NE115

Lancaster Mk III

Change of Sqn Code based on Flight Record created

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Initial record to be updated when first event found

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Change of Sqn Code based on Flight Record created

U²

Change of Sqn Code based on Flight Record created

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Change of Sqn Code based on Flight Record created

UL-B²

Change of Sqn Code based on Flight Record created

UL-B²

Change of Sqn Code based on Flight Record created

UL-A²

Change of Sqn Code based on Flight Record created

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HASSELT

Fg Off B.A. Templeman-Rooke

Target: Marshalling Yards Load: 11x 1000lb and 4x 500lb bombs. Master Bomber was unable to identify the target visually and instructed all aircraft to return to base with their bombs. In typical fashion, the T-Rooke crew bombed the secondary target (Louvain).

ORLEANS

Fg Off B.A. Templeman-Rooke

Target: Fleury-Les-Aubrais Marshalling Yards Load: 11x 1000lb and 4x 500lb bombs Landed Elsham Wolds (4 other Squadron aircraft were diverted).

DUISBERG

Fg Off B.A. Templeman-Rooke

Target: Built-up Area Load: 1x 4000lb 'Cookie' and 204x 30lb incendiaries T-Rooke: "Bombed from 18000ft. Poor effort with cloud up to 20,000ft. No flak - quiet trip"

DORTMUND

Flt Lt B.A. Templeman-Rooke

Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb 'Cookie', 108x 30lb and 1170x 4lb incendiaries T-Rooke: "Bombed from 18000ft. A ‘wizard prang’ with many searchlights but no flak".

CHATEAU DE BERNAPRE

Plt Off R.C. Bailey

Target: V1 'flying bomb' launch site. Load: 18x 500lb bombs.

DOMLEGER

Plt Off R.C. Bailey

Target: V1 'flying bomb' storage and supply depot. Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs.

OISEMONT / NEUVILLE AU BOIS

Plt Off R.C. Bailey

Target: V1 'flying bomb' launch site. Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs.

DOMLEGER

Plt Off R.C. Bailey

Target: V1 'flying bomb' storage and supply depot. Load: 7x 1000lb, 4x500lb bombs.

CAEN

Plt Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Enemy armour strongpoint and stores on the northern outskirts of Caen. Flown in support of the Anglo-Canadian ground forces attacking the town (Operation CHARNWOOD). Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. Described as a 'wizard attack' by Bailey.

REVIGNY

Plt Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Marshalling yards. Load: 7x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. The Deputy Master Bomber instructed aircraft to return to base with bombs (‘Lysol’) as cloud was obscuring the target. Target marking was conducted by the 1 Group Special Duties Flight based at Binbrook.. Due to weather at Elsham on the way back, the aircraft was diverted to Blyton.

REVIGNY

Plt Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Marshalling yards. Load: 7x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. The Master Bomber instructed aircraft to return to base with bombs (‘Sugar Plum’). NE115 was diverted to Newmarket due to low cloud at Elsham.

SANNERVILLE

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Area 'H' - fortified positions occupied by enemy Panzer regiments. Flown in support of the British 2nd Army involved in Operation Goodwood with a strong fighter escort. Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. Described by Bailey as a 'wizard attack'.

SCHOLVEN / BUER

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Synthetic oil refinery near Gelsenkirchen, Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 10x 500lb bombs. The aircraft is freported to have been hit by flak and returned to base on 3 engines.

WIZERNES

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Construction site for a V2 rocket and bunker complex, known as 'Le Coupole'. Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs.

KIEL

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: German Navy base, canal and harbour. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 8x 500lb bombs, 5x 500lb 'J' Type incendiary clusters OR 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 16x 500lb bombs (the load for this aircraft is not clear)

STUTTGART

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Built-up area. Load: 1x 2000lb bomb, 12x cluster bombs, each containing 14x30lb 'J'-Type incendiaries.

STUTTGART

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Engineering workshops. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 11x 500lb bombs

LE HAVRE

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Harbour installations and shipping. Load 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs.

TROSSY ST MAXIMIN

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: V1 'flying bomb' supply depot. Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs.

PAUILLAC

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Oil storage depot. Load: 9x 1000lb, 3x 500lb bombs.

BLAYE

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Oil storage depot. Load: 9x 1000lb, 3x 500lb bombs. Mosquito and Spitfire escort. Diverted to Worksop on return due to weather at base.

FONTENAY-LE-MARMION

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Concentrations of enemy armour in the battle area to the south of Caen. Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. Five Squadron aircraft involved in the final phase of the attack were instructed not to bomb and to return to base with their payloads as the Aiming Point was obscured by smoke and dust. It is not yet clear whether the Bailey crew bombed or not.

ERTVELDE RIEME (GHENT)

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Motor Transport oil depot and storage tanks north of Ghent on the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal. Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs

RUSSELSHEIM

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Opel factory for aircraft wings and fuselages, and built-up area. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 12x 500 4lb incendiary clusters.

KIEL

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: German Navy installations. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 108x 30lb and 1170x 4lb incendiaries.

AGENVILLE

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: V1 'flying bomb' supply site. Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. Spitfire escort provided.

