115 Squadron

18 October 1943

Lancaster Mk II - DS769 KO-H

T/O little Snoring 1805 - target Hanover, Germany.
All crew buried in Collective Grave.

Source: 115 Squadron Roll of Honour by D. Bruce, W. R. Chorley, J. G. J. de Haan.

360 Lancasters ordered to attack Hannover.

The target area was covered by cloud and the Pathfinders were not successful in marking the position of Hannover.
The raid was scattered, with most bombs falling in open country north and north-west of the city.
This raid concluded the current series of raids on Hannover.
Bomber Command had dispatched 2,253 sorties in 4 raids and 10 American B-17 sorties had also been flown.
1,976 aircraft claimed to have bombed in the target area.
Only 1 raid had been completely successful but that had caused severe damage.
110 bombers were lost on the raids, 4.9 per cent of those dispatched.

18 Lancasters lost, 5.0 per cent of the force.

One of the Lancasters lost on the Hannover raid was the 5,000th Bomber Command aircraft lost on
operations since the start of the war.
By the end of this night, the bombers had flown approximately 144,500 sorties - 90 per cent of them by night -
and lost 5,004 aircraft - 4,365 by night and 639 by day - over enemy territory, crashed in the sea or shot down
over England by German Intruders or 'friendly' defences.

Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk - Bomber Command - Campaign Diary October 1943.

ORB. 18th October, 1943.
14 aircraft took off between 18.05 hours and 18.20 hours to attack HANOVER.
1 aircraft failed to return from operations.
1 aircraft (Z.D.S.661 - Captain P/O. K. HARRIS - port inner engine cutting and the starboard outer constant
speed unit burning out) was forced to jettison its bombs live over NIENBURG owing to engine trouble.
Another aircraft Lancaster Mk II DS683 KO-R, was just commencing its bombing run over the target when it was
attacked from astern by an enemy fighter.
The Rear Gunner (Sgt. ALLEN, S.) was killed and the W/T. Oprtr. (Sgt. ROGERS, H.) and the
Flt. Engineer (Sgt. McCABE, J.) were wounded.
The aircraft was badly damaged in the combat and crash landed at Base on its return without any further injury to the crew.
The remainder identified the target by means of red, green and yellow target indicator markers on which they droped
their bombs from heights ranging between 16,500 feet and 22,500 feet.
Results in most cases were unobserved due to cloud.
Scattered fires were seen and a large explosion at 20.17 hours.
Photographs were attempted.