Operation: Magdeburg
Date: 21st/22nd January 1944 (Friday/Saturday)
Unit: No. 76 Squadron
Type: Halifax V
Serial: LK922
Code: MP-L
Base: RAF Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, Yorkshire
Location: Erxleben, Helmstedt, Germany
Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Henry Boyes 1078689 RAFVR. Age 31. Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Reginald Sydney Western 1642409 RAFVR. Age 21. Killed
Nav: Sgt. Thomas Fraser 1498683 RAFVR. Injured (1). PoW No: 929. Camp: Stalag Kopernikus
Air/Bmr: F/O. David Harper McVie AUS/414420 RAAF. Injured (2). PoW No: 3376. Camp: Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Charles Mathew Bennett 1493594 RAFVR. Injured (3). PoW No: unknown. Camp: Stalag Luft Barth Vogelsang
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Rudolph Angel Antonio Forte 1565064 RAFVR. Age 21. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. James McCurry 1301467 RAFVR. Age unknown. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Halifax LK922, coded MP-L, took off from RAF Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, Yorkshire at 20:06 hrs as part of the first major bombing attack of the war against the Magdeburg/Rothensee synthetic oil plant, which produced oil from lignite coal. The aircraft formed part of a force of 648 aircraft comprising 421 Lancasters, 224 Halifaxes and 3 Mosquitoes.
Bomb load: 1 x 2,000 lb HCM Inst, 2 x 500 lb Clusters, 32 x 30 lb Inc, 480 x 4 lb Inc, 60 x 4" K Type Inc.
The German night fighter force was prepared and waiting, having tracked the bomber stream as it crossed enemy territory. Although the controllers were slow to identify the precise target, the night fighters were already positioned within the bomber stream and ready to engage. The attacking force suffered grievous losses during the raid, with 35 Halifaxes and 22 Lancasters destroyed, the majority falling to the prowling night fighters.
Tragically, this enormous cost was not matched by a successful outcome. Strong winds carried part of the force into the target area ahead of the Pathfinders, resulting in 27 aircraft dropping their bombs before the target had been marked. The greater part of the bombing fell well outside the city.
Halifax LK922 was reported to have been shot down by a German night fighter and exploded in the air. The Nachtjagd records contain no confirmed claims against this specific aircraft, though it should be noted that 19 of the Halifaxes lost that night could not be attributed to any individual German pilot - such was the intensity of the combat and the confusion that prevailed.
Above - Rear, left to right: Sgt. Charles Bennett, F/O. David Harper McVie, Sgt. Thomas Fraser, Sgt. Rudolph Forte. Front, left to right: Sgt. Reginald Western, Fl/Sgt. Henry Boyes and Sgt. James McCurry. (Courtesy Tony Bennett)
Report from Air Bomber, F/O. McVie:
The rear gunner reported a night fighter attack and evasive action was taken, with both gunners opening fire.
The enemy aircraft appeared to break away, though the rear guns subsequently became unserviceable. The navigator gave the pilot a new course and, as the aircraft turned, another gunner reported a further enemy approach. Evasive action was again taken and the night fighter broke away, though the mid-upper gunner's guns also became unserviceable. The crew remained uninjured at this stage.
Several further attacks followed, all initially without result, but eventually the starboard outer engine caught fire and was feathered. The starboard wing was then reported ablaze and the order to bale out was given - though the aircraft came under attack again at this critical moment. The bomb aimer was struck by a cannon shell above (word illegible in original document). The wireless operator, navigator and bomb aimer were thrown violently as an explosion occurred, believed to be in the starboard wing area.
The bomb aimer was rendered unconscious but recovered during his fall from the aircraft and was able to pull his ripcord. He observed another crew member falling without a parachute, believed to have been the flight engineer. The wireless operator sprained his ankle during the bale-out. German authorities subsequently reported that three men had been found dead in the aircraft and one in a field near the village without a parachute. It is believed the survivors escaped through the perspex nose of the aircraft.
Report from Navigator, Sgt. T. Fraser:
Sgt. Fraser lost his boots during his descent and was captured at 04:00 hrs. He later recorded:
"The real danger came on two occasions - the first was quite avoided and during the second our gunners performed gallantly despite the hardships and displayed equal skill." Fraser suffered a dislocated right arm and bruising to his left thigh. Four members of the crew were killed instantly.
In his own words, Fraser wrote:
"Most of our journey was without incident, but it was in the later stages that two occasions of danger arose. During the first it was Jim's expert directions and our Captain's skilful ability by which it was overcome completely. On the next occasion Jim performed gallantly for some time to repeat the achievement, and it is partly due to them that David, Charlie and I owe our lives."
(1) Sgt. Fraser suffered a dislocated right arm and bruising to his left thigh.
(2) F/O. David Harper McVie was rendered unconscious by the explosion and recovered during his fall from the aircraft. He had enlisted on 14th September 1941 and was discharged from the RAAF on 20th November 1945 holding the rank of Flight Lieutenant. He was the husband of Iris Teresa McVie (born 22nd September 1922, died 28th June 2014, aged 91). David McVie was born on 11th May 1921 in Brisbane, Australia, and died on 13th February 1974 in Brisbane, aged just 52.
(3) Sgt. Bennett suffered a sprained ankle during the bale-out. A note of caution regarding his service number 1493594 - this has been taken from the loss card, which represents the best available evidence, though other sources have recorded a different number. Researchers should be aware of this discrepancy.
