Wellington BJ688 28/29 August 1942

Wellington Mk III - BJ688 KO-R

T/O Marham 2026 - target Nuremberg, Germany.
Shot down around midnight by a night fighter, Lt Ludwig Meister, of the NJG4.
Crashed about 500 meters beyond the village of Eich, near Worms, Germany.

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

159 aircraft - 71 Lancasters, 41 Wellingtons, 34 Stirlings, 13 Halifaxes.

Crews were ordered to attack Nuremberg from as low as possible.
The Pathfinders found their aiming point and, for the first time, marked it with target indicators adapted from 250lb bomb casings.
Photographs showed that these were placed with great accuracy and the crews of the Main Force claimed to have carried out a good attack.
A report from Nuremberg does not quite confirm this.
Bombs were dropped as far away as the town of Erlangen, nearly 10 miles to the north, and 4 people were killed there.
In Nuremberg itself, the number of bombs recorded would indicate that approximately 50 aircraft hit the town.
137 people were killed; 126 civilians and 11 foreigners.

23 aircraft - 14 Wellingtons, 4 Lancasters, 3 Stirlings, 2 Halifaxes - lost, 14.5 per cent of the force.
The Wellington losses were 34 per cent of those dispatched!

Source: nationalarchives.gov.uk - Bomber Command - Campaign Diary August 1942.

ORB. 28th. August, 1942.
15 aircraft (9 from "A" Flight & 6 from "B" Flight) took off for operations between 20.26 and 20.48 hours to attack
targets SAARBRUCKEN and NURNBERG.

5 aircraft detailed to attack SAARBRUCKEN bombed from heights ranging between 8,000 and 9,500 feet and bursts were observed
on and around aiming point, fires were caused in town and marshalling yards.
One aircraft (A/C. Q.X.3718 - Captain P/O. OWEN) landed at MANSTON owing to shortage of petrol.
One of the ten aircraft detailed to attack NURNBERG attacked target SAARBRUCKEN, owing to engine trouble,
and bombs were seen to burst on the target and 6 fires were observed burning on target.

Of the other nine detailed to attack NURNBERG, four failed to return,
Wellington Mk III X3464 KO-B - 5 POW
Wellington Mk III X3647 KO-A - 4 KIA, 1 POW
Wellington Mk III X3675 KO-D - 3 KIA, 1 POW, 1 Evd
Two successfully located target and bombed from heights ranging 10,000 and 12,000 feet, bursts being observed in build up area,
one of these aircraft crashing on landing (A/C. T.Z.1607 - Captain P/O. BERRY). at Barton Bendish due to petrol shortage
caused by airscrew pitch control being temporarily u/s. All crew reported to have survived with no serious injuries.
Two aircraft jettisoned their bombs safe owing to airscrew (A/C. C.B.N. - Captain P/O. SHIRES) and
(A/C. N.B.J.663 - Captain S/L. SANDES) engine trouble respectively; and one aircraft
(Captain W/C. COUSENS - Wellington Mk III X3351 KO-Y) was forced to jettison its bombs when attacked
by enemy fighter, returning to base with the W/T. Operator (Sgt. CLAY H.) fatally injured.

11 aircraft returned to base after operations by 04.38 hours.

Pafford Clifford WilbertWellington BJ688 Pafford Clifford Wilbert - Pilot

P/O - Service No J/8215

Age: 24

RCAF

Son of L. G. Pafford and Florence Pafford, of St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.
Husband of Ruth Pafford.

Durnbach War Cemetery - 2. G. 7.

Source: CWGC - Photo via Paul Markham, 77 Squadron Association - Canadian virtual war memorial. -
Find a Grave by BobB.

Frederick George PaffordP/O Pafford's older Brother F/Lt Frederick George Pafford (29),
a Flying Instructor, was also killed in a flying accident on 8 June 1942
and is buried in Chippenham, Wiltshire.

Source: Paul Markham, 77 Squadron Association, thanks.

Wellington BJ688 Laidlaw Francis Angus James - Observer

P/O - Service No 120035

Age: 32 - °25 June 1910, Hoddam, Scotland.

RAFVR

Son of James and Mary C. Laidlaw.
Husband of Janet J. Laidlaw, of Edinburgh. M.A., B.Sc. (Glasgow).

Durnbach War Cemetery, Gmund am Tegernsee, Landkreis Miesbach, Bavaria (Bayern) - 2. G. 10.

Source: CWGC - photo via Paul Markham, 77 Squadron Association - University of Glasgow - Find a Grave.

Follett Eric Gordon Follett Eric Gordon - WOP

Sgt - Service No 1287626

Age: 22

RAFVR

Son of Sydney Edwin and Emily Jane Follett, of Ealing, Middlesex.

Durnbach War Cemetery - 2. G. 6.

Source: CWGC - photo via Paul Markham, 77 Squadron Association - Find a Grave.

Ellis Arthur Frank Ellis Arthur Frank - BA

Sgt - Service No 657672

Age: 27

RAFVR

Son of Arthur Edward and Angelina Ellis.
Husband of Ivy Beatrice Ellis, of Hastings, A.C.I.S.

Durnbach War Cemetery - 2. G. 8.

Source: CWGC - Find a Grave.

Jemmett JosephJemmett Joseph Jemmett Joseph - Air Gnr.

F/S - Service No R/87576

Age: 27

RCAF

Son of John and Anna Jemmett, of Toronto. Ontario. Canada.

Durnbach War Cemetery - 2. G. 9.

Source: CWGC - Photo via Canadian virtual war memorial - Find a Grave by BobB.