115 Squadron

24/25 February 1944

Lancaster Mk II - LL644 KO-N

T/O Witchford 2051 - target Schweinfurt, Germany.
Crashed at 00.30 hrs in a forest between Schwebheim and Sennfeld in Germany.
(map reference L51 N86)"

Info via Chris Thomson, Ontario, Canada, source: Fred Trendle, Germany.
115. Sqn. (RAF) / Avro Lancaster Mk. II / # LL644 / Operation Schweinfurt /
Abschuss durch Bf 110 - Feldwebel Rauer - 3./NJG 1 /
Absturz bei Schwebheim, Sennfeld, östlich Schweinfurt (Bayern) - Deutschland /
Flying Officer Ronald Frank Nice / 7 gefallen.

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

734 aircraft - 554 Lancasters, 169 Halifaxes, 11 Mosquitos -
carried out the first Bomber Command raid on Schweinfurt,
home of Germany's main ball-bearing factories.
266 American B-17s had raided the factories the previous day.

Bomber Command introduced a novel tactic on this night.
The Schweinfurt force was split into two parts -
392 aircraft and 342 aircraft, separated by a 2-hour interval.
Part of the German fighter force was drawn up by earlier diversions.

The first wave of the Schweinfurt bombers lost 22 aircraft, 5.6 per cent;
the second wave lost only 11 aircraft, 3.2 per cent, and it is believed that
only 4 bombers from the second wave were shot down by night fighters.

Total losses were 33 aircraft - 26 Lancasters, 7 Halifaxes - 4.5 per cent of the force.

Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk - Bomber Command - Campaign Diary February 1944.

ORB. 24th Feby. 1944.
19 aircraft (5 from 'A' Flight, 8 from 'B' Flight, 6 from 'C' Flight)
took off between 18.49 and 21.11 hours to attack SCHWEINFURT.
2 aircraft failed to return from operations - no messages were received.
Lancaster Mk II LL701 KO-F, 7 KIA.
1 aircraft (A/C. U.LL.666 - Captain F/S. BIRNIE) was forced to abandon the sortie with hole in tailplane.
furthest point reached SELSET HILL. Landed R.A.F. LYNEHAM at 00.02 hours after jettisoning bombs.
The remaining 16 aircraft identified the target by means of target indicators on which bombed from heights
varying from 18,000 feet to 22,000 feet.
Many fires were observed, large pall of smoke over target.
Attack seemed very successful. Photographs were attempted.
1 aircraft (A/C. D.DS.795 - Captain F/L. L. J. HALLEY) landed at TANGMERE at 04.14 hours, 25-2-44.

04.47. 15 aircraft had returned to base.

Photos via Maggie Wilkin (nee Nice).

Nice Ronald Frank - Pilot

F/O - Service No 138588

Age: 22

RAFVR

Son of Sidney Herbert and Elizabeth Mary Nice,
of Hornchurch, Essex.

Durnbach War Cemetery - collective grave 5.B.6-16.

Source: CWGC - photo via Maggie Wilkin (nee Nice) - Find a grave by Dave Hansen.

My father Alan Nice died last year; he was also in the RAF a Navigator with
Coastal Command. (519 Squadron)

He spoke to my brothers and I a lot about Ron, their childhood growing up
together and getting up to mischief as brothers do.

He also told me about the last time he spoke to Ron on the phone - he said
"I put the phone down and cried because I knew I would never see my brother again".

Dad lost his brother, cousin and best friend during the war (as did many others)
and he said on more than one occasion that it was his responsibility to live his life fully.