Overview
12 Sqn were part of 2 operations this week, to Hannover and Leipzig – no aircraft were lost and there were no fatal casualties, however, 3 crew members were wounded by fire from a night fighter during the Hannover raid and the pilot, Flt Lt Rowland, was awarded an immediate DFC for his conduct. Neither attack was successful, mostly due to weather conditions, and the Pathfinder marking was poor, resulting in some pithy comments in the Station Diary below.
One of the Lancasters lost on the Hannover raid was the 5000th Bomber Command aircraft lost on operations since the start of the war, 4,365 by night and 639 by day, over enemy territory, crashed in the sea or shot down over England by German Intruders or “friendly” defences.
Extract from Station Diary
Extract from Appendix to 12 Sqn Operational Record Book
RAF Wickenby - This week in history - World War 2 