Claude COLBURN was the husband of a family relative. They were both only 22, and had been married for less than a year. He was the Pilot of the Halifax noted above, on the night of 13/14 July 1943, on a raid over Aachen. The plane was lost somewhere near Cologne, and the crew was killed. They are all but one buried together, in Rheinberg War Cemetery.
I have noted on another posting, that there is a useful National Archives site for the Squadron Record of Events, and will obtain their record. But I wonder if anyone out there has any further information, or any photographs. I understand that 78 Squadron moved to RAF Breighton sometime in June 1943, so it may be that information comes from one of their earlier bases, such as Linton-on-Ouse.
78 Sqn 13/14 July 1943 Halifax JD175 EY-F Op: Aachen
T/o 2332 Breighton. Crashed in the vicinity of Köln, where it is likely all were buried. Six now lie in Rheinberg War Cemetery, but Sgt Yonker RCAF is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. He came form Winnipeg where his father, Doctor Herbert L Yonker MD, had a medical practice.
W/O C M Colburn +
Sgt F Oakley +
Sgt A R Lutes RCAF +
Sgt Z Yonker RCAF +
Sgt A Slack +
Sgt W V Gerrard +
Sgt W Robinson +
(source: RAF Bomber Command Losses, W R Chorley, 1943).
The Halifax was claimed by Oblt. Wilhelm Telge of 5./NJG1 Weisweiler, S.E Köln (6A) : height: 5.570 m. time: 01.51hrs.
(source: Nachtjagd War Diaries, Theo Boiten).
A photo of Sgt Lutes RCAF and Sgt Yonker at the links below.
Thank you very much for all this information. The material from German records about who brought the plane down is particularly amazing. They had been airborn a little under 2½ hours when they were shot down. I have now accessed the Air Ministry Operational Record for 78 Squadron in July 1943 in National Archives, and I know JD175 took off from RAF Breighton at 23.32.
What I don't understand is how they were brought down over SE Cologne, when Aachen is west of Cologne, not east. Were they likely to have been approaching from the north? Might a flight plan have brought them in over Cologne? But if so, wasn't that even more risky, given how big a target it was, and therefore how well it was likely to be guarded by Anti-Aircraft guns? I am a novice with RAF Bomber information, most of my experience has been with WW1 Army and Navy records and the Great War Forum. So I would be very grateful for any pointers.
The diaries (and the Combat Archive) show that the aircraft was brought down over Weisweiler, which is south east of Cologne (not SE Cologne) and very close to the route that night. I am happy to provide a map showing this information if you can let me have contact details.
Regards
Pete
__________________
Researching:
- CA Butler and the loss of Lancaster ME334
- Aircrew Training WWII (Basic / Trade / Operational)
- No. 35 Squadron [From Thetford to Scampton]
[Always looking for COPIES of original documents / photographs etc relating to these subjects]
Once again, thank you so much for all your help on this, and the time you have spent on my behalf. It always seems remarkable, researching this sort of event, how much information survives after so long.
I have tracked the route given above, which I assume is the whole route, there and back. I can see that Weisweiler makes perfect sense, in terms of this route. 50° 20'N, 05° 24'E is just north of a little place called Glimbach, north of and between Aachen & Düren, and directly north of Weisweiler. Am I right in thinking that this would mean that JD175 had dropped it's bombs and was returning to the UK?
Update: I have used the information about Oblt. Wilhelm TELGE, who claimed the hit on JD 175, and found a book in Google Books called 'Nachtjagd, Defenders of the Reich 1940-1943' by Martin BOWMAN. It gives a very full account of the raid on Aachen, which was apparently the last raid in the 'Battle of the Ruhr'. TELGE brought down 2 Halifax bombers that night.
Regards,
Jane
-- Edited by Brummie on Exmoor on Wednesday 25th of July 2018 07:07:20 AM
