420 Squadron Wellington Period
August 1942 to October 1943

Vickers Wellington

The Vickers Wellington bomber became operational in 1939 and was used in a variety of roles through the war. By war's end 11,461 had been built. 420 squadron flew two versions of the "Wimpy", the Mark III and Mark X. The bomber had a wingspan of just over 86 feet and a length of sixty-four seven inches. The maximum speed was around 250 miles/hour. The Mark III was powered by 1,375 hp Bristol Hercules engine. The ceiling for the Wellington was 22,000 feet or higher. Its range with a 1,500 lb bomb load was in the order of 2,200 miles. It had a bomb bay large enough to carry a 4,000 lb cookie "blockbuster". Defensive armaments included two .303 gun turrets one in the nose (two guns) and one in the tail (four guns). The typical aircrew for the Wellington consisted of five: pilot, navigator, bomb aimer (who operated the front gun turret), wireless operator, and rear gunner.

The only two existing static displays of Wellington bombers are both to be found in England. One is in The Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, Surrey and the other is at the London Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon, just outside of London.

Squadron Records

(In the squadron records below entries summarized from the 420 Squadron Operational Record Books (ORB's) are in normal type. The actual bomb crew debriefings are indicated in brown bold italic. Supplemental information from various sources, particularly Middlebrook and Everitt (1990) and Dunmore and Carter (1991), and my comments are in green bold italic. I have also included the aircraft losses for each mission as documented in Middlebrook and Everitt (1990) and Dunmore and Carter (1991) bold (BC-#; 6 Group-#) at the end of each applicable entry.)

August 6 to August 12, 1942: The main squadron force arrived at the airbase just north of the village Skipton-on-Swale, seven miles west of Thirsk, on August 6, 1942. All aircrew were paid and given seven days leave along with half the ground crew. Liberty passes were issued for Thrisk. Wellingtons arrived from 419 Squadron and dual flying kits were installed in two of them. Dental van arrived at squadron and it was arranged for a barber to visit. A softball diamond was laid out complete with backstop and 420 squadron beat 425 Squadron. Entertainment included movies at base such as "49th Parallel" and ENSA shows at Leeming.

August 13: Entertainment at Leeming. Squadron personnel transported by truck to see show.

August 15: Dental van arrived at squadron. All squadron went to Leeming for inspection by the Canadian Minister of National Defence for Air.

August 16: Sunday church service performed by F/Lt Taylor the squadron's Padre. First flights by squadron in Wellington III

August 17: Softball diamond prepared. Conversion flights continue. YMCA movie shown for personnel.

August 20: Bus transport for personnel going to see entertainment at Leeming.

August 24: Movie "49th Parallel" shown by YMCA.

August 25: Squadron beat 425 squadron in softball. It has been arranged for a barber to visit squadron.

Daily log entries from Aug 26 to 30 Sep are essentially illegible.

October 1: Fog in the morning cancelled flying till afternoon. Night practice flying from Leeming air base. Five aircraft bombed up for first operational flights but these were cancelled. A bus carrying some personnel who went to see ENSA Show at Leeming collided with a parked vehicle killed one ground crew member and injured five others.

October 2: Two aircraft on night x-country exercises.

Operational flights were flown from Leeming air base rather than Skipton-on Swale, requiring the planes, aircrew and supporting ground crew transported to Leeming whenever the squadron was detailed for ops.

October 3 and 4: Both nights the squadron was required for ops that were subsequently cancelled.

October 5: Nine planes assembled at Leeming along with ground crew and aircrew for ops. Last minute bomb load change resulted in only three aircraft taking off. One of these lost their intercom and had to return early. Other two bombed target and returned safely. These were the first operational missions for the squadron in Wellingtons. Bomb loads for the mission were 6x500 plus 2 SBC (90x4). Take off time was ~19:10. Crews reported seeing many fires and bomb bursts in the target area. Skies over the area were broken cloud. Weather over England was very bad with intense thunderstorms and static electricity build up on the planes. This night Bomber Command attacked Aachen with 257 bombers. Poor weather and target marking resulted in bombs being scattered with little damage to Aachen. The nearby Dutch town of Lutterade was heavily damaged with 800 homes damaged and over 100 casualties. Although only ten aircraft were reported missing on the mission an additional six crashed in England trying to land due to the bad weather. (BC-10)

October 6: Nine aircraft on ops for tonight. Personnel transported to Leeming. Seven aircraft took off and bombed target. On return one overshot runway due to flak damage. Crew was not injured. Take off time was ~19:00 with bomb loads of 6x500 plus 2 SBC (90x4) incendiaries. Crews bombed between 21:27 and 21:38 through broken cloud. Ground haze and low cloud made identifying ground detail difficult. PFF flares over target and on route. Many small fires reported that were visible 20 miles from target. Defences of light and heavy flak with searchlights, moderate. The primary target was Osnabruck. Bomber Command sent 237 bombers to the target. Good marking by the pathfinders resulted in the bombing being focussed in the center of the town. City reports indicate 3,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed along with over 200 casualties. (BC-6)

October 7 to October 12: The squadron was required for ops each night but after the planes had been bombed up the ops were cancelled for various reasons. YMCA movie in Airmens's Mess "Target for Tonight". On October 9, CO Bradshaw led a group to Middleton St George to check out the new base for Squadron while preparations for move continued.

October 13: Ten aircraft on ops. Three successfully bombed target. One was damaged slightly when it crashed into another. One had a forced landing causing injuries to two crew members. One aircraft crashed into a house while landing at Leeming in poor weather. All five crew were killed. On route to the target BK295 "H", flown by P/O Hynam, was in collision with an unidentified aircraft at 14000 feet near the Danish coast. The crew jettisoned the bombs and turned for base. The collision cut off about 1 foot of the tail and rudder as well as damaging the port wing. Only "O" and "N' reached the primary target. The target was illuminated by PFF. Large fires were developing as the result of the attacks. "J" attacked a concentration of search lights near Kiel and "U" attacked a town. X3963 "D" crashed at Docking with no serious injuries to the crew. The pilot, P/O Adilman, tried to overshoot but the engines cut out and the aircraft stalled. DE636 "S" piloted by WB Croft with crew members, REE Curd; AM Wardrop, WJ Jones, HJT Gray crashed at Leeming killing all aboard. On this night Bomber Command targeted Kiel with 288 planes. Half the force was tricked by decoy fires to bomb countryside. Extensive damage was reported to roofs. The mix of bombs used by Bomber Command included large blast bombs, which were supposed to blow the roofs off buildings. Once the roofs were damaged incendiaries would be able to fall into the structures enabling fires to start more easily. Only about 140 casualties were reported. (BC-8)

October 14: Preparations for move.

October 15: Most squadron personnel moved to Middleton St George. Seven aircraft prepared for ops and attacked Cologne from Middleton St George. One aircraft missing. Bomb loads consisted of 6x500. Take off time was ~18:55. The plane flown by P/O Maitland was an early return due to troubles with both engines. The primary target "aiming point A", in Cologne was attacked at ~21:02 from 12500 to 15000 feet. The target was almost completely cloud covered to 5000 feet so the crews bombed on the flares of PFF. Crews reported scattered fires. X3808 "B" piloted Sgt LE White with nav P/O RG Bing, F/O FW Buck, JM Joynt and gun Sgt DB Smyth was reported missing. All the missing crew were killed. The seven bombers from the squadron were part of 289 sent to attack Cologne on this night. The raid turned into a failure due to winds blowing from a direction not forecast. This caused navigation errors by the pathfinders. By the time the pathfinders marked the target a decoy fire had attracted much of the force. Only about 200 bombs fell on Cologne causing minimal damage and casualties. (BC-18)

From October 16 to October 21 the squadron was not on ops and used the time for an intensive period of training flights.

