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24/25 April 1944 Lancaster Mk II - DS734 KO-Y |
Shot down by night fighter Oberleutnant Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of the IV./NJG 1.
Crashed Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium.
Karlsruhe: 637 aircraft - 369 Lancasters, 259 Halifaxes, 9 Mosquitos - of all groups except No 5 Group.
Cloud over the target and a strong wind which pushed the Pathfinders too far north spoiled this attack.
Only the northern part of Karlsruhe was seriously damaged and most of the bombs fell outside the city.
Mannheim, 30 miles to the north, recorded a raid by approximately 100 aircraft on this night and Darmstadt,
Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg were also hit by aircraft which failed to find the main target.
19 aircraft - 11 Lancasters, 8 Halifaxes - lost, 3.0 per cent of the force.
Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk - Bomber Command - Campaign Diary April 1944.
ORB. 24th APRIL 1944.
21 aircraft were detailed to attack KARLSRUHE and took off between 21.48 hours to 22.19 hours.
Target was identified by red and green target indicators and visually by river.
Bombs and incendiaries were dropped from heights varying between 15,000 feet and 22,000 feet.
Path Finder Force considered very accurate. Whole area covered with incendiaries.
Good fires seen blazing all round target indicators.
Gas works clearly seen in light of flares. Attack considered very successful.
1 aircraft (C.ND.761 - Captain P/O. D. CAMERON) returned early with generators overcharging.
Aircraft J.HK.542 (Captain F/S. Bennett, P.) Lancaster Mk I HK542 KO-J, 7 KIA,
and aircraft Y.DS.734 (Captain F/S. Cagienard, R.) reported missing from operations.
No news since take-off.
Aircraft C.N.D.800 (Captain F/Lt. W. G. Shadforth) sustained damage as result of Flak and enemy night fighter.
Three of the crew were injured, but the aircraft was successfully brought back and landed at MANSTON.
(Wireless Operator - *Sgt. WEIR, R., DFM - page 2, rear gunner Sgt. BRADLEY, W.
and mid-upper Sgt. SHARPE, T. gunners wounded.
Lights were shot on results of combat but extinguished by engineer *Sgt. VEALE, A., DFM, with axe.
F/lt. Shadforth, W. G., later S/L. DFC, *crashed with Lancaster Mk I - HK545 KO-E at 12/13 June 1944, there were no survivors.
04.33. 17 aircraft had returned to Base.
1 aircraft landed at MANSTON at 03.40 hours,
and 1 aircraft (G.ME.692 - Captain P/O. S. W. HOLDER) at WITTERING at 05.00 hours.