CREW MEMBER PROFILE

Surname:

COUCHMAN

First Name/s:

William Benjamin "Ben"

No Image

Service No/s:

1893438

Service:

RAFVR

Branch:

Air Gunner

Awards:

Return

SERVICE RECORDS

Date

Event

Aircraft Flown
01 Oct 1943

No. 83 Operational Training Unit (OTU), ‘A’ Flight, Peplow, Shropshire; joined Harkin crew.

Wellington
01 Mar 1944

No. 1667 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Sandtoft, Yorkshire. Exact date TBC.

Halifax
27 Mar 1944

Accident in Halifax DG305, GG-D at Sandtoft; swung on night t/o and u/c collapsed. No injuries.

01 May 1944

Joined No. 576 Squadron at Elsham Wolds, Linconshire. Exact date TBC.

Lancaster
12 Jun 1944

No. 300 (Polish) Squadron, Faldingworth, Lincolnshire.

Ops (xx): D R Harkin crew
27 Jun 44 – Chateau de Bernapre (Chateau l’Hortier)
29 Jun 44 – Siracourt
30 Jun 44 – Vierzon
02 Jul 44 – Domleger
04 Jul 44 – Orleans
06 Jul 44 – Foret du Croc
07 Jul 44 – Caen
18 Jul 44 – Emieville
23 Jul 44 – Keil
24 Jul 44 – Stuttgart; abandoned ND984 BH-P.

Lancaster
12 Jul 1944

Shot down on by Uffz Heinrich Bultmann in his Bf110G-4 using Shrage Musik at 4000m at 2125, 80km west of Stuttgart. Aircraft came down in Ochsenbach at 2136. Entire crew baled out but were taken PoW. All were ex-576

Stalag 9G Muhlhausen; PoW number 53390

Lancaster

576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS

Date

Aircraft

Code

Flight Details

T/O

Land

Flt Time

Crew

14 May 1944

LM439

UL-I2

Training

2015

nk

5h05

P1   Flt Lt D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Night cross country; bombing

15 May 1944

LM439

UL-I2

Training

2110

nk

5h40

P1   Sgt D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Night cross country; Bombing

17 May 1944

ND994

UL-F2

Training

1435

nk

1h35

P1   Sgt D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Air to sea firing, fighter affiliation

22 May 1944

JA715

UL-D2 (listed as UL-T2 in logbook)

DORTMUND

2225

0340

5h15

P1    D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Built-up area RUHR Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1170x 4lb incendiaries

24 May 1944

JA868

UL-J2

ACHEN

0000

0450

4h50

P1   Sgt D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

The marshalling yards at Aachen West and Rothe-Erde Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs

26 May 1944

ME792

UL-Q2

Training

1220

nk

1h55

P1   Gp Capt W.C. Sheen
P2   Sgt D.R. Harkin
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Cross country. Landed at Little Horwood

27 May 1944

JA868

UL-J2

AACHEN

0000

0450

4h30

P1   Plt Off D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  WO R.S. Pyatt RCAF
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

The marshalling yards at Aachen East and Rothe-Erde Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x500lb bombs.

31 May 1944

LM439

UL-I2

Training

1425

nk

2h10

P1   Plt Off D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Fighter affiliation; Bombing North Sea

02 Jun 1944

ND994

UL-F2

CALAIS

2300

0225

3h25

P1   Plt Off D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Coastal Railway Battery The attacks against gun batteries in the Pas de Calais was part of a plan to deceive the Germans that the forthcoming invasion was to be in this area, and not Normandy. Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs Most aircraft could not bomb due to cloud cover and brought their bombs back

03 Jun 1944

ND994

UL-F2

WIMEREUX (BOULOGNE)

2310

0315

4h05

P1   Plt Off D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Coastal railway gun battery The attack was part of the plan to deceive the Germans that the forthcoming invasion was to be in this area, and not Normandy. Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 16 or 15x 500lb bombs One other (probably C2 Hordal or R2 Wood) aircraft DNTO due engine trouble

04 Jun 1944

ND994

UL-F2

Training

1520

nk

0h50

P1   Plt Off D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Air to sea firing

05 Jun 1944

ND994

UL-F2

ST MARTIN DE VARREVILLE & CRISBECQ

2140

0155

4h15

P1   Plt Off D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Coastal Batteries (2 targets) Load: Squadron aircraft were split between the two targets – not known fully which was which. Confirmation of target taken from logbook entries. Bombardment of the coastal batteries on the eve of the D-Day invasion of France. Target St Martin de Varreville

06 Jun 1944

ND994

UL-F2

VIRE

2155

0340

5h45

P1   Plt Off D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

2 Aiming Points: Viaduc de Martilly road/rail bridge (western AP) & marshalling yards Load: 18x 500lb bombs

10 Jun 1944

ND994

UL-F2

FLERS

0030

0535

5h05

P1   Plt Off D.R. Harkin
P2   
FE   Sgt G.A.p.A.E. Palmer
AB   Sgt M.A. Collis
NAV  Flt Sgt C.G. Harrison
WOp  Sgt D. Berrie
MUG  Sgt J.A. Philpot
RG   Sgt W.B. Couchman

NOTES:

Luftwaffe FW-190 fighter airfield Load: 18x 500lb bombs

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