October 22: Preparations made for a day attack on Emden but recon aircraft reported clear skies so ops were cancelled.

October 23: Five aircraft bombed up and took off for a daylight raid. Only one bombed target due to clear weather. All returned safely. One landed at Waddington. Bomb loads were 2x1000 plus 2x500. Take off time was ~12:42. Four aborted the mission due to clear weather. F/Sgt Lun???? flying BJ717 "Q" bombed the target at 15:24 from 2000 feet on dead reckoning due to overcast clouds below. The crew could not see any results. The squadron was part of a minor afternoon attack on Krefeld by 15 Wellingtons. (BC-0)

October 24 to 30: The squadron was not on ops or the ops were cancelled for various reasons. Some training flights were undertaken when weather permitted.

October 31: Day ops against Emden by three aircraft detailed. One did not take off due to u/s intercom. Other two successfully bombed target and returned to base. Take off time was ~10:50. The target area was cloud covered with tops to 3000 feet so crews bombed on DR from last pinpoint. No results were observed. This was a minor daylight operation by eight Wellingtons. (BC-1)

November 1: Voluntary church parade with fair attendance. Three aircraft readied for ops but not needed.

November 2: Three aircraft prepared for daylight raids but due to fog these were cancelled. Some training flights carried in spite of fog.

November 3: Four aircraft prepared for daylight attack. Fog cancelled flying. No ops for night. A "highly successful" dance was held in the officer's mess.

November 4: Daylight crews stood down. Eleven aircraft on night ops but these were cancelled due to bad weather. The squadron is at 100% serviceability with no aircraft being overhauled.

November 5: Heavy fog lasted all day scrubbing any training or operational flights.

November 6: Three aircraft were to make a daylight attack on Wilhelshaven but all bombed alternate targets. Take off time was ~11:00. All three crews were uncertain of their exact position when they bombed due to complete overcast conditions. This was another minor raid that was not successful due to cloud cover. (BC-0)

November 7: On standby for day ops, which were cancelled. Then on standby for night ops, which were also cancelled. Application for Victory Bonds was forwarded to HQ.

November 8: Ten aircraft on gardening ops in the St. Nazarine area of Denmark. Seven were successful. The Wellingtons were loaded with two mines each. Take off time was ~18:00. One aborted because of low cloud and mist. Another due to u/s rear turret. And another could not pin point their position. Sgt Lundeen in BJ717 "Q" aborted the mission when they came under intense light flak fire near Borham(?). Wop was struck in the leg and flaps and intercom damaged. Bomber Command sent 36 aircraft to mine St. Nazerine. (BC-1)

November 9: On ops. Eleven aircrafter from squadron requested to attack Hamburg. Six were successful, 4 jettisoned bombs and one is missing. Bomb loads were 9SBC(90x4). Take off time was ~ 17:55. P/O Maitland was an early return in BK330 "K" due to an oxygen failure. Sgt Thomson, flying X3335 "D" was another early return because the fuel cocks were not set properly and all the fuel was drained from one wing. The crew had jettisoned the bomb load before the mistake was detected. The S/Ldr Smith, flying "U", aborted the mission and returned early when he had a problem with his hearing. S/Ldr Jaccobs flying BK295 "H" attacked a heavy flak concentration at an unknown location. 10/10's cloud over target. Flak caused minor damage to the plane. Crews that claimed to have attacked the general area of the primary target did so on estimated time of arrival (ETA) and dead reckoning (DR) because of large area of heavy cloud. Crews encountered intense flak. Z1679 "B" with pilot WS Beale, Sgt AJM Smith, Sgt C Snider, Sgt C Collard, and Sgt JD McDonald were reported missing. Bomber Command detailed 213 aircraft for the attack. Bad weather conditions and winds not forecast caused many navigation errors. Hamburg was receiving heavy rains at the time of the attack. Most bombs fell in the countryside with little damage to the primary target. (BC-15)

November 10: Five aircraft successfully completed mining ops. Take off time was ~17:20. All crews deployed their pairs of mines in designated spots. Bomber Command sent 42 aircraft to mine in the waters off Biscay and Frisians. Official reports state no aircraft were lost but two Lancasters crashed on their return to England from the mission. (BC-0)

November 11: Five aircraft on mining ops but all returned with mines due to bad weather. The French coastline was socked in down to 200 feet. The crews could not locate their landfall and therefore their precise location. All brought their mines back. Bomber Command sent 31 Wellingtons to mine the port areas of Biscay, France. (BC-0)

November 12: Hockey team played 424 Squadron and beat them 4-0 for their second win!!

November 13: Eight aircraft prepared for night ops, which were eventually cancelled. The five diverted aircraft arrived back at base.

November 14: Saturday morning Station Commanders Parade. Eight aircraft prepared for night ops, which were later cancelled.

November 15: Eight aircraft prepared for mining but these were cancelled at 16:30. Station Padre conducted church service.

November 16: Two aircraft successfully laid mines in the Frisians. P/O Craton, in BK297 "U" and F/Sgt Lundeen, flying BJ966 "R" were successful in laying their mines from 700 and 900 feet respectively. Bomber Command had 65 planes detailed to mine various areas along the coastline of Europe. (BC-3)

November 17: Seven aircraft laid mines in the Frisians. Take off time was ~ 16:52. All crews reported successful deployment of their mines. No reportable defences encountered. Bomber Command sent of 65 planes to mine coastal areas from Lorient to the Frisians. (BC-0)

November 18: Four planes prepared for day attacks but these were cancelled as were mining operations involving eight aircraft.

November 19: Nine aircraft bombed up for night ops. Crews briefed at 14:45. Ops cancelled at 16:00 hrs.

November 20: Nine aircraft, crews and ground crew were transported to Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Eight were able to take off and successfully bomb the primary target. The flight path took the crews over the Alps. Target was Turin "D". Take off time from Abingdon was ~18:24. Crews bombed at 22:05 from 16000 to 17500 feet. The crews bombed with the aid of illuminating flares laid down by PFF in good visibility with some haze. Crews reported seeing bomb blasts and many fires increasing in size. Smoke columns rising to 4000 feet. Defences were reported as minimal. Bomber Command attacked Turin with 232 aircraft this night. This was the second attack on Turin from bombers based in England in two days. The round trip for the squadron was over 1200 miles including a portion flying over the Alps. The attack was successful with many fires started. Over 200 casualties were reported by Turin officials. (BC-3)

November 21: Aircraft and personnel returned from Abingdon. Aircrews "thrilled" over the flight across the Alps.

November 22: Eight aircraft bombed up to participate in raid on Stuttgart. One was damaged by flak and injured the second pilot. It crashed at a base. The rest returned safely. Primary target Stuttgart "C". Take off about 18:00. Bomb load 2x500, four SBC (90x4). Target identified visually and with the aid of PFF flares. Bombed target about 21:55 from 12,000 to 16,000 feet. Bombs were seen to burst in target area and fires starting. Fires were seen from 150 miles away. Diverted on return to Stradishall landing about 2:00. X3392 "C" was returning from the target with the second dickey flying the plane and ended up over Paris where it was caught in search lights. The pilot, P/O Burt, took over and dived the plane to 50 feet to get out of the search light cone and flak. The plane was hit by a flak burst just behind the instrument panel damaging hydraulics, all instruments and the starboard engine. S/L Williams, the second dickey, was slightly injured. The pilot was able to fly the plane back to Runaden where he crash landed. Bomber Command sent 222 aircraft to Stuttgart. Due to haze and cloud the pathfinders were not able to mark the center of Stuttgart. Most bombs were dropped in the southern suburbs, however two bombers, flying at low levels, managed direct hits on the railway station. In all over 400 houses were damaged and about 100 casualties were reported. (BC-10)

November 23: Aircraft returned from Harwall. Two aircraft detailed to lay mines. One returned with u/s intercom. "D" was an early return with a u/s intercom. Sgt Hororenko's crew in BJ966-"R" was successful. Bomber Command sent 35 to the Biscay ports and the Frisian Islands to lay mines. (BC-0)

November 24: Prepared for ops that were cancelled.

