Hi David, try posting here. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/index.php

Bomber Command raid on Mailly-Le-Camp 3/4 May 1944.

346 Lancaster’s and 14 Mosquitoes of 1 and 5 Groups and 2 Pathfinder Mosquitoes to bomb a German military camp situated close to the French village of Mailly. 42 Lancaster’s lost.

The control of this raid in the target area failed to operate according to plan. The initial low-level markers were accurate and well backed up by Lancaster marker aircraft. The ‘Marker Leader’, Wing Commander Cheshire, ordered the Main Force to come in and bomb but the ‘Main Force Controller’ Wing Commander L.C. Deane, could not transmit the order to do so to the waiting Lancaster’s because his VHF radio set was being drowned by an American forces broadcast and his wireless transmitter was wrongly tuned. German fighters arrived during the delay and bomber casualties were heavy.

The main attack eventually started when the Deputy Controller, Squadron Leader E. N. M. Sparks, took over. Approximately 1,500 tons of bombs were dropped with great accuracy. 114 barrack buildings, 47 transport sheds and some ammunition buildings in the camp were hit; 102 vehicles, including 37 tanks were destroyed. 218 German soldiers were killed and 156 were injured. Most of the casualties were Panzer NCOs. There no French casualties through bombing but some people were killed when a Lancaster crashed on their house.

The night-fighter attacks continued over the target and on the return route. Among the aircraft shot down was that of Squadron leader Sparks, who had stayed over the target to the end. Sparks evaded capture and soon returned to England. The squadrons of 1 Group which made up the second wave of the attack, suffered most casualties – 28 aircraft out of their 173 dispatched. No.460 (RAAF) Squadron from Binbrook lost 5 out of its 17 Lancaster’s on the raid.

The Bomber Command War Diaries – Middlebrook / Everitt.

Peter.

Thanks for the serial Paul, I’ve added it to my records.

Peter

Supermarine Spitfire F.21 Serial LA198 one of 120 delivered between July 1944 and January 1946 by Vickers-Armstrong, South Marston and Eastleigh.

No.1 Squadron – No.602 Squadron – 3 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Unit.
Preserved 19 February 1954.

Paul,

A name and service number might help.

Regards
Peter

29 OTU
5-6 November 1943
Wellington X LN551

Crew.
P/O. R A F. Scrivener. inj
P/O. N A. Smith. inj
Sgt. G. McDougall. RCAF. inj
Sgt. F C. Searle. inj
Sgt. Brodenkamp. inj
Sgt. T R. Clayton. inj

Took off 2130 hrs Bruntingthorpe for a night navigation exercise. Lost engine power and in marginal weather crash-landed at 0300 hrs at Naseby, 12 miles NNW of Northampton.

Bomber Command Losses Vol 7. W R. Chorley.

Regards
Peter

29 August 1943

29 OTU

Wellington III BK431 -J
Op: Training

Crew
F/O. J H. Heath RNZAF +
W/O. W J P. Gibbons +
Sgt. S. Godson DFM +
Sgt. J A. Fairhurst +
Sgt. V. Graham +
Sgt. L C. Salmon +
Cdt. J D. Woodward ATC +

Took off 1125 hrs Bruntingthorpe for an air firing detail with staff captain and screened wireless operator, a gunnery instructor, an Air Training Corps cadet passenger and three trainee air gunners. Tragically, fifteen minutes after leaving base the bolts securing the lower port wing spar failed 9due to metal fatigue) and the wellington hurtled into the ground near Oakham. F/O. Heath whose parents had originated from Lincolnshire, was taken to his birthplace and laid to rest in Cleethorpes Cemetery. His crew were claimed by their relatives and it is noted that the sixteen year old air cadet belonged to 1434 Squadron. Sgt. Godson, the gunnery instructor, had recently arrived from 50 Squadron and details of his award had been Gazetted as recently as 17 August. It is further noted that F/O. Heath RNZAF, who had flown a tour of operations in the Middle east with 37 Squadron, had been involved in a serious accident on 27 July 1943, after which his Wellington X HZ412 needed extensive repairs. W/O. Gibbons, too, had been involved in a previous training accident.

Bomber Command Losses Vol 7. W R. Chorley.

Regards
Peter.

Hampden P2083 Information
Type Hampden
Serial Number P2083
Squadron 106
X1D ZN-?
Operation Gardening
Date 1 26th May 1941
Date 2 27th May 1941

Further Information
“Serial Range P2062 – P2100. 39 HP52 Hampden Mk.B.1.. Part of a batch of 75 Hampden B.1. P2062-P2100; P2110-P2145, of which:- P2064; P2065; P2067; P2078; P2080; P2084; P2095; P2113; P2119; P2126 were converted to Hampden TB (Torpedo Bomber). Delivered by The English Electric Co. (Preston) between Feb40 and Jul40. After the ‘L’ and ‘N’ serial numbers, which were mainly allocated before the outbreak of hostilities, serial numbers do not run continuously as small groups of numbers were deliberately omitted. The object of this subterfuge was to confuse the enemy in regard to the actual number of aircraft being built. Issued initially to No.106 Sqdn, was detached to No.5 Group Training Flight before returning to 106 Sqdn. Airborne 2240 26May41 from Coningsby for a mining operation off Brest (Jellyfish Region). Ran short of fuel on the return and crashed heavily while trying to land at Wellesbourne Mountford airfield, Warwickshire. Sgt L.A.Forty KIA Sgt A.Wood Inj Sgt N.G.Lines Inj Sgt R.Thompson Inj ”

Cannot find anything concerning a Wellington at this time, I’ll keep looking.

Regards
Peter