Bad weather flying - 1945 style
 

Very poor weather and a garbled W/T message may have caused the deaths of 7 Lancaster aircrew on 15th January 1945. I don't know whether aircraft would fly in such weather today but this crew from 61 Sqdn were returning from a raid on the Leuna synthetic oil plant at Merseburg. The Lancaster crashed into a radar mast on Bord Hill, near Langham, Norfolk. All RAF crew were buried in their home towns.

Should there be a link for this ?

Here's a link radar pylon at Salthouse

but no mention of Hugh's 'garbled W/T message'.

PS. More here. wartime disaster at Salthouse Skellingthorpe? One of yours Hugh.

Hi,
I have been tracking lost aircraft from 61 Sqdn, my old squadron, for the last few months and I am very pleased, Forget, that you have traced something for me. This happened a couple of months before I reached the Squadron but I picked up the suggestion about 'a garbled W/T message' from lostbombers.com. Perhaps it was a message to divert to another airfield. Thanks.

If you want to know more about VFR flight operations flown in IFR conditions with radio communications failure, and understand the context, read Geoffrey Wellum's account of one convoy escort op flown from Manston in his book "First Light".

Ditto his account of losing a wing while learning to fly a Spitfire at night using a row of six "Glims" for runway lighting.

The sad fact is that wartime flight crews were, like all other serving sailors, soldiers and airmen, considered expendable when it came to mission success.

Bloody heros, the lot of them.

I'm sure you all know of it, but there is a great film called "Target for Tonight", filmed during real raids, and recoveries in 1941. It shows the operation of FIDO, which if I recall correctly, stood for Fog Intense Dispersal Operations.

Very sobering stuff!

I was told it was Fog, intensive, dispersal of in good Stores speak.

Blacksheep I've just finished reading this book, brilliant story.

It should be compulsory reading in the National Curriculum and citizenship should depend on being able to quote from it.

Hey I'm greek and I can still quote from it (having read it years ago now). Do I qualify? (Just curious - not interested in the citizenship):p

The favourites are from Flt Lt Sebastian Maitland-Thompson (a 92 Sqn mate of Wellum's):
"bent on mischief" (regarding sighting 109's moving in into their rear quarter and evaluating their intentions!)
"your humble servant" (after interfering on the R/T between GCI and the S/L leading theformation on an interception then having to apologise!)
"quite capital" etc etc

Anyone have any idea whether he survived the war. I think even Adolf Hitler would have wanted him alive! :ok:

ARXW

Ref Flt Lt Sebastian Maitland-Thompson

He is not listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site.

Thanks for a site I wasn't aware of. I guess I was luckier and unfortunately he's there (or I am pretty sure he's the one). The only good thing is he lived to see the end of the war but what a shame! (By the way is Bastian a different name to Sebastian?):

Name: MAITLAND-THOMPSON, BASTIAN
Initials: B
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Wing Commander
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 219 Sqdn.
Age: 29
Date of Death: 28/07/1945
Service No: 83250
Additional information: Son of Howard and Mildred Maidand-Thompson; husband of Jean Maidand-Thompson, of South Croydon, Surrey.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Grave 190A.
Cemetery: ENSCHEDE EASTERN GENERAL CEMETERY

If it is the same guy then he died in a car accident. Below from translation of

Diario Los Andes