November 25: Three aircraft sent on mining ops in the Frisians "jellyfish". One was unable to pinpoint their location and another had u/s intercom. One was successful. Target area was cloudy. F/Sgt Kennedy's crew in X3926 "A" was successful. Bomber Command sent 22 aircraft to St Nazarine and the Frisian Islands to lay mines. (BC-0)

November 26: Night bombing ops were cancelled but four were sent on gardening mission. Two were successful and two brought their mines back. Bad weather diverted the planes to Dishforth. Poor weather resulted in two crews not being able to pinpoint their locations so they brought back their mines. S/L Jacobs, BK295 "H" and F/Sgt Lundeen, BJ966 "R", were successful in laying mines. These were part of a group of 30 aircraft sent to mine St Nazarine, the Frisian Islands and Kattegat. (BC-0)

November 27: Night ops cancelled.

November 28: No ops carried out. Air Vice Marshall, Brookes A.O.C. of 6 Group visited the Squadron.

November 29: No ops. Station Padre F/Lt H.N. Taylor conducted Protestant church services.

November 30: Daylight and night ops prepared for but all were cancelled.

December 1 to December 5: Ops were cancelled due to various reasons.

December 6: Ten aircraft on night ops. Seven bombed a target which some thought was the primary while others did not. Planes diverted to other bases on return. Bomb loads were 2x500 plus 4 SBC(90x4). Take off time was ~17:00. Sgt Taylor in X3335 had propeller problems. F/Sgt Kennedy flying X3926 bombed on PFF markers but unsure of location due to clouds. P/O Maitland had the port engine go u/s so had to jettison bombs. Sgt Thomas did not reach target and brought bombs back. Crews reported complete overcast over the target with cloud tops to 10000 feet. They bombed on DR from last Gee and/or on PFF flares. Bombing occurred at ~20:20 from 13000 to 15000. No real results observed due to cloud cover. Some crews reported a glow on the clouds from fires. Bomber Command detailed 272 aircraft to attack Mannheim. When the Pathfinders arrived over the target it was completely cloud covered. The Pathfinders did not drop target indicator flares so the bombers dropped their bombs on their navigators' coordinates. This resulted in wide spread bombing with minimal damage occurring in Mannheim. (BC-10)

December 7: Aircraft returned from diverted bases. Two carried out mining ops. The crews of Sgt Wilson and Sgt Tayler successfully laid their two mines each in the designated locality. Bomber Command had 36 aircraft detailed to lay mines from Biscay to the Frisian Islands. (BC-0)

December 8: Four of seven aircraft were successful in mine laying. One crew had starboard engine problems and had to jettison their mines. Three other crews could not find the location and returned with the mines. Bomber Command sent a force of 80 aircraft to lay mines along Germany and Denmark. (BC-5)

December 9: Eight aircraft flew to Harwell. Seven were able to take off from Harwell and bombed Turin. Bomb loads for this trip consisted of 2x500 plus 4 SBC (90x4). Take off time was ~17:40. The primary target of Turin "B" was attacked at ~21:33 from 10000 to 17500 feet. Crews reported many fires in the target area. The crews encountered some intense like flak and some ineffective searchlights. Night fighters were also reported in the area. Bomber Command detailed 227 bombers to attack Turin. However, due to smoke from an attack the previous night the city was obscured and Pathfinder marking was poor resulting in poor bombing concentration. Minimal damage was caused and casualties were less than 175. (BC-3)

December 10: Aircraft on ops the previous night returned to base.

December 11: Six aircraft carried out mine laying with four successful. Squadron on day ops standby, which were scrubbed. Cloud cover made it difficult to obtain location fixes. Two crews could not pinpoint their location so they brought back their mines. One crew planted their mines "wild" and the rest were able to successfully lay their mines within the designated areas. The squadron's planes were part of a small force of 26 Wellingtons sent to mine the Frisian Islands and Biscay ports. (BC-0)

December 12: Four aircraft prepared for ops which were then cancelled.

December 13: No ops. Church services.

December 14: Five aircraft on mine laying ops. Due bad weather and low clouds only one crew was able to lay their mines successfully. The remainder of the crews brought their mines back. A relatively large force of 68 aircraft laid mines in the areas of the Frisian Islands, Heligoland and Texel. (BC-0)

December 15: Day and night ops were cancelled due to bad weather.

December 16: Day ops prepared for but cancelled. High winds. Six aircraft were mined up for night gardening. One did not start. Of the five others only two laid their mines. There was poor visibility over the target areas. Poor visibility resulted in three crews not being able to get a fix on their location so they brought their mines back. Only two crews were able to successfully deploy their mines. Bomber Command had a small force of eighteen aircraft mining along the coasts of Brest and Lorient and in the River Gironde. (BC-1)

December 17: Four on gardening ops. All returned to base safely. Three were successful. One crew could not get a fix on their position due to low cloud and haze. Bomber Command sent fifty aircraft to lay mines along the coast from Denmark to Biscay. (BC-1)

December 18: Aircraft prepared for ops. Ops were cancelled.

December 19: Aircraft again bombed up for ops, which were again cancelled. The squadron is one year old.

December 20: Thirteen aircraft prepared for night ops. Ten bombed the primary target. One aircraft returned early due to an engine fire. Another aircraft had navigator pass out at 18,000 feet. The other early return was caused by the navigator stepping on the oxygen feeds and cutting off the oxygen to the crew. Even with these early returns the operations were considered successful by the aircrews. One crew reported seeing five aircraft being shot down. Large fires were reported in the target area from the attack. Bomb loads consisted of 2x500 plus 340x4 lb incendiaries. Take off time was ~17:40. Visibility was good over the target. Crews bombed ~19:55 from 12000 to 16000 feet. Bomber Command sent 232 aircraft to attack Duisburg. The target was bombed under clear skies with returning aircrews reporting much damage. (BC-12)

December 21: Ten Lancasters were diverted to airbase. Aircraft bombed up for daylight raids the next day.

December 22: Seven aircraft, including a recon plane, readied and took off to make a daylight attack on Emden. Four attacked the primary target. One bombed a town and the other was out of control due to flaps jamming. Take off time was ~14:25. The crews bombed at ~16:25 from 17000 feet in 10/10's cloud with visibility of less than one mile. Bomber Command detailed a small daylight raid on Emden. The aircraft were to use cloud cover as their defence if attacked by fighters. All the aircraft came from 420 Squadron. (BC-0)

December 23:

December 24: Christmas festivities began with the officers serving airmen Christmas dinner.

December 25: All squadron had "merry Christmas".

December 26:

December 27: The squadron held a dance in the officer's mess.

December 28:

December 29: A squadron wedding held at the church in Middleton One Row. Both the bride and groom were from the squadron.

December 30:

December 31:

January 1, 1943: RCAF 6 GROUP WAS FORMED

January 2:

January 3:

January 4: The squadron was visited by Air Chief Marshall Sir Ludlow Hewitt and Air Vice Marshall Brookes

January 5:

January 6, 1943: No ops. Training flights. Sgt Clary convicted of "negligently flying H.M. aircraft", striking a tree and flew at 70 feet causing injury to crew members. Sentenced to "severe reprimand" and changed date of his being promoted to Sgt.

