squadron 166

Date: Aug 2, 2014

squadron 166

barnsley · Air Commodore

Hello, your Grandfather was the Wireless operator in the Burnett crew and flew the following operations with 166 Squadron:

29.12.43 Berlin(with Lindley crew)

14.01.44 Brunswick

20.01.44 Berlin(mission abandoned)

21.01.44 Magdeburg

27.01.44 Berlin

28.01.44 Berlin

30.01.44 Berlin

15.02.44 Berlin

19.02.44 Leipzig

20.02.44 Stuttgart

24.02.44 Schweinfurt

25.02.44 Augsburg

01.03.44 Stuttgart

15.03.44 Stuttgart

18.03.44 Frankfurt

30.03.44 Nurnberg-Failed to return

if you email me on mjc41uk@yahoo.co.uk Iwill be able to provide you with further information. If you have a problem with my email(other users say they have in the past) either go to my 166 Squadron thread on this forum and leave your email on my white board or reply to this post on your thread and leave your email address.

The crew were shot down by a nightfighter and their plane crashed near Griessenbach, 8km SSW of Eitorf at 00:15 hours

Cheers,

B

John W · Group Captain

Hi Charlotte,

You grandfather's aircraft may most likely shot down by Lt Hermann Labue of Stab II./NJG3 at 00.29 hours for his 12th victory he would go on to score 20 victories before he was killed 28/29 December 1944 following a failed crash landing at Gouda after an air combat. This is from Theo Boiten's book on the NJG war Diaries.

Best regards,

John.

MikeH · Air Vice Marshall

Hi Charlotte,

166 Sqn Lancaster III ND798 AS-C Op: Nurnberg

T/o 2202 Kirmington. Shot down, outbound, by a night fighter, crashing at Griessenbach, 8 km SSW of Eitorf. Those who died are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery. Norman Whitmore Burnett, brother of P/O Burnett, lost his life while in service. Sgt A Binder was interned in camp 357 pow No.3426

(ref: Bomber Command Losses by W R Chorley).

P/O W H Burnett killed

P/O V W R Park pow

Sgt J Toole pow

WO2 L E Edmunds RCAF pow

F/S R H Bannister RCAF pow

Sgt A Binder pow

Sgt P H Brown killed

Sgt F Storer killed

Regards,

Mike H

-- Edited by MikeH on Sunday 3rd of August 2014 02:07:16 AM

-- Edited by MikeH on Sunday 3rd of August 2014 02:09:38 AM

jeffb · Leading Aircraftsman

Charlotte:
Just came across this post while searching for nd798, which was the airframe number of the Lancaster Dad, F/S RH Bannister, bomb aimer, was shot down in. I have a crew photo in which the name Alf Binder being listed. I see from Barnsley's post he did his first op with another crew, before The Burnett crew did their first one on Jan 01 1944. They had been posted to 166 squadron, arriving just before Christmas 1943, but their Skipper, P/O Burnett, didn't do his familiarization trip with another experienced crew until I believe 30 or 31 Dec 1943. In the meantime it looks like the other crew members were used as spare bodies as and where needed with other crews short a member. Dad also flew his first op with a strange crew, actually, like your grandfather, having the pleasure (?) of seeing Berlin before the Skipper did!
Regards
Jeff

hiyou007 · Aircraftsman 1st Class

I am trying to research my grandfather Albert Binder. I am aware he was in squadron 166 and was shot down in Cologne and was a pow for a period of time. He was a member of the caterpillar club.

Unfortunately both himself and my grandmother have now passed away and we are unable to find any details of his squadron.

AW · Air Commodore

Sgt A. Binder was on board 166sqdn Lancaster ND798, which was lost on the infamous Nuremburg raid of 30th March 44, on which 166sqdn lost 4 aircraft. ND798 was shot down on the outward bound journey, and crashed at Griesenbach. P/O W.H. Burnett, Sgt P.H. Brown and Sgt F. Storer were killed, the rest of the crew were taken pow. Sgt Binder was in Camps L6 and 357, and his pow number was 3426. If you would like information on any previous operations carried out by this crew, let me know.

Regards.....Alan.

-- Edited by AW on Friday 13th of February 2015 10:14:04 AM

curieroy · Aircraftsman 1st Class

They had been posted to 166 squadron, arriving just before Christmas 1943, but their Skipper, P/O Burnett, didn't do his familiarization trip with another experienced crew until I believe 30 or 31 Dec 1943

Date: Dec 17, 2015

I was interested to read these posts on W H Burnett. He was a very close friend of my late father Dennis Jeavons ( died 1981) who trained as a Pilot with him in Canada.

W H Burnett was known to his friends as 'Bob' and I was named after him. I recently found out that the day I was born on 7.02.1954 which would have been Bob Burnetts 30th Birthday. A remarkable coincidence that I believe my parents were totally unaware of when they named me.

If anyone has any further information on 'Bob' I would be very interested. bobjeavons@manx.net