LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant George John HOWARD
Service No: 420883
Born: Katoomba NSW, 2 August 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1941
Unit: No. 181 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 181 Squadron Typhoon aircraft JP604), France, 6 June 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Bayeux War Cemetery, Calvados, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George Craig Howard and Jessie Elizabeth Howard, of Beecroft, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 6 June 1944 Typhoon JP604 together with seven other aircraft from the Squadron was detailed to carry out an armed reconnaissance of military transport in the Caen area. The formation fitted with eight rocket projectiles each, took off at 1600 hours and crossed the French coast at Pointe-de-Raz. Some wireless tenders were sighted north of Caen and after making an attack on these vehicles the formation broke left, climbed to 4,000 feet, and prepared to go in for a second attack. On turning into the second attack the pilot of Blue 4 saw a burst of cannon fire fly past Blue 2 flown by Flight Sergeant Howard close to the starboard wing and then one struck the port aileron of Blue 2 smashing it, causing the aircraft to turn over on its back and go into a spin. On breaking away from the second attack Blue 4 saw Blue 2 on the ground and commencing to burn. This sortie in which Flight Sergeant Howard was killed was his first operational sortie.
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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705 166/18/368