January 7: Prepared for daylight ops but were not needed.

January 8: Aircraft took off and were flying for 15 minutes when ops cancelled. Petrol had to be jettisoned. One crew did not receive recall and carried on with mission until four hours later when the crew turned back due to cloud cover. F/Sgt Lundeen and his crew did not hear the recall order and continued on the their mining area. They were not successful and brought their mines back. Bomber Command sent 73 aircraft to mine off the coasts of Germany and Denmark. (BC-0; 6 Group-0)

January 9: Squadron on standby for day ops, which were cancelled. Nine were detailed for night mining ops. Seven were successful. The take off time was ~16:40. Most crews experienced very good visibility. Sgt Sanderson and crew, in BK297, could not locate their pinpoint and returned with their mines. Wellington X3926 flown by F/Sgt Townsend's crew had to jettison their mines when the starboard engine stopped. They were able to fly back to base on one engine. Bomber Command sent 121 aircraft to mine areas around the Frisian Islands, the Kattegat and the German Bight. Forty of these aircraft were from 6 Group. (BC-4; 6 Group-1)

January 10: Ops were cancelled after bombers were readied.

January 11: On day ops stand by but not needed.

January 12: New filing system being set up to deal with all the forms and papers.

January 13: At readiness for daylight ops but not required. No night ops. Aircrews lectured on airbase defence and demonstrated use of sten guns.

January 14: Eleven aircraft readied but no ops.

January 15: Daylight ops involving six aircraft to attack Norden. Bombers were recalled in route but one, piloted by F/Sgt Kennedy, did not receive the message and bombed the primary target. Bomb loads for the daylight raid to Norden were 4x1000. Take off time was ~12:20. Sgt Horborenko's crew flying BK331 encountered a semi circle of six flak ships which damaged the aircraft. Bombs were jettisoned and plane returned to base. F/Sgt Thomson's crew, in BK330, also turned back due to trouble with the port engine. Sgt Lawson's crew, flying BK235, was on outward leg when they spotted a submarine conning tower. They circled to attempt an attack but they could not relocate it. F/Sgt Kennedy bombed Norden through like cloud in good visibility from 600 feet with 4x1000 GP. Bomb bursts seen in target area. Returned 17:16. Night ops for four aircraft to attack Lorient. All returned to base safely. Take off was around 17:00. Bomb loads were 9 SDC (90x4). All bombed target through broken cloud between around 20:00 hours from 13,000 to 17,500 feet. Light flak was intense but inaccurate from 10,000 to 12,000 feet. Also inaccurate search lights and heavy flak at target. Bomber piloted by F/Sgt Tayler had two "cans" hang up. F/Sgt Townsend's crew observed two night fighters 15 miles from target. All bombers landed at Tangmere. Bomber Command assigned 157 planes for the night attack on Lorient. 6 Group sent 38 aircraft. The bombing was deemed successful with 800 buildings destroyed. Casualties were light, twelve killed, likely due to a mass exodus from the town due to the previous night's bombing. (BC-2; 6 Group-1)

January 16:

January 17: Six aircraft bombed up but ops cancelled.

January 18: Not on ops. Base defence training continued with Vickers machine gun drills to prepare for potential paratroop attack.

January 19: Not on ops.

January 20: Ten aircraft readied for ops but these were cancelled.

January 21: Three aircraft went on mining ops. Two crews successful and one crew missing. Take off time was ~17:10. Two crews were successful in laying their mines. One crew is reported missing: BJ966 "R" with pilot F/Sgt S Gergly, dickey F/O E Kendel RCAF, nav F/Sgt R Welsh, ba W/O2 C Hollingshead, wop Sgt A Olson, gun Sgt C Dunphy. Thirty-nine 6 Group planes were part of a force of 70 detailed to lay mines in the Frisian Islands. (BC-6; 6 Group-2)

January 22: Not on ops.

January 23: Three aircraft on daylight ops. None bombed primary target of Esens, Germany, but did carry out successful nuisance raids. Bomb load 2x1000 and 2x500 GP. Take off about noon. S/L Jacobs crew bombed Dornum railway yards from 100 feet and strafed a train. Sgt. Horborenko bombed Verdum or Stendesdorf and F/Sgt Taylor plane bombed what they think was Tettens railway yards. Bomber Command sent six Wellingtons on a daylight raid to Essen. All were from 6 Group. None attacked the primary target but were able to locate valued targets of opportunity to bomb instead. (BC-0; 6 Group-0)

January 24: Twelve aircraft bombed up and taxied from dispersal ready for take off at which time ops were cancelled.

January 25: Nine aircraft readied for ops. Ops cancelled.

January 26: Ten aircraft bombed up. Nine took off and attacked Lorient. All returned safely to base. Take off ~16:50. Bomb loads were 9 SDC (90x4) and two carried 2x1000 and 3x500. Over the target there was ground haze, mist and some broken clouds, which made it difficult for the crews to see ground details. Bombing was from 11,000 to 16,000 feet on target indicator (TI) markers. The crews bombed on these at ~20:08. Many crews reported seeing bomb bursts and small fires slowly starting to grow. BK331, flown by Sgt Sanderson, was hit by flak in the fuselage and starboard wing. Numerous fires were observed by the crews. F/L Anderson diverted to Waddington and Sgt Horborenko diverted to Moreton Val Lence. On this night Bomber Command sent 157 aircraft to attack Lorient. Visibility was poor over the target. 6 Group contributed 55 aircraft to the raid. (BC-3; 6 Group-1)

January 27: Not on ops. Intensive training of aircrews undertaken. Many aircrews had recently been screened so this was an opportunity to train new aircrews.

January 28: Not on ops. Extensive training continued. All crews now ready for ops except those that are sick.

January 29: Ops for twelve aircraft; eight to bomb Lorient and four for gardening the Bay of Biscay. Cumulus clouds on route to target. Pilots reported heavy rain and intense lightning and heavy icing conditions most of the flight. One plane failed to return and another crashed landed at Exeter killing four and injuring two. Bay of Biscay: Cloud cover caused three of the crews to not find their location so they brought back their mines. P/O Craton's crew was the only one to successfully lay their mines. Lorient: Bomb loads were either 1x4000 or 9x SBC (90x4). Take off time was ~16:46. DF626 "Y" crashed at 23:10 on the way to target near Exeter killing all but two of the crew. Dead are pilot W/O2 D Sanderson, nav F/Sgt C Downton, ba F/Sgt H Sealy, gun Sgt J Bittner. BJ 917, flown by F/Sgt Wilson aborted the mission when the compass went u/s and the pilot blacked out diving. Pilot F/Sgt Tubman also did not attack the target due to u/s Gee. The other crews attacked at 20:48 from 10000 to 15000 feet. No results were observed beyond glow of blasts and fires through the clouds. DF615 "S" was reported missing: pilot P/O EJ Stanton, nav F/O WDB Marks, ba P/O F Noon, wop Sgt WG Goode, gun Sgt JCM Desrosiers. All the crew was assumed killed. The crew of "S" was all later confirmed as dead. A total of 75 aircraft, 69 from 6 Group, were sent to bomb Lorient. There were no pathfinders assigned to this attack. As a result bombing was scattered. The gardening missions to ports in the Bay of Biscay also experienced bad weather. Bomber Command sent seventeen aircraft on the mining missions. The four from 420 Squadron made up the entire 6 Group contribution. (Lorient: BC-4; 6 Group-2; Bay of Biscay: BC-1; 6 Group-0)

January 30: Funeral arrangements made. Burial will be at High Cemetery Pinoe Road, Exeter. One, F/Sgt Sealy, is to be buried at Bridgewater.

