MN482

MP145

PD478

F/L R.G. Crosby

F/L K.F. Sage

F/O J. Roberts

F/O V.H. J. LeGear

Details of Sortie or Flight

F/L Crosby led a flight of four aircraft over the target area on an armed weather recce. They set course and climbed to 8000 feet, the visibility was good though there was a large layer of cloud extending over the Maas and Rheine. They crossed the Rhine south of Wesel and approaching the railway to Munster, they discovered a train between Haltern and Dulman, and prepared to dive bomb it with 500 lb bombs (.025 tail fused) they were carrying. They cut the rails successfully at A.445658 and one pair of bombs scored a direct hit on the engine, blowing it up completely. After a short orbit in the area, they returned to base reporting the weather O.K. for operations.

MN348

PD459

PD461

RB204

MN691

PD492

RB198

PD608

PD554

F/L J. Carr

F/L W.L. Saunders

F/O J.D. Sweeney

F/O L.C. Shaver

F/O R.H. Laurence

P/O S. Angelini

F/O W.G. Davis

W/O S.A. Church

F/O A.C. McBride

F/O I.W. Smith

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Fighter Cover

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10:05

09:50

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10:05

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F/L Carr led the Squadron, armed with 500 lb bombs (.025 tail fused) to cut the railway between Coesfeld and Dulman, Germany at A.6365. The flight was routine up to the target, both flights approaching line abreast and diving simultaneously from 7000 down to 2000 feet. The rail was cut in one place at least at A.645637. Following this Red flight stayed beneath cloud at 4500 feet, while Blue flight reformed above with fighter cover overhead.

Unseen until they were right in range, were two Me.262, jet jobs which came in from the northeast in a diving attack. They both opened fired on Green Section, which was  flying about 7000 feet. Green section turned starboard and eluded them very easily. The Huns had  so much speed it was futile to follow them and they climbed away. Red flight then proceeded to strafe two trains standing idle on the rail just south of Coesfeld and left them damaged. Blue Flight then went down on a train with steam up and destroyed the engine and damaged the cars. The Squadron then reformed and returned to base, all aircraft landing safely.

MN482

MP145

PD478

F/L R.G. Crosby

F/O W. Anderson

F/O J.Roberts

P/O A.E. Derouin

Details of Sortie or Flight

F/L Crosby led a section of four aircraft on an armed weather recce carrying 500 lb. bombs (.025 tail fused). They crossed over into the Rhine and discovered an engine on the track between Dorsten and Haltern, Germany - and dive bombed the engine, missing it, but cutting the rail in two places at A.590485. After bombing the rail they did a recce over the northern area and discovered a train between Ahaus and Coesfeld, Germany, which they effectively shot up, damaging the locomotive and cars. they then returned to base.

MN665

PD492

MN144

PD461

MN348

PD459

PD554

PD608

F/O R.H. Laurence

F/L K.F. Sage

F/O W.G. Davis

F/L J. Carr

F/O L.C. Shaver

F/L W.L. Saunders

F/O J.D. Sweeney

F/O I.W. Smith

P/O B.E. Bell

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Fighter Cover

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12:20

12:50

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Details of Sortie or Flight

F/O Laurence leading the Squadron and escorted by two typhoons as fighter cover, took-off to prang the railway running between Dorsten and Haltern, Germany. There was considerable cloud at all heights and it made map reading quite difficult but the Squadron arrived over the target however and Red flight went down first in a steep dive; their bombing was extremely accurate and the first two pairs were right on the track and the third one very close. Blue flight then went down and scored at least one other hit on the same line. There were four cuts on the line all told between A.517438 and A547453. The Squadron then did a recce south of the Munster railway, turning east and then back north to it where they discovered four trains, three with steam up, they were all effectively clobbered and the locomotives left spouting steam. Two of the trains were full of coal and strikes by cannon on one of them left it on fire. In one attack, Blue three (F/L W.L. Saunders) was pulling up when several bursts of flak (presumably 40mm) were seen around him by Blue 4 (F/O Sweeney). They both climbed into scattered cloud over the target and upon breaking cloud, F/L Saunders could not be seen anywhere. Soon after Blue one, (F/L Carr) reported a crashed aircraft on the ground at map reference A.7767. The remainder of the Squadron returned through heavy layered cloud, all arriving safely at base.