BURIAL AND FURTHER DETAILS:
Fl/Sgt. Henry Boyes. Berlin War Cemetery, Collective Grave 6.A.13-16. Born 31st July 1912 in Hunslet, Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Son of William and Mary Hannah Boyes; husband of Edna Caroline Boyes. This was only his second operational sortie.
Sgt. Reginald Sydney Western. Berlin War Cemetery, Collective Grave 6.A.13-16. Born 1922 in Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Son of Stanley and Rose Sarah Western, of Stanmore, Middlesex. Epitaph: 'A Light Is Gone, A Voice We Loved Is Stilled. Mam, Dad, May, Olive and Betty.'
Sgt. James McCurry. Berlin War Cemetery, Collective Grave 6.A.13-16. Born 23rd December 1920 in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Next of kin details are not yet known - if you are able to assist please do get in touch.
Sgt. Rudolph Angel Antonio Forte. Berlin War Cemetery, Collective Grave 6.A.13-16. Born 1923 in Hawick, Scottish Borders, Scotland. Son of Italian-born Massimino and Maria Pace Forte, of Galashiels, Selkirkshire. His correct given name was Rodolfo, though he was known throughout his service as Rudolph. Epitaph: 'Their Name Liveth For Evermore. R.I.P.'
This report was researched on behalf of Paul Forte, a relative of Air Gunner Sgt. Rudolph Forte. If anyone holds further information regarding the crew or the aircraft, we would very much welcome hearing from you and will ensure that any details are passed on to the families concerned.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
With sincere thanks to the following for their generous assistance in compiling this report:
Tony Bennett and Paul Forte - for photographs and personal research.
Roy Wilcock - for information supplied via the loss card.
SOURCES:
- Chorley, W.R. - Bomber Command Losses, Volumes 1 to 9, plus ongoing revisions. Midland Publishing
- Bomber Command Database
- Boiten, Dr. Theo E.W. and Mackenzie, Roderick J. - Nightfighter War Diaries, Volumes 1 and 2
- Kracker Luftwaffe Archives
- Middlebrook, M. and Everitt, C. - Bomber Command War Diaries, updated edition, 2014
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission - cwgc.org
- Aircrewremembered - aircrewremembered.com
TO SEE THE DAWN BREAKING
76 Squadron Operations Paperback – 1 May 1981Chorley
Publication date: 1 May 1981
Language: English
Print length: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 0950746703
ISBN-13: 978-0950746708
Purchase this publication here
BERLIN 1939–1945 WAR CEMETERY
TOTAL IDENTIFIED CASUALTIES: 3205
HISTORY INFORMATION
The site of Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery was selected by the British Occupation Authorities and Commission officials jointly in 1945, soon after hostilities ceased.
Graves were brought to the cemetery from the Berlin area and from eastern Germany*. The great majority of those buried here, approximately 80 per cent of the total, were airmen who were lost in the air raids over Berlin and the towns in eastern Germany. The remainder were men who died as prisoners of war, some of them in the forced march into Germany from camps in Poland, in front of the advancing Russians.
The cemetery contains 3,595 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 397 of them unidentified.
There are also 6 Non-Commonwealth Foreign National burials, and in addition, there are 265 post-war graves of men of the British Occupation Forces or their dependants, or of members of the Control Commission.
* Leipzig, Konigsberg, Iena, Dresden, Halle, Rostock, Teltow, Wismar, Mittenwalde, Neuburxdorf, Magdeburg, Grunberg, Doberitz, Buchholz, Halberstadt, Blankenburg, Gotha, Tannenburg, Potsdam, Weder, Tessau, Stralsund, Schweren, Munsdorf, Brandenburg and Schonwalde.
HANDLEY PAGE HALIFAX - ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT;
The Handley Page Halifax was a British RAF four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War, developed to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. Its origins lie in the twin-engine H.P.56 proposal of the late 1930s, produced in response to the Air Ministry's Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use.
The first prototype made its maiden flight on October 25, 1939, with the second flying on August 17, 1940 - just one month before the type was officially named for Lord Halifax, then the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
The Halifax shared with the Lancaster the major burden of Bomber Command's night bombing campaign against Nazi Germany, but unlike the Lancaster - which only served as a bomber during the war - the Halifax was used extensively on other duties including glider-tug, agent-dropping transport, and general reconnaissance in Coastal Command. It was the second British four-engined bomber to enter service in WWII, yet the first to bomb Germany, when one took part in a raid on Hamburg on the night of 12–13 March 1941.
Multi-National Operations:
The Halifax was operated during WWII by the Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Royal Australian Air Force. Free French Air Force and Polish forces also flew the Halifax, and after the war it was used by the Royal Egyptian Air Force, the Armée de l'Air, and the Royal Pakistan Air Force.
Production and Durability:
A total of 6,176 Halifax bombers were built by Handley Page, English Electric, the London Aircraft Production Group, Fairey, and Rootes - at times achieving an output of one bomber per hour.
Canadian crews particularly appreciated the aircraft's toughness - it could absorb tremendous punishment and still fly home. One Halifax named "Friday the Thirteenth" survived an extraordinary 128 sorties.
Legacy:
After WWII, the RAF quickly retired the Halifax, with the type being succeeded as a strategic bomber by the Avro Lincoln. It also entered commercial service for a number of years.
Though often overshadowed by the Avro Lancaster in popular accounts, the Halifax was perhaps Canada's most important bomber of the Second World War.
In short, the Handley Page Halifax was a versatile, resilient, and prolific aircraft that played a crucial - if sometimes underappreciated - role in Allied victory in World War II.