January 31: No ops. Time spent in funeral preparations. Due to Canadianization of squadron all experienced staff are gone.

February 1: Squadron operations returning to normal. The crash and missing aircraft have been cleaned up and paperwork completed. No ops. Final preparations for Squadron Anniversary dance were made.

February 2: Squadron stand down. An abundant lunch was served and the dance (music provided by a 12 piece orchestra) in Bath hall was successful.

February 3: Squadron returned to normal operation procedures after the previous night's celebrations. Weather "grim" but six aircraft took off to bomb Hamburg. All returned early due to extreme weather and icing. All the crews experienced severe weather in the form of intense electrical storms, complete cloud cover, and heavy icing. All returned to base well before they reached the target. Bomber Command sent 263 aircraft to attack Hamburg. 6 Group contributed 46 crews. . The bad weather caused the early return of over the crews. The target was under clouds and poor marking resulted in the bombs being scattered with minimal results. (BC-16; 6 Group-2)

February 4: Ops through for 12 aircraft to attack Lorient. One early return but the rest attacked the target. All returned safely with three diverted to Honeyborne. Take off time was ~17:50. Sgt Lawson's crew flying BK468 was an early return due to a problem with the starboard propeller. Visibility was very good and crews were able to identify the target visually until smoke, fires and dust obscured some of the target area. The crews bombed ~21:18 from 12000 to 16000 feet. Crews reported seeing large fires in the dock area resulting from the attack. Bomber Command sent 128 aircraft to Lorient. 6 Group contributed sixty of these. The raid did not use pathfinder marking. Only incendiaries were used to light fires in the target area. The bombing was well conducted and many intense fires resulted.(BC-1; 6 Group-1)

February 5: All crews involved tired from previous nights ops. The squadron was on ops for mining but these were subsequently cancelled. "This type of "Flap" is what makes the life of section heads on a squadron a tough one." Three aircraft still away.

February 6: Six on gardening ops. Due to weather only one dropped mines. All returned to base successfully. Only F/Sgt Taylor's crew flying in BK296 was able to plant their mines in the allocated location. 6 Group provided 38 aircraft to the 72 that Bomber Command detailed to the mining operations. The area to be mined was from St-Nazaire and Texel. (BC-3; 6 Group-2)

February 7: Twelve on ops to bomb Lorient docks. One blew a tire on take off another returned early when the navigator became air sick. Eleven bombed the target successfully. One landed at Exeter due to flak damage. Another landed at Pershore. The plane that blew a tire on take off crash landed at base with no injuries and minor damage to plane. Only one photo was taken. It took over one hour, beginning at 17:26, to get all the planes in the air. Crews bombed ~2023 from 11000 to 16000 feet. Visibility was good over the target and flares were dropped by Path Finder Force (PFF) as well. Marking was reported as good. Many fires were observed in the target area. The smoke and fires made it difficult for later crews to see the exact aiming point. Some crews reported seeing the fire glow from the French coast on the return leg. BK365, flown by F/Sgt Townsend received flak damage along the port side of the plane. Bomber Command attacked Lorient with 323 aircraft, including 69 from 6 Group. The target, the dockyard area, was accurately marked by the pathfinders and bombing was concentrated. Two waves of bombers were used in the attack. Results were very good. (BC-7; 6 Group-1)

February 8: Ops through for six aircraft but these were cancelled.

February 9: Ops on and off all day. Three finally went gardening at 11 pm between Brest and Texel. Two were successful and returned safely. Remaining ops finally scrubbed. One crew returned when they could not locate where they were and their Gee was u/s. The two other planes were successful. Both planes experienced static build up. S/Ldr Smith's crew, flying BK295 were able to drop their mines even though weather was 10/10's cloud and visibility poor. After dropping the mines the airplane was glowing with static build up. A bright flash and explosive noise occurred. This caused a rip in the fabric of the fuselage. Bomber Command sent 21 planes to mine areas from Brest to Texel. Four of these were from 6 Group. (BC-0; 6 Group-0)

February 10: Weather bad so no flying. Ground lectures.

February 11: Nine attempted to mine "jellyfish" and "nectarine I" but due to bad visibility only four to be successful. Sgt Cozens' crew, flying in BK296, had the starboard engine cut out for about 30 seconds. The plane was then caught in searchlights and flak. The pilot dived from 700 to 200 feet to get out of the searchlight. The mines were jettisoned. Bomber Command sent 36 to mine areas between LaPallice, France and the Frisian Islands. 6 Group contributed 24 aircraft to the mission. (BC-0; 6 Group-0)

February 12: No ops.

February 13: Aircraft readied for day ops but these were eventually cancelled. Fourteen were then readied for bombing against Lorient. One early return and one missing. Take off time was ~17:16. Crews bombed from 13000 to 17000 feet. It was clear with good visibility over the target area so ground details were easily seen. PFF marked the aiming point with TI's. The target was defended by relatively intense heavy flak and searchlights. Some crews reported seeing night fighters over the target. Crews reported seeing bomb bursts and fires. BK330 "K" flown by F/O L Gibson with crew, nav F/O F Chapman, ba Sgt B Somerford, wop Sgt T Hughes, gun F/Sgt D MacDonald was reported missing. All missing crew members were reported killed. Bomber Command sent a force of 466 aircraft against Lorient. 6 Group provided 95 aircraft to the mission. More than 1000 tons of bombs were dropped with good success. This was the largest attack Lorient was to see during the war. (BC-7; 6 Group-1)

February 14: Ops through for five aircraft. All successful. Take off time was ~18:05. Crews bombed on PFF TI flares at 20:20 from 15000 to 18000 feet. No report of results seen as the target was completely cloud covered. BK235 flown by F/Sgt Townsend landed at Docking short of fuel. They had been chased by night fighters. Cologne was the target Bomber Command detailed 243 aircraft to attack this night. Fifty-five aircraft were from 6 Group. The sky-marking by the pathfinders was designated by H2S. However, it seems only 1/5 of the bombers really dropped their bombs near or on target. Damage and casualties were minimal.(BC-9; 6 Group-1)

February 15: Not on ops.

February 16: Air Vice Marshall Brookes visited the station. Ops on for ten aircraft. All returned safely. Bomb loads for the trip consisted of 3x500 plus 450x4 and 8x30. Two planes flown by F/Sgt Thomson and Sgt Cozens carried 1x400 lb cookies. Take off was ~18:18. The primary target was attacked at 20:55 from 14000 to 17000 feet. Visibility was good over the target area. PFF marked to aiming point with TI's. Bomber Command sent 377 aircraft to attack Lorient, again. 6 Group contributed 95 aircraft to the force. This was the last of eight major area attacks on the town as ordered by the Air Ministry. Almost 1700 sorties dropped 4000 tons of bombs on these eight raids resulting in the town being reduced to rubble. (BC-1; 6 Group-0)

February 17: Stand down. Quarterly party and dance held in Officer's Mess.

February 18: Stand down. Station parade. All were to wear antigas respirators.

