622 squadron bomber command book pdf

Navigators, air bombers and air gunners flying log book for a g gould, flight engineer, covering the. The first and only new zealand squadron in bomber command. Raf bomber command during the second world war imperial war. It formed part of the main force of bomber command and took part in attacks on german industry until the end of the war. Set out in months the pages record the operations flown and losses suffered by the squadron between august and december 1943. No 622 squadron was formed at mildenhall from c flight of no 15 squadron, on 10 august 1943.

Metal 153 squadron lapel pin badges and cloth badges. Bbc ww2 peoples war 622 squadronen route to stuttgart. Bomber command books from mention the war publications, merthyr tydfil. On the 27th of april 1944, 622 squadron, raf bomber command was detailed to attack fredrichshafen. In dads log book on friedrichshafen operation is a note of. Its formation also coincided with the beginning of the long and costly battle of berlin which would see the. Iii bombers in december, after briefly operating lancaster mk. Aircraft operation air ministry os bashall mrs 546 c1 manual of air pilotage air ministry. Raf mildenhall browse items ibcc digital archive university of.

It was operational the same night it was formed, part of the main force of 3 group bomber command. No intended as a casual read but for those with a real interest in bomber command, its operations and in this case how 83 squadron fitted into this and the nature of their operations, aircraft, aircrews. Catalogue cate title author oversize squadron donor 1842 b2. The author, the crews rear gunner describes with some degree of realism the fears and dangerous encountered by a bomber command crew. It conducted attacks on german industrial targets until april 1945. The series of which this book is volume 5, covers all bomber command losses during wwii, and to my knowledge is the most comprehensive, and possibly the only one of its kind.

Bomber command books from mention the war publications. The aircraft was approaching our turning point before the run into the target when it was attacked from dead astern under. Bomber command photos 626 raf bomber squadron at raf. The squadron had stumbled in its journey, but it was just a stumble, as 100 torpedo bomber squadron metamorphosed into 100 bomber squadron in bomber command back in england at the end of 1942. The site also covers the airbases of stradishall and feltwell and details the aircraft they flew such as the wellington flying fortress and stirling.

Raf mildenhall was established in 1934, however people living in the area had long been accustomed to the sight of aircraft in the skies overhead. The quickest way to get in the war was to become an air gunner, so i opted for that instead and found myself at mildenhall, suffolk, on 622. It operated in bomber command s main force as part of no 3 group until april 1945 when it moved to. Buy bomber command pan military classics main market by hastings, max isbn. Family history, raf, raaf, bomber command 467 squadron. A compelling book that describes with some skill the daytoday dangers and perils of operational flying.

A well illustrated guide to the development and service career of this classic british bomber. Covering world war 2 only, this book gives great detail of virtually every raid in which 10 squadron participated from september 1939 to may 1945 using bomber command 4 group and 10 squadron ops record information. Fletcher, thorpe abbotts, spaarndam, holland 432 squadron halifax iii mz588 qow fo. During world war ii, it operated as a bomber squadron of the royal air. If you want to know what bombers were lost on a particular day, or from a particular squadron, or attacking a particular target, this is what you need. Royal air force operations record books 19111963 the national. On 22 march 1944 lancaster and halifax bombers from.

Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. He shows how the organization, bomber command went through trials and tribulations as they came to grips with the realities of the war. The squadron carried out night raids against germany, but was shortlived and was disbanded on 6 december 1943. F bomber command combat reports air 50 air 50 combat reports from 19401945.

It formed part of the main force of bomber command and took part in attacks on german. On 4 november 1946, 214 reformed at upwood as part of post war bomber command, later reequipping with lincolns in february 1950. Over the course of the war, it developed from a limited and relatively ineffective force into a weapon of immense destructive power. List of pages relating to 1944 aircrew remembered site. The history of 514 squadron raf 514 squadron served in the rafs no. Equipped with stirlings, it began operations on the same night as forming, converting to lancasters in december.

Front left is johnnie wortley, johnnie went onto train as a flight engineer and. Isbn 9781911255499 raf the birth of the worlds first air force. The squadron reformed again at raf waddington on 1 august 1962 equipped with the avro vulcan v bomber, using ex617 squadron aircraft made surplus after 617 squadron reequipped with vulcan b. During world war 2 12 squadron suffered the second highest percentage losses in bomber command. Books can be reserved, please see covid19 message on home page for details. The aim of this site is simple, to perpetuate the memory of a generation of young men drawn from every part of britain its commonwealth and the dominions who served with no. During world war ii, it operated as a bomber squadron of the royal air force. One squadron aircraft went out in the afternoon for bombing practice and a number of aircraft carried out air tests of various kinds. Bomber command photos flying officer j b burnside, the flight engineer on board an avro lancaster b mark iii of no. Men who flew with xv squadron relates the personal stories of a small number of these men, giving an insight to their anxious moments when flying on operational sorties, staring death in the face in the form of prowling nightfighters and ground fire, and relaxing during their offduty hours. Flight lieutenant ken thomas flew operations as a pilot with 622 squadron.

