire and exploded. Arthur regained his senses just 200 metres before he hit the ground and the rear gunner who also survived, cut him down from his parachute which was stuck in a fir tree. Arthur’s leg was very badly injured with bullet holes and shrapnel and was pulled to a roadside at the edge of the village of Fischbach bei Dahn and left until a farmer picked him up in the morning. He was taken to a convent hospital and the doctors fixed him up exceptionally well. The German pilot, G�nther Radusch that shot him down came to visit him in hospital a few days later expressing his regrets at killing some of Arthur’ crew and spoke in perfect English as he had spent 4 years at Oxford University in England before the war. He left Arthur a supply of cigarettes and chocolates. When he was fully recovered he was transferred to POW camp and returned to the UK on a hospital ship from Marseille in March 1945.
These are links that relate to the incident:
http://www.mhas.org.uk/MHAS/runway22/200501.pdf Arthur’s account of the crash.
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/raf1944/caruthers.html Details the of the aircraft loss.
Arthur was Born 27 February 1921 in Beckenham Kent he left his home in Knockholt Kent at 16 years old and joined the Army with the 4th Battalion of the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment as a private and in 1938 he won the battalion’s Rifle championship. By 1939 he had enough of the army and joined the RAF close to his home at RAF Biggin Hill. Originally he was an aircraft engine fitter but was quickly recognised as suitable for aircrew training. He was sent to Canada and trained as aircrew with the Royal Canadian Air Force at 31 ANS Port Albert flying Ansons. His flying career as a navigator started 9th July 1942. He met Doreen Heslop when she was serving with the Women’s Royal Air Force at RAF St Athan near Cardiff and they got married at St Sampsons Church Grangetown Cardiff whilst he was on home leave.
After flying Ansons transport aircraft his first flight on bombers was on 16th June 1943 on Wellingtons with 20.OTU and the course continued through to 25th July 1943. From 2nd until 23rd September1943 he was with a HCU flying in Halifax bombers for the first time. He then joined 78 squadron at RAF Breighton, Yorkshire. On 11 November 1943 he had his first flight in Halifax K.HR748 . From then until his aircraft was shot down on 25/26 February he crewed 24 flights in Halifax aircraft over Germany. These included operations to Leipzig on 3rd December 1943 in O.LW330, Frisian Islands, mine laying on 20th January 1944 in G.LW342, Berlin on 20th January 1944 in K.LW288, Berlin on 15th February 1944 in O.LV794.
After World War 2 he was initially stationed at RAF Swanton Morley Norfolk then RAF Driffield Yorkshire, RAF Waddington Lincolnshire, RAF Marham Norfolk, RAF Waterbeach, Cambridge, RAF Tangmere Chichester and then Arthur rejoined his wartime 78 squadron again in the late 1950’s for 3 years at RAF Khormaksar, Aden flying Twin Pioneers. He continued with the RAF until retirement at RAF Northolt, During his 40 year career with Bomber/Strike Command he flew in 15 different types including Avro Lincoln, B27 Washington Superfort and towards the end of his flying life in Pembrokes and Devons with Met Communication squadron at RAF Widenrath and RAF Northolt. His main task was flying Harold Wilson whilst he was Prime Minister and other VIPs. After his flying career was over he was an air traffic controller and afterwards joined the Aeronautical Information Documents Unit. Royal Air Force Northolt, until retirement in 1979 at RAF Northolt
Shortly before his death in Dorchester in 2000 Arthur was reunited with one of former aircraft a De havilland Devon at Compton Abbas airfield near Shaftsbury Devon which he flew in the 1960s from RAF Northolt and RAF Wildenrath Germany. It was Prince Philip’s personal aircraft which His Royal Highness flew it 67 times whilst it was originally part of the Queen’s Flight. His son Roger bought this aircraft in 1996 and has been restored and is still flying today. It was used as a fly past at Arthur’s military funeral on Portland Dorset in August 2000. Arthur’s ashes are buried in Knockholt churchyard in the village of his childhood and reunited with his wife of his wife of over 50 years.
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May 26, 2014 at 8:10 am