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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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619 Squadron Crest
10/11.08.1943 No. 619 Squadron Lancaster III EE112 PG:T Flt Lt. Dampier-Crossley

Operation: Nurnberg

Date: 10th/11th August 1943 (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Unit No: 619 Squadron

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: EE112

Code: PG:T Thumper

Base: RAF Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire

Location: Between Fucht and Moosbach in Germany

Pilot: Flt Lt. Edward Dampier-Crossley DFC. 403012 RAAF Age 22. KiA

Flt Eng: Plt Off. George Barnes Penny Patterson 155834 RAFVR Age 23. KiA

Nav: Fg Off. John Macarthur Mclean DFC. 404519 RAAF Age 23. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Fg Off. Alec Hayward Blazer 124718 RAFVR Age 20. KiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Frank Dawson 1077766 RAFVR Age 19. KiA

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Fg Off. Peter Clement Moxham 138471 RAFVR Age 30. KiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. John Wardle 1312826 RAFVR Age? KiA

Above: left to right: Fg Off. Blazer, Flt Sgt. Dawson, Sgt. Wardle; Course No 47, 17th September 1942, on 19 Operational Training Unit (OTU), RAF Kinloss (Courtesy of Paul Markham)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off at 21.46 hrs from RAF Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire to bomb Nuremberg.

A force of 653 heavy bombers comprising 318 Lancasters, 119 Stirlings and 216 Halifaxes was assembled for the mission. Zero hour (Z) was 01:00 hrs and the 24 blind markers were to bomb at Z-3 followed by 8 visual markers from Z-2 to Z+3 followed by backers up until Z+34. The main force was to bomb in six waves from 01:02hrs to 01:41hrs.

The timing of the blind markers was good but the target area was largely obscured by cloud and the marking was scattered. Later reconnaissance showed that most of the damage was in the NE part of the town where a large area of devastation could be seen. No damage could be seen to have been inflicted on industrial areas to the south of the town but in many areas elsewhere there was damage, notably to the engineering and metal working industries of Appel and Sazenhofen, Chillingworth and H Wegerle (Furth), as well as railway sheds, public buildings, residential and business properties.

596 aircraft reported attacking the primary target whilst 8 attacked the alternative target. 34 aircraft aborted the sortie for various reasons.15 aircraft failed to return of which 9 fell to enemy fighters, 4 to flak and 2 collided. 53 aircraft returned with damage inflicted by flak (33) fighters (5) and other causes (16).

EE112 was coned by 1.-4./Scheinw. Abt. 633 and 2. & 4./Scheinw. Abt. 634 between 01:30 - 38 hrs, hit by 1. - 6./schw. Flak Abt. 522 and crashed 3 km SE of Moosbach at 01:38 hrs (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (23 June - 22 September) 1943 Part 2 - Theo Boiten)

A report issued by No. 3 Missing Research and Enquiry Unit (MREU) in December 1946, stated that the bodies of two of the crew were buried initially with the crew of Lancaster III ED922 from 57 Squadron on the same operation which came down at Rummelsberg. It is understood that two of the aircrew were blown out of the aircraft - Flt Sgt. Frank Dawson and Fg Off. John Macarthur Mclean DFC over Rummelsberg - the remaining crew were discovered in various locations around Moosbach where the Lancaster finally crashed.

Note: Interesting in that the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight have named their Lancaster "Thumper MKIII" - Fg Off. Robert Edgar 'Bob' Knights, DSO, DFC flew as 2nd Dicky to Dampier-Crossley and after the loss of that crew in EE112 he named his aircraft, DV385, "Thumper II'. 'Bob' Knights later joined 617 Squadron and bombed the Tirpitz three times. He was not on the Dams Raid, that was the Australian Flt Lt. Leslie Gordon Knight, DSO 401449 who was KiA on the 16th September 1943. With the loss of DV385 the name "Thumper MKIII" was painted on PA474.

Burial Details:

Flt Lt. Edward Dampier-Crossley DFC. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 6.K.14. Grave inscription reads: "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN". Born on the 19th January 1921 at Christchurch, New Zealand, the son of Harry Maurice Croslegh Dampier-Crossley and Mabel Leslie Dampier-Crossley, of Rotherham, Canterbury, New Zealand.

Awarded the DFC whilst with 50 Sqn. London Gazette 29th December 1942. A total of 919 flying hours logged and completed 43 operational sorties.

Plt Off. George Barnes Penny Patterson. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 6.K.13. Grave inscription reads: "A HAPPY WARRIOR. HE WAS LOVELY AND PLEASANT IN HIS LIFE". Son of William Reginald Lambert Patterson and Elizabeth May Patterson, of Drumcondra, Dublin, Irish Republic.

Fg Off. John Macarthur Mclean DFC. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 6.K.11. Grave inscription reads: "IN CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE". Born on the 7th June 1920 in Melbourne, Victoria. Son of Douglas Allan and Emily Jean McLean, of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

Awarded the DFC whilst with 50 Sqn. London Gazette 29th December 1942

Fg Off. Alec Hayward Blazer. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 6.K.12. Grave inscription reads: "AGE SHALL NOT WEARY HIM NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN. WE WILL REMEMBER HIM". Son of Willie and Ivy Hester Blazer, of Mitcham, Surrey, England. .

Flt Sgt. Frank Dawson. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 6.K.9. Born in January 1924 in Willesden, Sussex. Son of Arthur and Emma Louisa (née Horton) Dawson of St. Pancras, London, England.

Fg Off. Peter Clement Moxham. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 6.K.15. Born on the 29th January 1913 in Surrey. Son of James and Annie Marion Moxham. Husband to Joan Margaret (née Birch) Moxham of Bridge House, Yardling, Kent, England.

The family also suffered the loss of his brother, Fg Off. James Gerald Moxham 151551 lost without trace on the 24th February 1944 whist with 59 Squadron.

Sgt. John Wardle. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 6.K.10. No further details - are you able to assist?

Researched for Rae Norris by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) who also kindly sponsored this page of remembrance and dedicated to the relatives of this crew (Jan 2018). Reviewed and updated by Aircrew Remembered (Jul 2023). Thanks to Paul Markham for the photographs and additional Next-of-Kin details. (Jul 2023).

Other Source listed below:

RS 10.07.2023 - Reviewed and updated

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and MWO François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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