550 Squadron and RAF North Killingholme Association

Squadron Operations: Summary Information

Overview

Listed below is the information available for operations to this target flown by 550 Squadron.

Operation Summary: The column headers should be fairly self-explanatory. The term "aborted" as used here covers a number of possibilities:

the operation was cancelled before crews were briefed
the crews have been briefed as to the target, and in some cases the planes may even have been bombed up and the crews on-board at their stations awaiting take-off, before the op has been stood-down
finally a number of cases where the op was already under way and the planes en-route but for whatever reason the operation was aborted (e.g. the master bomber orders the attack cancelled due to weather conditions at target adversely affecting targeting).

Aircraft Deployed: When a link to a particular aircraft is given, this indicates aircraft known to have taken part in this raid (in the records currently available to the web-site author). A record of whether the aircraft returned or failed to return (FTR) is also logged.

Servicemen Deployed: Names of the crew in the operation.

Station Summary: This section is the information from the RAF North Killingholme Station Record Book for the operational date (if available).

Definitions of the abbreviations used are available: here.

Manageable Lists

The amount of data in the database is growing and this is resulting in the "all operations/targets" list getting rapidly bigger and thus slower to generate. There are options to display shorter, more quickly generated, reports if you want to home in on something specific. For example, there are options to generate reports on operations to a single target, or by single aircraft (to all targets) or by single aircraft to a single target. There is, on the database-reports summary page, a short user guide (PDF format) on how to do this.

Operation/Target: Pauillac (04 Aug 1944 - 04 Aug 1944)

Operation Summary
Target	Out	Back	Aborted (Y / N)	Comments
Pauillac	04 Aug 1944	04 Aug 1944	N	Twelve aircraft were offered and accepted and briefed to attack oil stores at PAUILLAC near Bordeaux where lies stores of oil for the enemy's "U" and "E" boats, the Squadron this time being lead by the Squadron Commander, Wing Commander Sisley. One aircraft "R" returned early due to engine trouble, and the remaining eleven completed one of the most delectable pieces of cake which has ever come the way of our maids of all work. Provided with fighter cover, our crews found no opposition in their long journey. The weather over the target was clear with some ground haze and the markers which most crews bombed visually went down puntually and on the bullseye. The pinpointing was somewhat hampered in the latter stages by a pall of oily smoke which rose to over 8,000 ft and the Master Bomber raised the bombing height for later arrivals to avoid the smoke. News was received that F/O Taylor has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his trip on the 7th July when his aircraft was hit by bombs over Caen.

Aircraft Deployed			Servicemen Deployed
Aircraft Service Number	Returned or FTR	Comments	Crew Details
EE193	Returned	Primary 8,000 ft at 18.01 1/2 hrs	P/O N D Holdsworth (P) Sgt H Mimmack (F/Eng) Sgt V Kirby (Nav) Sgt C S Venables (A/B) Sgt J A C Steer (W/Op) Sgt W Johnston (MU/AG) W/O H Granger (R/AG)

Operation/Target: Pauillac (05 Aug 1944 - 05 Aug 1944)

Operation Summary
Target	Out	Back	Aborted (Y / N)	Comments
Pauillac	05 Aug 1944	05 Aug 1944	N	Fourteen aircraft and crews were required, provided and briefed to attack oil depots at PAUILLAC a few miles south of the previous days attack. All of the aircraft took off successfully with most of the crews in their shirt sleeves. Formation flying which has been practiced by the Squadron stood them in good stead and all the aircraft kept togther as far as the target, with S/L Redmond's section all the way home as well. The weather at the target was cloudy but the markers were accurately placed and all our aircraft planted their bombs on and around the aiming point. A huge fire was soon started and gradually enveloped the whole target with a particularly large explosion occurring at 19.10 hours. Excellent photographs were obtained by our crews and P.R.U. whol following close on their heels reported that severe damage was done in the attack. The route and target was trouble free from Flak and fighters while our fighter cover was comfortingly noticeable. All our aircraft returned safely though owing to fog conditions at base all landed at Sandtoft, with the exception of "H" which landed at Skellingthorpe.

Aircraft Deployed			Servicemen Deployed
Aircraft Service Number	Returned or FTR	Comments	Crew Details
EE193	Returned	Primary 8,000 ft at 19.04 1/2 hrs	P/O N D Holdsworth (P) Sgt H Mimmack (F/Eng) Sgt V Kirby (Nav) Sgt C S Venables (A/B) Sgt J A C Steer (W/Op) Sgt W Johnston (MU/AG) W/O H Granger (R/AG)

Summary Statistics

Based on the data in the lists displayed above, and keeping in mind that data is still being updated and thus not yet complete, the following statistics are generated:

Aircraft Deployment Statistics

Aircraft deployments	2
MAX Aircraft deployed in single operation	1 (Pauillac, 04 Aug 1944)

These details were last updated: 22 April 2024

Note

this list is still being built and will take some time to complete
what is currently displayed is believed accurate but much more is still to be added

This note describes the options currently available to produce a smaller, more manageable list and also describes planned future enhancements to the reporting facility.

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