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: Revigny (12 Jul 1944 - 12 Jul 1944)
| Operation Summary |
| Target |
Out |
Back |
Aborted
(Y / N) |
Comments |
| Revigny |
12 Jul 1944 |
12 Jul 1944 |
N |
Nineteen aircraft and crews were offered accepted and briefed for operations. All took off at 21.15hrs without incident to bomb Marshalling Yards at REVIGNY in Eastern France. The weather over the target was bad, which precluded accurate marking or visual identification on the target. Recco flares having failed to lighten the darkness, the Master of Ceremonies, for whose instructions our crews were waiting, felt obliged to call the party off. The gunners of one of our crews, P/O Bell and F/S Teasdale, Mid-Upper and Rear Gunners respectively of "C" (Sgt Town) accepted a challenge from an enemy fighter and claim to have shot it down in flames and to have seen it hit the deck. Two of our crews P/O Boocock and P/O Davies failed to return. Owing to bad weather conditions all the Squadron aircraft landed at ten different airfields in the Norfolk and Suffolk areas, one crash landed at Wattisham, and another crew abandoned their aircraft, all members making successful parachute descents. A signal was received from the Air Ministry stating that Sergeant J G Pearce has arrived in the UK. This N.C.O is one of three ordered to bale out whilst over enemy occupied territory when F/S Lloyd's aircraft got into difficulties whilst returning from Mailly on the 4th May. |
| Aircraft Deployed |
Servicemen Deployed |
Aircraft Service Number |
Returned
or FTR |
Comments |
Crew Details |
LL800
|
Returned |
Primary 3,500 ft at 01.54 hrs. Landed at Hethel. |
F/O R Purvis (P)
W/O W H S Ansell (P)
Sgt S Leary (F/Eng)
F/Sgt C Stoddard (Nav)
F/Sgt K R S Scholefield (A/B)
Sgt L W Guthrie (W/Op)
Sgt J Wright (MU/AG)
Sgt V S B Scoble (R/AG)
|
LL748
|
Returned |
Primary 8,000 ft at 01.52 hrs. Large explosion at 01.52. Landed at Waterbeach. |
|
LL831
|
Returned |
Abortive. M/C gave orders not to bomb. Landed ay Hethel. |
|
PA995
|
Returned |
Abortive. All bombs jettisoned. Landed at Newmarket. |
F/O R G Fink (Nav)
F/L F S Steele (P)
F/L R P Stone (P)
Sgt A W E Walters (F/Eng)
Sgt B St. J Railton-Jones (A/B)
Sgt W G Merills (W/Op)
Sgt W G Roberts (MU/AG)
Sgt R Smith (R/AG)
|
LL796
|
FTR |
Missing - no news after take-off. |
F/O W Boocock (P)
Sgt G T Sutherland (F/Eng)
F/O M C Eckhold (Nav)
F/Sgt A J W Mudford (A/B)
Sgt L E Dagless (W/Op)
Sgt M Muir (MU/AG)
Sgt T Setchfield (R/AG)
|
LL837
|
Returned |
Abortive. Told not to bomb. Landed at Hethel. |
|
LM460
|
Returned |
Abortive. Crashed at Hethel. Crew OK. |
F/O H A T Clark (P)
Sgt W Aspinall (F/Eng)
F/Sgt G W James (Nav)
F/Sgt W E Reed (A/B)
Sgt P E Binder (W/Op)
Sgt W E Johnson (MU/AG)
Sgt D L Marks (R/AG)
|
DV279
|
Returned |
Primary 7,500 ft at 01.56 hrs. Landed at Hethel. |
F/O M A Buchanan (P)
Sgt E A Johnson (F/Eng)
F/O H B Snelgrove (Nav)
Sgt E Clarke (A/B)
P/O A E Sutton (W/Op)
Sgt L E Updike (MU/AG)
Sgt W G Beney (R/AG)
|
PD303
|
Returned |
Primary 7,500 ft at 02.02 hrs. Bombed centre of RSF. Landed Swanington.
