LEST WE FORGET
Air Operations: (No. 467 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB121), Belgium, 3 November 1943
Date: 3-4 November 1943
Target: Dusseldorf
Total Force: Dispatched – 589, Attacking – 527
RAAF Force: No. 460 Dispatched – 23, Attacking – 23; No. 467 Dispatched – 18, Attacking – 18
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 2,234
Total Aircraft Lost: 18
RAAF Aircraft Lost: No. 467 – 1
A large bomber force returned after an absence of five months to the important target of Dusseldorf. The bombing was of high order, but the relatively small losses were due to the fighting spirit of the RAF crews rather than lack of Luftwaffe opposition, which was determined and sustained. Flight Lieutenant Trobe, (1) in a Halifax of No. 10 Squadron RAF, was singled out for particularly heavy attack. Firstly two Me-110s appeared, and, while one flew round burning a nose-searchlight to attract attention, the second attacked wrecking the compass, inter-communication system and rear turret of the Halifax. The decoy fighter now attacked but by skilful cooperation between Trobe and his mid-upper gunner, Flight Sergeant Mowatt (2), l was eventually shaken off. A few minutes later a third fighter approached and damaged the port-side fuel lines, stopping two engines, although one was coaxed into action again while Mowatt drove off the fighter . A fourth enemy appeared and the Halifax was again damaged but as the fighter came in close Mowatt, wounded and his turret bursting into flame, continued his return fire and set the enemy on fire also . Even after the fires in its fuselage were extinguished the Halifax was in far from airworthy condition, but, with three wounded men aboard, Trobe refused to give the order to bale out and courageously turned for England. After a nightmare flight he succeeded in reaching an emergency airfield. Squadron Leader Kingsford –Smith (3) of No. 467 was also attacked by four fighters one of which was damaged, while the RAF mid-upper turret gunner of a Lancaster piloted by Flying Officer Patkin (4) shot down another fighter, and several other R.A.A.F. Lancasters were in combat.
(1) Flight Lieutenant Jack Hewson Trobe DSO DFC (416468) Discharged from the RAAF: 24 September 1945
(2) Flight Lieutenant William Mowatt DFM (413637) Later PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 8 October 1946
(3) Squadron Leader Rollo Kingsford- Smith DSO DFC (381) Discharged from the RAAF: 27 April 1949
(4) Flight Sergeant Leo Braham Patkin (401146) Killed on Air Operations: 2 January 1944
Extracts from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1954 – Pages 603, 604
Lancaster JB121 took off from RAF Bottesford at 1703 hours on the night of 3/4th November 1943 to bomb Dusseldorf, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Eighteen aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and JB121 failed to return. Post war it was established that the aircraft had been shot down and four of the crew members had been killed.
The crew members of JB121 were:
Sergeant Gerald Percy Baylis (613449) (RAF) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer John William Evans (410152) (Second Pilot) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 12 December 1945
Flight Sergeant K Garvey (1075988) (RAFVR) (Navigator) Evaded capture
Squadron Leader William James Lewis DFC (63071) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant James Henry Mallin DFM (1245952) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant R C Morley (1230169) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) Evaded capture
Sergeant Alan John Scott (159896) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant C E Stead (941072) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
In his report Sergeant Morley stated: “In the area of Cheel, North Belgium, there was a violent explosion and a blinding flash, and the aircraft was violently lifted and rocked. A great many shell splinters came through the floor of the fuselage close to the Navigator’s position. Pieces of red hot metal lodged on the Navigators desk, and he was badly burned on the neck and hands. I heard the Captain give the order to prepare to abandon. The Navigator reached for an extinguisher to put out a fire among his maps and charts. The Captain called out ‘we are on fire get the extinguishers here.’ A few seconds later he gave the order to bale out. The aircraft was losing height slowly and listing slightly as if the controls were not functioning properly. I had to wait for a short while until the Navigator donned his chute. I then followed the Navigator forward and saw the Pilot was still flying the aircraft which appeared under control but losing height. The Bomb aimer, Second Pilot and
Flight Engineer had baled out of the front hatch. The Navigator then I followed. The guns were still firing at the aircraft and I could hear shells bursting round me. I was told that two Lancasters were found burnt in the district that night.” On 5 Jan 1944 the Squadron received news that Sgt Morley was safe after a long walk to Gibraltar.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll