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: Sterkrade (16 Jun 1944 - 17 Jun 1944)
Operation Summary |
Target |
Out |
Back |
Aborted (Y / N) |
Comments |
Sterkrade |
16 Jun 1944 |
17 Jun 1944 |
N |
Nineteen aircraft and crews were offered, accepted and briefed to attack the syntheic oil plant at STERKADE on the north western edge of the Ruhr. All the aircraft took off without incident, but one aircraft "B" (P/O Beeson) was forced to abandon shortly afterwards due to the Port Inner Engine becoming unserviceable. The remainder found cloudy conditiions over most of the route, and some icing troubles were encountered. Over the target conditions of 10/10th cloud, tops above 10,000 ft and from two to three thousand feet thick prevailed. However the glow of the PFF markers could be clearly seen through the cloud and the concentration was not so good as had been the case recently. Crews opinions were mixed and it is possible that bombing was somewhat scattered. Flak at the target was reported as moderate to intense, it being heavier than on previous sorties to the Ruhr, and night fighters were active. F/O Thygessen "N" had an indecisive combat, being fired at by an unidentified aircraft and returned fire, no damage or casualties were sustained. A member of "O" (F/O Wareham) thought he was seeing things when he spotted 15 enemy aircaft flying in formation, as they was on a reciprical course to "O", took no notice, he decided that Brer Rabbits advice was good so "laid low and said nothing". After a long period of sixty-nine successful sorties, it is regretted that three of our aircraft failed to return, no news being received since take off. "V" (S/Ldr Smith DFC - "B" Flight Commander), "H" (F/O Neilsen) and "P" (P/O Packham). Among the crew of F/O Neilson was the Squadron Bombing Leader F/Lt McConnell. They will be sadly missed, for they were all jolly good fellows. |
Aircraft Deployed |
Servicemen Deployed |
Aircraft Service Number |
Returned or FTR |
Comments |
Crew Details |
LL800
|
Returned |
Bombed glow R & G TI from 21,000 ft at 01.27 hrs. 8 bombs believed dropped safe. |
F/O R Purvis (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)
|
EE193
|
Returned |
Bombed glow R TI from 21,000ft at 01.21 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)
|
PA991
|
Returned |
Abortive - Port outer engine u/. Jettisoned 6 x 500. Nose I. |
|
LL748
|
Returned |
Bombed glow R & G TI from 21,000 ft at 01.24 hrs. |
F/L D A Shaw (P) Sgt T P Burke (F/Eng) 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)
|
ED905
|
Returned |
Bomber estimated positions of RTI from 20,000 ft at 01.24 hrs. |
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)
|
ED562
|
Returned |
Bombed glow RTI from 21,000 ft at 01.26 hrs |
F/O R G Fink (Nav) F/L F S Steele (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)
|
LM134
|
FTR |
Missing - no news after take off
[Ed: The ORB lists the crew regular F/O Stocks flying as A/B, but F/Lt McConnell Senior Bombing Officer is listed amoung those lost (along with a 2nd pilot).] |
F/L A D McConnell (A/B) F/O D F Neilson (P) F/O H B Brett (Nav) Sgt A T Paget (W/Op) Sgt E W Webb (MU/AG) F/O J M McKay (R/AG) Sgt J E Legg (F/Eng) W/O J K Murray (P)
|
PA995
|
Returned |
Bombed glow RTI from 21,000 ft at 01.23 hrs. Saw flashes below cloud. |
|
LL850
|
Returned |
Bombed glow RTI from 21,000 ft at 01.23 hrs. Saw flashes below cloud. |
|
DV279
|
Returned |
Primary 21,000 ft at 01.25 hrs. Bombed Glow RTI |
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)
|
W5005
|
Returned |
Primary 20,000 ft at 01.24 hrs. Bombed Glow RTI. Combat with unidentified aircraft - inconclusive. |
F/O W D Robertson (A/B) F/O V A Thygessen (P) 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)
|
LL796
|
Returned |
Primary 21,000 ft at 01.21 hrs. Bombed Glow RTI. Explosion at 01.20 1/2hrs. |
|
LL747
|
FTR |
Missing - no news after take off |
F/O G H Packham (P) Sgt C C C Pettit (F/Eng) Sgt J Matthews (Nav) Sgt J S Jenkins (A/B) Sgt F A Willson (W/Op) Sgt J Jackson (MU/AG) Sgt E J Morgan (R/AG)
|
LL837
|
Returned |
Primary 21,000 ft at 01.22 hrs. Bombed Glow RTI |
|
LM460
|
Returned |
Primary 20,000 ft at 01.23 hrs. Bombed Glow RTI |
P/O W J Bibby (P) Sgt H Tulip (F/Eng) F/O J P Rennie (Nav) F/O A N Shedock (A/B) Sgt A J Jeffries (W/Op) Sgt D R S Howell (MU/AG) Sgt R J Kimbrey (R/AG)
|
LL838
|
Returned |
Primary 21,000 ft at 01.23 hrs. Bombed Glow RTI |
P/O P Maxwell (P) Sgt R W Willey (F/Eng) F/Sgt F Fowkes (Nav) F/Sgt S J Oslund (A/B) Sgt P R Greenhalf (W/Op) Sgt C Whitters (MU/AG) Sgt R Greathead (R/AG)
|
LM455
|
Returned |
Primary 21,000 ft at 01.25 hrs. Bombed R & G TI Glow |
F/Lt R Thomas (P) Sgt S F Beardmore (F/Eng) Sgt V R Farmer (Nav) F/Sgt A C H Stack (A/B) Sgt E J Wilkins (W/Op) Sgt J J Curtis (MU/AG) Sgt C R Cronk (R/AG)
|
LL831
|
Returned |
Primary 22,000 ft at 01.21 hrs. Bombed Glow (est. position) RTI |
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)
|
ME840
|
FTR |
Missing - no news after take off |
S/L G S Smith (P) F/Sgt R Townsend (W/Op) F/O R Kay (F/Eng) F/O J J Berg (Nav) F/O L Pulfrey (A/B) F/L St. J Tizard (MU/AG) F/O J Heath (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 |
19 |
MAX Aircraft deployed in single operation |
19 (Sterkrade, 16 Jun 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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