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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16/17.06.1944 No. 434 Squadron Halifax III MZ297 WL-Z F/O. Earl S. Dwyer

Operation: Sterkrade

Date: 16/17th June 1944 (Saturday/Sunday)

Unit: No. 434 Squadron (RCAF)

Type: Halifax III

Serial: MZ297

Code: WL-Z

Base: RAF Croft, Yorkshire

Location: Alphen-aan-den-rijn, Southern Holland

Pilot: F/O. Earl Stewart Dwyer J/19788 RCAF Age 22. Killed

Fl/Eng: P/O. John Henry Bolton 178848 RAFVR Age 28. Killed

Nav: P/O. Stanley Keith Kaiser J/87268 RCAF Age 25. Killed

Air/Bmr: F/O. James Cornwallis Lummis J/28211 RCAF Age 23. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: P/O. Arthur Robert Moorby J/89868 RCAF Age 22. Killed

Air/Gnr: P/O. Thomas Duncan Turner J/87128 RCAF Age 29. Killed

Air/Gnr: P/O. Norman Erick Moore J/87131 RCAF Age 31. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off at 22:40 hrs from Croft in North Yorkshire to attack the synthetic oil plant. The total aircraft taking part on this raid being 321 aircraft. Heavy cloud covered the target and most of the bombing was scattered over a large area. Very little damage was done to the oil plant but 21 Germans and 6 foreigners were killed with 18 houses destroyed in the vicinity.

The bomber stream passed near a German night-fighter beacon at Hocholt and they were attacked with disastrous effect. 21 were shot down by the night-fighters and a further 10 by the flak defences.

Above: Rear L-R: P/O. Arthur Robert Moorby, P/O. Norman Erick Moore, P/O. Thomas Duncan Turner, F/O. Earl Stewart Dwyer. Front: F/O. James Cornwallis Lummis, P/O. Stanley Keith Kaiser, sadly P/O. John Henry Bolton not in the photograph - the flight engineer joined after the crew formed.

4 Halifaxes from 434 Squadron were lost this night.

LK792 WL-N flown by F/O. McQueen RCAF With all 7 crew members killed.
LK801 WL-D flown by WO.1 Laffin RCAF With 1 crew member killed, 5 made PoW and another evading capture.
LW433 WL-W flown by Fl/Sgt. Haldenby RCAF With 3 crew members killed, 3 made PoW and another evading capture.

L-R. Lt. Rumpelhardt, Hptm Schnaufer, Ofw. Gänzier (courtesy of Fritz Rumpelhardt)

MZ297 WL-Z was shot down by Hptm. Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer of Stab IV./NJG1 with combat taking place at 4,000 mtrs at 01.54 hrs. Hptm. Schnaufer (already an ace at this time with an incredible 79 kills) survived the war but was killed in a car accident in France in 1945. (Total of 121 night kills)

A poem, written by Oswald John Lumis, was sent into Aircrew Remembered by Marian McKiernon (cousin), now in our Poetry Section. We are pleased to write that Mark Lummis contacted us in November 2018 and confirmed the authors name.

Burial details:

F/O. Earl Stewart Dwyer. Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery Plot 13. Row 1. Grave 10. Son of James William and Elizabeth Marguerite Dwyer, of Trail, British Columbia, Canada.

P/O. John Henry Bolton. Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery Plot 13. Row 1. Grave 4. Son of Alfred Harold and Kate Ann Bolton, of Stanmore, Middlesex, England.

P/O. Stanley Keith Kaiser. Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery Plot 13. Row 1. Grave 5. Son of Garfield J. and Lena Kaiser, of Lambeth, Ontario, Canada.

F/O. James Cornwallis Lummis. Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery Plot 13. Row 1. Grave 2. Son of Wallace James Hamilton and Sarah Agnes (née Millar) of Lakefield, Quebec, Canada.

P/O. Arthur Robert Moorby. Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery Plot 13. Row 1. Grave 13. Son of Arthur H. and Ellen Moorby, of Camrose, Alberta, Canada.

P/O. Thomas Duncan Turner. Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery Plot 13. Row 9. Grave 191. Son of Thomas James Turner and Jessie Jane Turner, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

P/O. Norman Erick Moore. Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery Plot 13. Row 9. Grave 193. Son of Frank L. and Fannie E. Moore; husband of Madeleine M. A. Moore, of Verdun, Province of Quebec, Canada.

For further details our thanks to the following, Marian McKiernon for poem and to Malcolm Blair for details on F/O. Lummis - April 2018. Also to Mark Lummis for his contact - November 2018.

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