February 19: Ops through for eleven aircraft. All attacked primary target and returned safely. One hit by flak and attacked enemy fighter. One crew member bailed out over target. Pilot F/Sgt Taylor recommended for DFM. Bomb loads consisted of 3x500 plus 4 SBC (90x4) and 2(8x30). Two planes carried 4000 lb cookies. Take off time was 17:50. Crews bombed at ~20:04 from 14000 to 19000 feet. Bombing was on PFF TI's as haze and low cloud obscured the target. Crews reported seeing a number of fires starting through the clouds. Dummy fires and marking were reported. Barrages of light flak defended the target. DF637, flown by F/Sgt Taylor's crew was hit over the target by flak and then attacked by a night fighter. The rear gunner baled out of the bomber over enemy territory. The pilot was able to fly the damaged plane back to England. Bomber Command sent 338 aircraft to bomb Wilhelmshaven. 6 Group contributed 83 bombers to the total. The pathfinders were unable to mark accurately resulting in the bombers dropping their loads north of the city. It turned out the pathfinders had outdated maps! (BC-12; 6 Group-1)

February 20: Three on standby for day ops but these were never forth coming.

February 21: Seven aircraft readied for night bombing but ops were cancelled.

February 22: Ops for ten aircraft were cancelled just prior to take off.

February 23: No ops.

February 24: Eleven aircraft readied for attack on Cologne but the target was changed to Wilhelmshaven. The aircrews were quickly briefed and all successfully bombed the new target and returned safely. Bomb loads were mixed and included 500 lb bombs, 7 (90x4) plus 2 (8x30) or 1x500 plus 3 SBC (50x4) and 1 SBC (8x30) or single cookies. Take off time was ~18:18. The target was completely overcast so the bombers dropped their bombs on PFF sky markers. Bombing time was 23:08 from 17000 to 18500 feet. Crews reported the sky markers were very scattered. Light flak was defending the target area along with some searchlights. Crews reported an absence of night fighters. Bomber Command detailed 115 aircraft for the attack. 6 Group provided 98 bombers. Minimal damage was reported from the town. (BC-0; 6 Group-0)

February 25: No ops but flight training of new crews.

February 26: Twelve aircraft attacked Cologne in one of the biggest raids since the "1000 raids". Two returned early, one to Docking. One aircraft, "R", is missing. Bomb loads were a mix of cookies, 500 pounders, SBC (90x4), and SBC (8x30). Take off time was about 18:45. One crew returned early when the starboard engine went u/s. Visibility was good but ground haze made it impossible to see details. Crews bombed ~20:20 from 17000 to 18000 feet on PFF TI's. The target was defended by heavy flak which was for the most part not accurate. BK468 "R" was reported missing. Pilot was W/O2 H Hansen, with nav F/Sgt R Jupe, ba F/Sgt B Chamney, wop W/O2 P Mitchell, and gun F/Sgt L Kellaway. All the crew of "R" were killed. Bomber Command sent 427 to Cologne this night. 6 Group provided 85 aircraft. It appears about 3/4's of the bombers missed the target still over 6300 people lost their shelters and casualties numbered around 260. (BC-10; 6 Group-3)

February 27: Eight on gardening ops to the Frisian Islands. All returned safely. All the crews were able to lay their mines in the allotted locations. Non encountered any defences. Bomber Command sent a force of 91 (34 were from 6 Group) to mine the Frisians and Texel. (BC-1; 6 Group-1)

February 28: Eleven planes bombed up and took off. Target the St Nazaire U-boat base. Canadianization postings into squadron are making accommodations difficult. Take off ~18:00. Bomb load 3x500, 4SBC (90x4), 2 SBC (8x30) and two carried 1x4000. One, piloted by Sgt Kennedy, turned back early due to engine trouble. Good visibility over target. The target, the dock yards, was indicated by green flares. Bombing occurred at ~21:20 from 15,000 to 18,000 feet, although one bombed from 9,000 feet. Crews experienced heavy flak over the target. Many fires were reported in the dock area. On return five were diverted to other bases. Bomber Command sent 437 aircraft to St Nazerine. 6 Group contributed 74 bombers to the attack. The raid was successful in that about 60% of the town was destroyed. Casualties were remarkably light. This was likely due to most of the population leaving prior to the attack. (BC-5; 6 Group-2)

March 1: The aircraft that had diverted on the attack of Cologne returned safely to base. Z1724 "C" crashed while on a training flight near Leeming killing all the crew. Eye witnesses say the wing of the plane broke off causing the plane to crash. Killed in the crash were: pilot F/S PE Townsend, nav F/S J Wreakes, ba P/O S Spector, wop P/O EM Hollewell and P/O gun KJ Brown.

March 2: Six aircraft on mining ops. Three were successful. All returned safely to base. The planes had two 1500 pound mines each. The crews experienced poor visibility making it difficult to pinpoint their locations. The successful crews laid their mines from 600 to 900 feet above the water. 6 Group supplied 18 planes of the 60 Bomber Command sent to mine between Texel and River Gironde. (BC-3; 6 Group-1)

March 3: Ops through for seven to bomb Hamburg. Six were successful. One early return due to air sickness of the pilot. Primary target Hamburg "D". Take off ~18:00. Bomb loads 3x500, 4 SBC (90x4), 2 SBC (8x30) and one carried a 4000 lb cookie. One aircraft returned early due to illness of the pilot. Visibility good over target with some haze. Bombing at ~21:30 on green markers from ~18,000 feet. Little flak over target. Large fires observed by crews in target area. Bomber Command attacked Hamburg with 417 aircraft. Pathfinders erroneously marked near the village of Wedel using H2S. Still damage occurred in Hamburg as well as the village. (BC-10; 6 Group-1)

March 4: Stand down. A muster parade was held with a lecture on security given by F/Lt Phillips. Lecture was called for as there had been a serious breach of security. All assembled were warned the next such case would be dealt with by a court martial. The remainder of the day was spent in football and softball games.

March 5: Ops through for twelve aircraft to attack Essen. One early return. One, "V", is missing. All others successfully bombed the target. Funeral arrangements have been made for the training accident victims. The crew was near the end of their tour and well liked. They will be sadly missed. Primary target Essen "C". Take off ~ 19:10 with 3x500, 4 SBC (90x4), 2 SBC (8X30) and two planes carried a 4000 lb cookie. One early return with engine problem. Bombing was from 14,000 to 18,000 feet at ~ 21:15. Some ground haze with overall good visibility. Target identified via PFF indicators. Heavy flak and searchlights in target area. All crews considered the attack as successful. F/Sgt Taylor's plane holed by flak. HE280"Y" is reported missing. Crew consists of pilot P/O Graham, P/O W Lee, F/O J MacDonald, F/O D Bennett, F/Sgt H. Lawson The crew of "V" were all killed. Bomber Command sent 442 aircraft to Essen. 6 Group provided 77 of the aircraft. The Pathfinders accurately marked the center of the city for the three waves of bombers following. The forty minute attack left about 160 acres of the city in ruin including significant damage to the Krupps works. Over 5100 houses were damaged or destroyed and about 465 people were killed. (BC-14; 6 Group-3)

March 6: No ops.

March 7: No ops. Flight training carried out.

March 8: Mining ops for five planes in the Frisian Islands. Poor visibility resulted in only two laying mines. All returned safely. Planes were loaded with 2x1500 pound mines. Two crews successfully dropped their mines from 700 and 1000 feet. Visibility was very poor resulting in the other three crews being unable to pinpoint their exact location. They returned with the mines. Bomber Command sent 16 Wellingtons to lay mines in the Frisian Islands. All were from 6 Group. (BC-0; 6 Group-0)

March 9: Stand down.

March 10: Stand down. Aircraft serviceability increasing.

March 11: No ops.