Suffered second highest casualties rate in bomber command. Dring book entitled a history of raf mildenhall in this account. Believed to have dropped the third highest bomb tonnage 21,600 tons in bomber command. Bomber command orgnisation during ww2rafcommands archive. Other documents record that the squadron also trained using martinsydes and a number of pilots are described as flying officers for martinsydes. Lancaster of 622 squadron second world war diaries, letters. This is a copy of the form 540 operations record book for xv squadron as completed at the time geoff and the crew arrived for operations. Raf bomber command was created in 1936 and comprised the rafs light and heavy bomber squadrons. Mackay looks at the early development of the wellington and the unusual geodetic frame that gave it great strength, the period when the wellington was the mainstay of bomber command and the many uses found for the aircraft after it was replaced in the main bomber stream. The bomber command of 39 was no where like the bomber command of 45.

Formed in august 1943 it operated until disbanded in august 1945. The history of the royal air force 214 fms squadron during ww2 and the role it had during the war. Postwar it served shortly as a transport squadron in the rauxaf. As would be expected by a book from this author an in depth study of a ww2 bomber squadron. On the 27th of april 1944, 622 squadron, raf bomber command was detailed to attack fredrichshafen, germany, flying at about 20,000 feet and bombing the target with high explosives. An raf bomber command squadron commander was a wing commander, and in path finder force pff, where ranks were one higher than regular bomber command, a group captain. Raf rank structure varied according to the branch of the command. It received a major slice of britains economic and technological resources, and many of its brightest and best. Jan 01, 1979 bomber commands air offensive against the cities of nazi germany was one of the most epic campaigns of world war ii.

Ix b squadron is the oldest dedicated bomber squadron of the royal air force. Cass, raf mildenhall, suffolk, antiaircraft fire, krefeld, germany 369th fighter squadron p51d mustang 4414307 iv. He was stationed at raf stradishall, raf mildenhall, raf lakenheath and raf scampton. Sep 23, 20 bomber command s air offensive against the cities of nazi germany was one of the most epic campaigns of world war ii. Jul 22, 2014 hi, not sure what you mean by the documents not having aircraft serial numbers. Formed in december 1914, it saw service throughout the first world war, including at the somme and passchendaele. Raf bomber command during the second world war imperial. This reflects the number of men in the unit and the various levels of responsibility. Later the same day, 614 squadron, a liberator unit at amendola italy, was renumbered 214 squadron and moved to palestine in august where it converted to lancasters before being renumbered 37 squadron on 15 april 1946. H dring for allowing me to use material from his fathers mr.

Catalogue cate title author oversize squadron donor 1842. It operated in bomber commands main force as part of no 3 group until april 1945 when it moved to. It continued to carry out this role until it merged with no. After a short period of operations from raf foulsham, the squadron transferred to its permanent home at raf waterbeach, cambridgeshire, in december 1943, some aircraft travelling from the old base to the new via a raid on berlin. The aircraft flew the highest number of sorties on the squadron and the command with 62 ops, 610 hours 55 minute flying time. They definitely grew as an organization through the war. Carried out the fourth highest number of bombing raids of all heavy bomber squadrons.

These are royal air force raf operations record books orbs, though the oldest books predate. The squadron was formed on 10 august 1943 at raf downham market in norfolk from c flight of 218 squadron, as well as receiving crews from no. History of the 100 air refueling wing and raf mildenhall. Bomber command aviation books bomber command flyingbooks. Aircraft and equipment air ministry os bashall mrs 64 c1 flying, vol. Seven stirlings were assigned the new squadron code letters of gi and they were in operation on their first day. No 622 squadron was formed on 10 august 1943 at mildenhall from c flight of no.

Bomber command books is a community site from mention the war publications, a specialist in publishing and selling. The document at the national archives available for online viewing entitled unit history of number 467 squadron december 1942 to october 1945, records serial numbers im looking at page 152 for 45 january 1945 and the serial numbers are there for each aircraft. Deloughry, raf east moor, heinz wolfgang schnauffer, stab ivnjg1, verviers, belgium. It flew its first raid on 6 december 1942, and remained part of the main bomber force until late in 1943. Ix b squadron was one of two avro lancaster units specialising in heavy precision bombing the. Lancaster of 622 squadron commanded by flight lieutenant j. Special duties squadrons were approximately of twoflight size. The site contains many historical documents, biographys, pictures of the aircraft and veterans.