115 Squadron

29 October 1942

Wellington Mk III - Z1738 - KO-M

T/O Mildenhall 1349 - target Essen, Germany. Cloud cover operation.

Shot down by a fighter and crashed in the North Sea W of Katwijk, Netherlands.

The operation was a failure. These raids were only of nuisance value and losses were always high.

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

7 Mosquitos to Holland and the German Frisian Islands, 6 Wellingtons on 'roving commissions' of the Ruhr.
6 Mosquitos and 1 Wellington bombed various targets, 3 Wellingtons (115 Squadron) and 2 Mosquitos were lost.

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

ORB. 29th. Oct., 1942.
Six aircraft (3 from "A" Flight & 3 from "B" flight) took off on daylight operations between the hours of 13.49 and 14.00 to attack target ESSEN
2 aircraft were forced to abandon the sortie owing lack of cloud cover and ice accretion and returned to base early after jettisoning their bombs.
One aircraft (A.B.K.338 - Captain Sgt. McCREA) visually bombed a build up area at WESEL from a height of 13,000 feet.
Burst were seen but cloud then obscured vision making it impossible to observe any further results.
3 aircraft failed to return from operations.

Wellington Mk III BJ660 KO-H, 5 KIA (Captain Sgt. BARKER).
Wellington Mk III X3540 KO-X, 5 KIA (Captain F/S. URWIN).
Wellington Mk III Z1738 KO-M , 5 KIA (Captain P/O. RAWLINGS).

17.40 The remaining 3 aircraft had returned safely to base.