大象传媒

Below is an account of the last flight of Lancaster ND846-TL-J for Johnnie, as told to me by my uncle, F/Sgt Wilfred R. Horner.

On the 4th July 1944 we were briefed to visually mark the marshalling railway yards at Villeneuve St. Georges for an attack beginning approximately 0100 hours on the 5th July.

The aircraft was Lancaster ND846-TL-J-35 Squadron.
The crew was:-
S/Ldr.A.P.Cranswick.DSO,DFC. Pilot
F/O R.H.Kile. Navigator
F/L P.R.Burt DFC. Bomb Aimer
F/L A.C.M.Taylor. Bomb Aimer
Sgt C.Erickson. Flight Engineer
F/Sgt W.R.Horner. Wireless Operator
F/Sgt E.M.Davies. Mid-Upper Gunner
F/Sgt A.H.Wood. Rear Gunner

We took off at 2320 hours and crossed the English Coast at Beachy Head and flew around Paris,we had to descend to 7000 feet(2000metres+)to clear clouds. At briefing it was estimated to be 12000 feet(3500 metres). As soon as the aiming point was sighted the pilot was directed on to it by F/L Taylor and markers and bombs were dropped, almost immediately there were explosions below us and the aircraft began burning,the pilot gave the order to bale out- i attached my parachute to clips on my chest-the rear of the plane was on fire so i waited my turn to use the front escape hatch.

My next memory was being dragged along the ground by my parachute(Un-beknown to me the plane had broken its back exactly where i was standing and i was the sole survivor).There was lots of shouting in German! They released me from my harness and took me into a building. I was questioned by an officer-giving him my rank,name and service number- I next remember being taken to a medical centre and being treated by a doctor and two nurses. My legs and hands were burnt and i had inhaled a lot of smoke.

The next morning i was picked up by a lorry (the driver stopped to show me the wreckage of our plane) and taken to the American hospital at St. Denis,where i received good treatment.

The first week in August i was moved to a hospital at Hohenmark- attached to the interrogation centre at Oberusal, near Frankfurt.Then on August 15th i was transferred to Obermassfeld,where i had a skin graft to my right hand-this hospital was staffed by British personnel with a German doctor in overall control.My next move was to a convalescent centre at Meiningen, this was in an old theartre.I left there on October 20th for the prison camp, Luft 7, at Bankau, near Kreuzberg,in Lower Silesia.

In the new year (1945)we could hear the approach of the Russian Army. On the 19th January we left camp and began the long walk westwards. It was snowing and very cold and frosty. We slept at state farms and once in a disused brick factory. There was very little food and it was difficult to keep going in the severe weather. We eventually arrived in Luckenwalde(Stalag 3A) south of Potsdam.

On 22nd April Russian troops arrived and took control of the camp. American lorries came to collect us but were refused access.We were eventually allowed to leave about the 22/23rd May and go to Halle- the Americans flew us to Brussels. After baths and fresh uniforms, we felt more civilised and were flown home to England in Lancasters. We were taken to RAF Cosford for medical examinations. I arrived home on 29th May- MY BIRTHDAY!

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