March 12: Ten on ops to attack Essen. Seven were successful. Two returned early and one is missing. Primary target Essen "C". Take off 19:25. Bomb load included 2x500, 2 SBC (30x8), 4 SBC (90x4) and four carried single 4,000 lb cookies. The Wellington flown by Sgt Tidy returned early due to engine trouble. Sgt Kennedy was also an early return with u/s intercom. Visibility over target was good with some ground haze and smoke. Bombing attack was made ~21:35 from 17,000 to 18,000 feet. Defences were heavy flak working with effective searchlight cones. Fires from the target were observed by the crews from 100 miles away. Sgt Sodero's bomber encounter an ME110. The rear gunner fired a burst and visual on the fighter was lost. HE690 "U" was reported missing. The pilot was Sgt Cooke and crew members, Sgt J Morris, Sgt R Mercer, Sgt T McKinnon, and Sgt A Dawson. Pilot, GH Sgt Cooke, and crew members, Sgt J Morris, Sgt R Mercer and Sgt T McKinnon were later reported as POW's. ag Sgt A Dawson was killed. Their Wellington was hit by flak and crashed. Bomber Command sent 457 aircraft to attack Essen this night. This night 6 Group contributed 93 aircraft to the effort. The Pathfinders used Oboe to accurately mark the target, the Krupps works. Bombing was concentrated with the Krupps works which received heavy damage. (BC-23; 6 Group-3)

March 13: F/Sgt Taylor awarded DFM. Nine on gardening ops in area of Lorient and Kattegat. Six successful. One failed to return. The planes each carried 2x1500 mines. Some of the successful crews used a silent glide approach mining run prior to release. This technique appears to have reduced defensive activity on the approach to the drop point. BK296 "J" was lost. The bomber was flown by Sgt CH Tidy, with crew of, nav P/O JD MacFarlane, ba Sgt GRD Hall, wop Sgt H Reddy, and ag Sgt JA Corbett. The crew of "J" was all killed. Bomber Command sent 68 aircraft to mine areas from Lorient to Kattegat. 6 Group provided 19. (BC-3; 6 Group-1)

March 14 to March 25: During this period the squadron were not required for ops. The result was the serviceability of the planes became almost 100%.

March 26: Fifteen bombed up to attack Duisburg. Four fresher crews were cancelled. One was an early return due to turret problem and another diverted to Docking with a port engine failure. All are safe. Primary target Duisburg "D". Take off was ~19:04 with bomb loads of 2x500, 4 SBC (90x4) and 3 SBC (8x30). Two bombers carried 4,000 lb cookies. Sgt Clary, electrical failure, and F/Sgt Horborenko, u/s port engine, returned early. Bombing was through complete overcast on sky markers which were scattered and late. Some planes orbited target area before dropping bombs on ETA. Few searchlights observed in target area. Bombs were dropped ~21:35 from 17,000 to 19,000 feet. Heavy flak intense for later planes. Bomber Command detailed 455 aircraft to attack Duisburg. 6 Group contributed one-quarter (114) of the force. This raid was a failure due to the early return of all the Oboe carrying Mosquitoes that were to sky-mark above the clouds. Bombing was scattered with minimal damage. (BC-6; 6 Group-1)

March 27: Fifteen readied for ops but these were cancelled.

March 28: Fifteen on ops. Eleven were successful. Four returned early. Target St-Nazaire. Take off ~19:14. Bomb loads included 2x500, 4 SBC (90x4) and 3 SBC (8x30) and three carried 4,000 lb cookies. The four early returns were: Sgt Mason, problems with the starboard engine and port wing; F/Sgt Thomson, with a u/s turret; Sgt Horaham had a faulty ASI; and S/Ldr McIntosh with intermittent engine failures. Some crews encountered light flak on way to target. Target was identified visually and with TI's. Bombing occurred ~22:22 from 9,500 to 19,000 feet. Smoke screen was in operation as were some ineffective searchlights and periodic intense heavy flak. Many fires and bomb bursts were observed by the crews. Bomber Command sent 323 aircraft, 106 were from 6 Group, to St-Nazaire and the docks there. Bombing appeared to be accurate with the use of Oboe marking. (BC-2; 6 Group-1)

March 29: Fourteen planes readied and sent to attack Bochum near Essen. Raid was a diversionary raid for an attack on Berlin. Due to bad weather and icing conditions four turned back with problems. One diverted to Driffield and one to Pocklington. Two, "V" and "P" are missing. Take off was ~19:35. Bomb loads consisted of 2x500, 3 SBC (90x4) and 4 SBC (8x30) and two carried 4,000 lb cookies. F/O Dunn returned early due to gyro and pitot head u/s. Sgt Sodero returned early due to bad weather. To and from the target the crews experienced thick cloud and icing conditions. However, skies were clear at the target area. Sgt Way jettisoned bombs 15 miles prior to target after being hit by heavy flak which damaged the turret. One crew thought they also observed a night fighter. Sgt Horaham experienced heavy icing on return flight. The bombing attacks was made ~21:52 from 14,000 to 19,000 feet. Flak and searchlights were accurate and intense. W/O Tubman landed at Driffield short of fuel. Two bombers were lost; MS484 "V", flown by P/O BA Grant, and crew, nav Sgt SV Bradshaw, ba F/Sgt A Skiggs, wop Sgt R. Dyson, and ag Sgt PE Barron; and 3814 "P" piloted by Sgt RL Brandow, with crew, nav Sgt CW Cockady; ba Sgt HC Sleep; ag Sgt JM Greer. All members from both planes were killed save Sgt Skiggs from Grant's crew, flying "V", who became a POW. "V" it was found out later was shot down by a night fighter. The diversion consisted of 149 Wellingtons and eight Oboe marking Mosquitoes. Half the planes for the diversion came from 6 Group. This diversionary attack and the main attack on Berlin were both failures due to poor marking and cloudy conditions. (BC-12; 6 Group-6)

March 30: Not on ops.

March 31: Not on ops and flight training was cancelled due to weather.

April 1, 1943: Not on ops.

April 2: Three on ops against Lorient. All bombed objective returned safely. Take off ~ 20:35. Bomb load was 2x1000 and 2x500. Bombed on target indicators in good visibility at ~23:15 from 17,000 feet. Defences sparse in target area but on return path flak and searchlights active. This was a small raid of only 47 aircraft. 6 Group provided nine aircraft. Minimal damage was reported. (BC-0; 6 Group-0)

April 3: No ops.

April 4: Attack on Kiel with thirteen of the squadron's bombers involved. Two returned early and the others assumed to have bombed target defended by intense concentrated flak. Primary target was Kiel "B". Most of the bombers were loaded with 5 SBC (90x4) and 4 SBC (30x8). Take off time was 20:30 to 21:20. Sgt Mason and Sgt Horahan returned early due to u/s engines. Bombing was from 17,000 to 18,500 feet. Target was partly covered in cloud. Target indicators were dispersed. Landing was around 03:00. Bomber Command assigned 577 aircraft for the attack on Kiel. 6 Group's contribution was 128 aircraft. Strong winds, clouds and decoy fires contributed to this large raid being a failure with only minimal damage reported. (BC-12; 6 Group-4)

April 5: Conversion to Halifax to begin. Six of the most experienced crews were sent to Topcliffe for conversion training.

April 6: Four readied for ops but these were cancelled.

April 7: No ops.

April 8: Conversion underway and squadron is still operational. Six aircraft sent to Duisburg. One early return. The rest assumed to bomb target. One failed to return. Primary target was Duisburg "D". A couple of bombers carried 4,000 pound cookies. Take off was from 21:14 to 21:20. "J" returned early due to starboard engine failure. Zero visibility over target. The weather report was not accurate. Bombing was done on markers or navigation from 17,000 feet. MS479 "F" was lost with pilot F/O WA Walkinshaw, nav P/O KW MacDonald, ba W/O DF Evans, wop W/O F Bemi, ag W/O DG Rispin. "F" was shot down by a night fighter. Duisburg was attacked by 392 bombers from Bomber Command. On this raid 6 Group provided 75 planes to the effort. Heavy overcast at the target caused the bombs to be scattered resulting in only a small amount of damage and casualties. (BC-19; 6 Group-4)

April 9: Stand down.

