467 Postblog XIX: Sunday 30 January, 1944

There was little respite for the crews of Bomber Command, with yet another trip to Berlin laid on for tonight. As Flight Commander, Phil Smith did not go on quite so many operations as a ‘normal’ squadron pilot might, and his navigator was still sick, so he and his crew sat this one out again. Phil was however able to write a letter home. Leave was due in a week or so and he intended to spend it with his Uncle Harold. He also said he would try to get a current photograph of himself made, and perhaps even procure a film from somewhere to take some snaps of his new crew: “I have an English engineer – bomb aimer and gunner – and Australian navigator wireless operator and gunner. They are quite a good crowd all keen and hard working types.”[1]

Fourteen aircraft left for Berlin from 463 Squadron, but just ten from 467. Take off began just before 5pm. There was one early return, with 463’s Pilot Officer Charles Schonberg returning in ME614 with an overheating cabin and a sick navigator a couple of minutes before 9pm.

The rest of the Squadrons (part of a larger force of some 540 aircraft on the target) once again found Berlin covered in thick cloud, necessitating a skymarking attack that was later described as “concentrated”. The Night Raid Report for this night includes reports heard on German radio that “extensive areas” of the city had been hit, with “heavy damage caused to cultural monuments etc”.[2] Meanwhile, smaller forces of Mosquitoes attacked Elberfeld and Brunswick, along with some radio counter-measure sorties, Serrate anti-nightfighter patrols and minelaying in the River Gironde.

The nightfighters, it seems, caught up to the main bomber stream quite late in the piece, but once in it they didn’t lose it again and many combats were witnessed. A nightfighter was engaged and destroyed by 467 Squadron’s Flight Sergeants Henry Thompson[3] and Col Campbell, in Pilot Officer Bruce Simpson’s crew, on their way out of the target.[4] The aircraft was seen crossing underneath them and the gunners called for a corkscrew. They “brought all [their] guns to bear on the [aircraft]. Hits were observed and it was seen to turn its back and disappear.” It was not over for this crew however. Later one engine required feathering, and they came home on three.

One aircraft of 467 Squadron failed to return, probably DV378,[5] with Flying Officer Alex Riley and crew aboard. It was hit by flak and crashed near the target area. The only survivor was the Canadian bomb aimer, Warrant Officer J Valastin who became a POW.[6]

It was far worse for 463 Squadron, however. They lost no less than four crews, led by Pilot Officers Lindsay Fairclough, Peter Hanson, George Messenger and Doug Dunn. There appear to be some errors in the Operational Record Book concerning which aircraft they were flying when all four crews disappeared without trace, but they were most likely HK537,[7] JA973, ED772 and ED949.[8]

This post is part of a series called 467 Postblog, posted in real time to mark the 70th anniversary of the crew of B for Baker while they were on operational service with 467 Squadron at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. See this link for an in-depth explanation of the series, and this one for full citations of sources used throughout it. © 2014 Adam Purcell

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