Hi Terry,

the following is from the Nachtjagd War Diaries vol 2, by Theo Boiten.

12/13 March 1945

On this night, besides the usual Mosquito attack on Berlin, Bomber Command sent 19 Lancasters and Halifaxes on mine laying duties to the Kattegat. The Berlin bound Mosquitos were plotted from 19.56 hrs in the Leeuwarden area and all the way to the target, but there was no reaction by the Nachtjagd against this threat.

Meanwhile, at around 20.18 hrs, the mine laying force began to cross the Danish coast in the Viborg area and headed towards their mine laying target in the Kattegat, to the  north of Vestjaelland. Two spitzenbesatzungen from 1./NJG3 were scrambled from Grove at around 20.45 hrs to intercept. In the ensuing combats, three Lancasters failed to return; all falling foul of Hptm. Schrdöer, St Kpt. of 3./NJG3. He destroyed one aircraft in the target area, another off Samsö Island, along the initial stage of the return route, while his third adversary went down on the western coast of Jütland.

 

Hptm Eduard Schröder 3./NJG3:  24       Kattegat W.Samsö (NA-6)                 21.16       Lancaster RA526 of 153 Sqn.

Hptm Eduard Schröder 3./NJG3:  25       Kattegat S. Hov (NA-8)                      21.27       Lancaster NG233 of 433 Sqn.

Hptm Eduard Schröder 3./NJG3:  26       Jütland 75km. N.Bornholm(NS-7)       21.45       Lancaster ME449 of 103 Sqn.

 

Hope this helps,

Mike H

 

 

 

-- Edited by MikeH on Tuesday 9th of December 2014 02:33:41 PM

Hi Mike
Sorry to trouble you again but does your book give any information about Lancaster PB347 that flew from RAF Metheringham on September 19th 1944 for a raid on Rheydt and was shot down by a nightfighter? I am reserahing Rex Chatwin who was a member of the crew.
Thanks
Terry

I have a 153 Squadron Roll of Honour. What do you want to know? B

The Roll of Honour was compiled by me and a friend from the Netherlands in the 1980s. It has the the names of all the 153 crews who went missing and the cemetery details/next of kin details for the casualties. So Sgt Derrick Edward Cox 3050655 RAF (VR) Rear Gunner Ayres crew, is indeed in it.

I have all of the monthly summaries for 153 Squadron operations and some of the debriefing reports for individual crews but they are not in digital form. Ayres crew joined 153 on 30/11/44. they were on the Nurnberg raid 02/01/45, Mannheim 01/03/45, Kassel 08/03/45 but those are the only sheets I have. They will have done other ops. The monthly summary for the final gardening op says 'Defences in the Gardening area consisted of occasional predicted Flak and 2 a/c were seen to be shot down by it. Another a/c was seen to go down for an unobserved cause. Fighters were also active in the area..' Ayres plane was one of five despatched on the gardening op. 4 landed safely back at base.

Hi Terry,

have you seen the link below with details about the loss of RA526.

http://www.flensted.eu.com/1945024.shtml

 

Mike H