[Ed: Fauman crew log-book: PD208 (diverted to Swannington) 9hrs 50mins night flying] |
|
EE139
|
Returned |
Primary 8,000 ft at 02.00 hrs. Landed at Great Ashfield. |
F/O J C Hutcheson (P)
Sgt S Wright (F/Eng)
Sgt D F Smith (Nav)
F/Sgt J K Francis (A/B)
W/O W Y Smith (W/Op)
Sgt E C Hodgson (MU/AG)
Sgt A F Tosh (R/AG)
|
EE193
|
Returned |
Abortive. Combat with S/E Fighter. Landed Framlingham. |
|
PA991
|
Returned |
Abortive. Landed Haleworth. |
|
ED905
|
FTR |
Abortive, landed Haleworth. |
F/L D A Shaw (P)
Sgt C A Bruce (F/Eng)
Sgt R W Harris (Nav)
Sgt S Gartland (A/B)
A L Llanwarne (W/Op)
Sgt A Buckingham (MU/AG)
Sgt E J Griffiths (R/AG)
F/O L N B Cann (P)
|
ED562
|
FTR |
Primary 8,000 ft at 01.53 hrs.
Crew baled out near Wattisham, all OK |
F/L J C Lord (P)
Sgt K W C Down (F/Eng)
F/Sgt R Sebaski (Nav)
Sgt A A A Vass (A/B)
P/O J Elliott (W/Op)
Sgt A J Schomberg (MU/AG)
Sgt P J Sculley (R/AG)
|
ME583
|
Returned |
Primary 5,000 ft at 02.02 hrs. Bombed TIY, landed Downham Market. |
P/O H S Vaughan (P)
Sgt R W Metcalfe (F/Eng)
P/O L C Davies (Nav)
F/Sgt D Porter (A/B)
Sgt T Elliott (W/Op)
Sgt W J Watson (MU/AG)
Sgt L D Purser (R/AG)
|
W5005
|
FTR |
Abortive, landed Bungay.
[Ed: With Sgt A Bowers Under-Gunner] |
F/O W D Robertson (A/B)
F/O V A Thygessen (P)
Sgt A H Bowers (MU/AG)
Sgt R Finlay (F/Eng)
F/O E C Packham (Nav)
Sgt A Pavlovitch (W/Op)
Sgt A E Howting (MU/AG)
F/O H B Parker (R/AG)
|
LM134
|
Returned |
Primary 4,000 ft at 02.02 hrs. Bombed TIY. Landed Halesworth. |
F/O H Jones (P)
Sgt J R Drury (F/Eng)
F/Sgt C W Sawyers (Nav)
Sgt F H Habgood (A/B)
Sgt D Hunter (W/Op)
Sgt R B Cumberlidge (MU/AG)
Sgt I Williams (R/AG)
|
LM647
|
FTR |
Missing - no news after take-off. |
P/O J E H Davies (P)
Sgt A D Baker (F/Eng)
Sgt D B MacKenzie (Nav)
Sgt C M Pyke (A/B)
F/O N A Davies (W/Op)
Sgt G Taylor (MU/AG)
Sgt D A Donoghue (R/AG)
|
LM455
|
Returned |
Abortive. Landed Halesworth. |
F/Sgt T T Savas (A/B)
F/Sgt G B Smith (P)
Sgt V J Williams (F/Eng)
Sgt M L Tretheway (Nav)
F/O W K Mills (W/Op)
Sgt C J Cassan (MU/AG)
Sgt R G Colban (R/AG)
|
Operation/Target: Revigny (14 Jul 1944 - 14 Jul 1944)
| Operation Summary |
| Target |
Out |
Back |
Aborted
(Y / N) |
Comments |
| Revigny |
14 Jul 1944 |
14 Jul 1944 |
N |
Eleven aircraft and crews only were required for operations. The crews were briefed and took off to bomb REVIGNY Marshalling Yards. As was the case on our last visit to this target two nights previously it was again found impossible to mark the target with sufficient accuracy to ensure the desired results. Our aircraft received instructions to return to Base with their bombs. Opposition from the ground defences was reported as being negligible, there there appears to have been considerable activity by the Luftwaffe. W/O Ansell in "D" was attached unsuccessfully by a rocket firing fighter whose fire was returned, but no strikes were claimed by our gunners. No printable photographs were obtained. Wing Commander Connolly and crew, which included the Gunnery Leader Flight Lieutenant K.W.L. Fuller D.F.C failed to return to base. Wing Commander Connolly, during his comparatively short time with the Squadron proved hmself to be a leader of men, a man of understanding, and was liked by all with whom he came into close contact. The Squadron has lost not only an efficient Commander, but a very gallant Gentleman. |
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 |
30 |
MAX Aircraft deployed
in single operation |
19
(Revigny, 12 Jul 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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