大象传媒

No.28. 5.1.45. Target HANOVER Night Operation.

"C" Charlie. Bomb load. 1 x 40001b Cookie plus incendiaries.
325 Aircraft of Nos.l and 5 Groups were briefed for the second of a two pronged
attack on Hanover.

Nos.4 and 6 Groups had bombed the target two hours earlier with bomb loads of
mainly incendiaries. When we crossed the Dutch coast, the fires could be seem from at least 100 miles away. Our track took us towards Bremen and was meant to mislead the enemy into believing that was our target. However we did a starboard turn short of Bremen and ran into Hanover from the North. The target was well bombed and rail yards put out of action. I don't know what we did right but "C" Charlie arrived back
at base 4 minutes before anyone else.

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No.29. 6.1.45. Seamining. STETTIN Bay. Night operation.
Aircraft AS-D. Bomb Load 6 x 1 SOOlb Mines.

Knott and crew started their third and final gardening trip (As sea-mining was known)
48 aircraft of Bomber Command were detailed to plant 'vegetables' in the entrance to Stettin Harbour and other local areas. The enemy was able to pick up the force 100 miles North East of Cromer because bad weather conditions forced us to fly at 15000 ft to the target instead of the usual 2000 ft.
.As a result of this early warning enemy fighters were waiting and the target area was well illuminated by fighter flares. It was believed that the enemy thought this was a major attack on Berlin developing. Knott and crew dropped their vegetables in the allotted area, securing a good H2S photograph and again returned to base first.

No.30. 14.1.45. Target MERSEBERG LEUNA (Again) Night operation. "C" Charlie. Bomb load 1 x 4000 Ib Cookie plus 5500 Ibs HE. 200 Aircraft attacked this target to finish off the job started on 6th.December. A very successful attack.

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No.31. 16.1.45. Target Oil refinery ZEITZ Nr. Leipzig. "C" Charlie. Bomb load 1 x 40001b Cookie plus 6000 Ibs GP Bombs. This was the one we had been waiting for, our last operation. We went into briefing and were told by the intelligence officer that although we were being briefed the operation might be cancelled because a large force of Amercan Fortresses and Liberators had been to the target earlier in the day and a photo recce Mosquito had gone out to photograph the target and assess the results.
Before the end of briefing it was confirmed that that the Americans had missed and our operation was on. At 1720 on the 16th. January we took off on this operation. Over the target there were hundreds of searchlights, the markers were in the right place and we completed our bombing run. The target was well ablaze and there were massive explosions. At one point Paddy called out "We're coned skip" meaning we were caught by searchlights.

It was briefly very light in the cabin but the light was caused, not by searchlights but by the explosions from the target.
Of the 328 Lancasters that attacked the target, 10 were lost.
When we returned to base all of our ground crew, including one guy who had returned early from leave, were there to welcome us and join in a little celebration. George Knott was awarded an immediate Distinguished Flying Cross, said to be a crew award for completing a tour of operations.
All seven of us were posted from Kirmington, on indefinite leave to await our next assignments.

'This story was submitted to the People's War site by Rod Aldwinckle of the CSV Action Desk on behalf of John Derek Bailey and has been added to the site with his / permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions

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