EINDHOVEN

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Luftwaffe airfield. Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. Spitfire escort provided.

LE HAVRE

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Enemy strongpoints and pockets of resistance. Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs.

LE HAVRE

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Enemy strongpoints and pockets of resistance. Load: 12x 1000lb, 3x 500lb bombs.

LE HAVRE

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Pockets of resistance and enemy strongpoints to the north of the town. Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. Ten aircraft of the Squadron were tasked with Aiming Point 12, and five with Aiming Point 13; it is unclear which Aiming Point was allocated to which aircraft. During the course of the attack, the Master Bomber instructed those crews who had not yet bombed to return to base due to increasing low cloud over the target. The Bailey crew returned with their bombload intact.

LE HAVRE

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Enemy strongpoint 1/2 mile southwest of the Foret de Montgeon. Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs.

FRANKFURT

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Marshalling yards. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 14x Type 14 incendiary clusters and 120x 4lb incendiaries. Fg Off D E Till came along for his 'Second Dickie' trip. Derek Till: 'My "baptism of fire" came very abruptly. As I mentioned earlier, on September 9th my crew and I were posted to Elsham Wolds in the afternoon, when I found that I was on the Ops Board to go to Frankfurt that night as second pilot to F/O Bailey, who had nearly completed his tour. This was a familiarization trip. As " second pilot" my time was spent keeping out of the way of the people who were doing the work, since there were no dual controls. But the op counted! This was a7 ll2 hour trip and I remember very little about it except the scary stuff over the target.'

PALLAU, POLWYSEP-HEL & ARNHOLT

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Minelaying ('Gardening') in Area 'A'; Pallau, codename 'Tangerine'. Load: 4x 1800lb, 5x 1500lb mines. On the flight back the aircraft was attacked by a FW-190 and was extensively damaged,

CALAIS

Fg Off D.E. Till

Enemy fortifications & heavy gun positions Load: 13x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs Bombed up late – unable to reach target on time. Jetissoned bombs at sea. Burst tyre. Derek Till: 'We then did several short daylight ops in support of the invasion forces. On our first trip as a crew the target was Calais. As we approached the takeoff position in "ltem", (later to become our favorite aircraft) a tire burst, so I called the tower with the code "ltem; Dunlop". We sat in the aircraft while the ground crew came rushing out with the necessary jacks and a spare, and although they worked tremendously hard, ( remember, they were jacking up a fully laden 30-ton aircraft), we were over an hour late taking off. It was obvious we had no way of catching up on the main force, so after some discussion and observing that we could already see aircraft retunting, I decided that the prudent thing to do was to abort and return to base. This did not please the Squadron Commander as you can imagine, but given our lack of experience it seemed sensible to me.'

SAARBRUCKEN

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Built-up area. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 14x 4lb incendiary clusters. Following a successful attack the aircraft were diverted to Wratting Common due to fog at Elsham Wolds. The crew carried a passenger, a Flt Lt Campbell, about whom nothing is known. Sgt Mason, flying his 31st operation, volunteered to replace Sgt Fairfull. His diary records, 'Good trip, not much flak. Very little opposition from fighters'.

EMMERICH

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Enemy strongpoints within the built-up area. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 2520x 4lb incendiaries. Sgt Mason continued to replace Sgt Fairfull. His diary reads, 'Good attack, very little opposition. A little flak'.

DUISBERG

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Operation HURRICANE. Target: Four Aiming Points (mines and coke ovens) in the Hamborn district of the city. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 108x 30lb and 1170x 4lb incendiary clusters. Plt Off T C Dawson came along for his 'Second Dickie'. Mason's diary simply recalls, 'Duisberg to be attacked at 0900'.

DUISBERG

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Operation HURRICANE. Target: Built-up area to the north of the docks. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie', 2732x 4lb incendiaries. Mason's diary states, 'Second raid in 24 hrs. Target ablaze when we arrived from the morning bombing. Flak was heavy in the morning attack but it was pretty quiet at night.'

WILHELMSHAFEN

Fg Off J. MacDonald

Built-up Area and Submarine Industry.

STUTTGART

Fg Off R.C. Bailey

Target: Robert Bosche works. Load: 9x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. The attack on Stuttgart was in two waves; the first wave on the Bad Constatt marshalling yards and the second on the Robert Bosche works. Mason's logbook records the take-off time as 21:10. Mason's diary recalls, 'Very quiet. Large fires were started and the bombing was quite good'. This was Mason's 35th operation and the Bailey crew's last trip on 576 Squadron, and were thus screened from operations on the 20th October.

DUSSELDORF N

Fg Off J.J. Mulrooney

Target: Northern built-up area of the city. Load: 1x 4000lb ‘cookie’, 6x 1000lb, 6x 500lb bombs. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A report by a Missing Research and Enquiry team stated that the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed. It exploded on impact at Langenfeld, approximately 15 kms southeast of Dusseldorf. Six of the crew members were killed and the captain Mulrooney was taken Prisoner of War. Flt Sgt Anthony is buried with five of his crewmetes at Rheinburg Cemetery, Plot 6 Grave 3.

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