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: Wizernes (20 Jul 1944 - 20 Jul 1944)
| Operation Summary |
| Target |
Out |
Back |
Aborted
(Y / N) |
Comments |
| Wizernes |
20 Jul 1944 |
20 Jul 1944 |
N |
Nineteen aircraft andcrews were offered, accepted and briefed for an early evening attach on a target in WIZENEF [Ed. - assumed incorrect spelling, and Wizernes or Wizemes(?) V-bomb site is intended.]. All the aircraft took off successfully in good style and all reached the target which was bombed with the usual precision. Flak opposition at the target was negligible and the only fighters to be seen were, once again, Spitfires. All our aircraft returned safely to base bringing back good photographs. |
| Aircraft Deployed |
Servicemen Deployed |
Aircraft Service Number |
Returned
or FTR |
Comments |
Crew Details |
EE193
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.00 hours. |
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)
|
LL748
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.04 hours. |
F/O J J W Dawson (P)
Sgt E W C Edmunds (F/Eng)
F/Sgt F W Willmer (Nav)
F/Sgt K P Brady (A/B)
Sgt J M Palmer (W/Op)
Sgt J Earnshaw (MU/AG)
F/Sgt W H Harkness (R/AG)
|
PA991
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.01 hours. |
|
EE905
|
Returned |
Primary 19,000 ft at 21.05 hours. |
|
LM228
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.01 hours. |
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)
|
LM182
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.03 hours. |
F/O W F Cox (A/B)
F/O M L Dubois (P)
Sgt H Tulip (F/Eng)
F/O J C Young (Nav)
Sgt H Wood (W/Op)
Sgt R Eves (MU/AG)
Sgt L R R Haynes (R/AG)
|
LL811
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.02 hours. |
|
PA995
|
Returned |
Primary 13,500 ft at 21.02 hours. |
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)
|
W5005
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.03 hours.
[Ed: with F/Sgt R Blackburn as 8th crewman (Under-Gunner)] |
F/Sgt T T Savas (A/B)
Sgt R Blackburn (MU/AG)
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)
|
ME164
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.03 hours. |
|
ME776
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.00 hours |
F/O L Wareham (P)
Sgt F J Thrush (F/Eng)
F/O B O Sibree (Nav)
F/O G F Bodman (A/B)
Sgt C A McKernan (W/Op)
Sgt J H Washington (MU/AG)
F/O R W Kemp (R/AG)
|
PD221
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.00 hours. |
S/L B J Redmond (P)
F/L O A Hardy (MU/AG)
Sgt J G Hill (W/Op)
Sgt A H Bowers (MU/AG)
Sgt H Moreton (F/Eng)
F/Sgt D M Stephen (Nav)
F/Sgt J H Elliott (A/B)
|
ME583
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.03 hrs
[Ed: ORB states ME582 "P". This cannot be correct, as ME582 "E" FTR 25/26 Feb 44 with the loss of the Sgt C Tattersall crew. So ME583 assumed, since it is listed as "P" on the preceding day operation.] |
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)
|
LL831
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 20.59 hours. |
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)
|
LL800
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.01 hours. |
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)
|
EE139
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.05 hours. |
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)
|
PD208
|
Returned |
Primary 14,000 ft at 21.04 hours. |
|
LM455
|
Returned |
Primary 13,500 feet at 21.01 hours. |
F/O P M Roche (P)
Sgt P A O Adams (F/Eng)
F/O R W Archer (Nav)
F/O D Rudd (A/B)
F/O S G Spakowski (W/Op)
F/O R F Calderhead (MU/AG)
F/O E T Meaker (R/AG)
|
ND972
|
Returned |
Primary 13,500 feet at 21.00 hours. |
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)
|
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
(Wizernes, 20 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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