13-19 October 1944

Posted on by propatria27

Overview

A costly week for RAF Wickenby, with 6 aircraft lost, 27 aircrew killed, 4 becoming POW’s and several injured during missions or in crash landings. Attacks were made on Duisburg, Wilhelmshaven and Stuttgart. There were two missions to Duisburg on one day, with many crews making both trips, but resulting in the loss of 5 aircraft, 4 during the daylight raid, which was becoming more common due to the availability of long range fighter cover. Both of these raids consisted of more than 1,000 RAF aircraft, with the USAAF also bombing Cologne the same day with over 1,200 aircraft.

Extract from Station Diary

Flt Lt Ray Clearwater, aged 32, the son of John Wesley Clearwater & Catherine J Clearwater of McAuley, Manitoba, Canada, who was killed with all his crew in the first attack on Duisburg
Ray Clearwater’s crew, all killed during the first mission to Duisburg
Sgt Ross Allen, the wireless operator in Flying Officer Sorenson’s aircraft that was lost on the first Duisburg mission – he was captured after bailing out and became a POW

Extract from 12 Sqn Appendix to Operational Record Book

Extract from 626 Sqn Appendix to Operational Record Book

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