April 10: Ops for thirteen against Frankfurt. Eight successful. Four returned early. One "G" crashed near Warwick, Wales after all the crew bailed out. All crew were only slightly injured except pilot who drowned. The plane once left to its own devices flew for another 50 miles before crashing. Primary target Frankfurt "A". Three returned early: "R", engine failure; "O", rear gunner was sick; and, "X" port engine overheating. The fourth early return, "Q", crashed after crew baled out near Tenby, south Wales. The pilot, P/O CW Jackson drowned. Target was cloud covered. Bombing was done on markers from 18,500 feet. Marking poor. Most of the crews experienced heavy flak over target. Bomber Command sent 502 aircraft against Frankfurt. This raid included 110 6 Group aircraft. Overcast skies at the target produced another failure. (BC-21; 6 Group-4)

April 11 to April 13: No ops. S/Ldr Dave Jacobs has been posted to London. WC Bradshaw replaced by MacIntosh.

April 14: Ops through for eleven aircraft to attack Stuttgart. Seven attacked target. Target was seen with smoke and fires. One early return and two aircraft missing. Primary target was Stuttgart "C". Take off was ~21:10 3 SBC (90x4) and 3 SBC (8x30). Sgt Horahan returned early with u/s engine and landed at Oulton. Skies were clear with some haze at target. Bombers dropped bombs on green target markers from 17,000 feet ~01:08. Crews observed fires and smoke in the target area. HE863 "G" with W/O2 Gozens, pilot, and crew nav W/O2 W Blight, ab F/Sgt S Giffin, wop F/Sgt J Paplowski, ag F/Sgt L Dutton did not return. Also reported missing was HE550 "C" , flown by S/Ldr F Taylor, and crew, nav F/O G Crowther, ab F/O S Brown, wop Sgt H McKinnon, and rgun P/O J Simpson. Both missing aircraft were shot down by night fighters. The crew of "G" was all killed. S/Ldr Taylor and F/O Crowther escaped capture. Sgt H McKinnon was reported as a POW. The other two crew members of "C", F/O S. Brown and P/O J Simpson, were killed. Stuttgart received the attention of 462 aircraft from Bomber Command. For this raid 6 Group contributed 109 bombers to the force. Accurate marking by the pathfinders was wasted as "creepback" by the later arriving main force spread the bombing into the suburbs. Still the attack was relatively successful with over 1300 building damaged and more the 200 casualties. NOTE: According to the squadron records S/Ldr Taylor's crew were flying in HE863-G and W/O2 PJ Cozens' crew were flying in HE550-C. It has come to my attention that the squadron records are in error and the planes should be switched which I have done for in this entry. (BC-23; 6 Group-8)

April 15: Stood down.

April 16: Eleven to attack Mannheim. Two returned early. Eight were successful and one is missing. Numerous fires seen at target. Primary target Mannheim "B". Take off ~21:15. Bomb load consisted of 3x500 and 3 SBC (8x30). Sgt Mason returned early due to an u/s engine and Sgt Hall returned early due to hydraulic problems. Visibility good over target with some haze. Target identified visually and by TI's. Bombing was ~1:05 from 17,000 to 19,000 feet. Defences were ineffective searchlights and flak. Aircrews observed many fires. Seven were diverted to Westcott. Sgt Way bombed Homburg instead of primary target. HE682 "T" was lost with pilot F/Sgt LM Horahan, nav F/Sgt JE Isaacs, ba F/Sgt LK Plank, wop Sgt H Radford and gun Sgt KA Allan. "T" was shot down by a night fighter. Only gun Sgt KA Allan survived from the crew as a POW. 6 Group contributed one third of the force of 271 bombers that Bomber Command sent to Mannheim. Accurate marking and bombing resulted in over 3100 buildings being damaged and 300 casualties being reported. Almost 7000 people were left without shelter. (BC-18; 6 Group-5)

April 17: Squadron stood down. Big news that squadron was selected to deploy to North West Africa. Each section is busy filling the positions with their best men as no RAF ground crew are going with squadron. Equipment needs to be sorted and crated and rekitting for tropical climate must be done. All personnel to receive dental and medical checks and firearms.

April 18: Stand down. Roll for all personal selected for N. Africa. The move is top secret. Roll was completed at 2:30 and rushed to G/C Dunlop CO of Leeming.

April 19: Eight aircraft ferried to Croft for ops. Night ops cancelled. Aircrews returned by transport. Squadron is reequipping with Wellington Mark X. Kit, dental and medical inspections undertaken. Everything is progressing well for deployment.

April 20: Eight crews to carry out bullseye from Croft. Crews returned to base at 2:30. Inspections continue. CO McIntosh gave lecture on security.

April 21: Stand down. Work continued in preparation for deployment.

April 22: Eight crews on bullseye from Croft. Returned at 2:45. F/L McCarthy DMC arrived and became S/Ldr of B-Flight. Preparations continued.

April 23: Stand down. All crates have been made and all packing has been completed as far as possible.

April 24: Ops for eight aircraft to attack Duisburg from Croft. These ops were eventually cancelled.

April 25: Stand down.

April 26: Eight took part on a raid to Duisburg from Croft. These were the last sorties 420 Squadron would fly in Wellingtons from England. Three returned to base and one had damage to port engine landed away from base and crashed with no injuries. One was damaged by flak and landed away from base. One, trying to land at base, crashed killing the second dickey and injuring the other crew members. One is missing. Primary target was Duisburg "B". Take off ~00:43 with 3x500, 2 SBC (4x30) and 2 SBC (70x4). One carried a 4000 lb cookie. Visibility was good over target and bombing was done on red/green TI at 2:30 from 15,000 to 19,000 feet. Accurate defences were encountered. Four bombers, Sgt Mckenzie's, P/O McCulloch's, P/O McCoy's, Sgt Mason's, Sgt Hall's were damaged by flak. HE771 "F" piloted by Sgt Hall crashed close to Leiston, killing Sgt C Alder. HE693 "W" flown by F/Sgt Newburg with crew of Sgt K Cooke, Sgt FJ Duffy, F/Sgt OK Glascock, and Sgt R Mucklow, is reported missing. All the crew of "W" were killed when the plane was shot down by a night fighter. Bomber Command sent 561 aircraft on this attack against Duisburg. 6 Group contributed 81 aircraft to the attack. This raid was only partially successful with bombs being dropped outside the city. Still the city had around 150 deaths and about 300 buildings damaged. (BC-17; 6 Group-4)

April 27: Five aircraft readied for ops at Croft but these were cancelled.

April 28: Stand down. Several crews from 426 have arrived to bolster our aircrew numbers. Mark X Wellingtons are being tropicalized at Disforth. DFC awarded to A S/Ldr DS Jacobs, F/O T.R.McDougall, F/O RN Rayne, and A/W/O LHC Gardiner. DFM award to F/Sgt R Dorland, and F/Sgt CP Lumdren.

April 29: Stand down.

April 30: Stand down. Funeral for Sgt P.C. Alder held at Darlington. Aircrews have been cut to 20. "It was like throwing a monkey wrench in the works." Kits had to be returned and men posted. It rained most of the day.

May 1 to May 14: Squadron was off operations as it prepared for deployment to North Africa. It received the tropicalized Wellington Mark X's from Disforth as they were completed. Twenty aircraft were being prepared for the deployment. Half of the squadron was allowed to go on five days leave. Upon their return the other half was given leave.

May 15: We leave tomorrow at 00:20 hours.