Operation: Bottrop, Germany

Date: 20th/21st July 1944 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit No: 578 Squadron, 4 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Halifax III

Serial: MZ556

Code: LK:P

Base: RAF Burn, Yorkshire

Location: Vluynbusch, Near Moers, Germany

Pilot: Flt Sgt. Kenneth Thomas Hutton 14512188 RAFVR Age 22. KiA

Flt Eng: Sgt. Leslie Frederick Taylor 934153 RAFVR Age 32. PoW No: 493 *

Nav: WO2. Herbert Frank Axford R52032 RCAF Age 28. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Plt Off. David Shearer Stoddart J85736 RCAF Age 23. PoW No: 4968 **

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Basil Chesleigh Harvey Wilks 1578690 RAFVR Age 21. PoW No: 499 *

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Leonard Miles 1396768 RAFVR Age 21. KiA

Air Gnr(Rear): Sgt. Albert Edward Tommis 1675574 RAFVR Age 20. PoW No: 497 *

* Stalag Luft 7, Bankau nr. Kreuzburg, Upper Silesia, now Bąków nr. Kluczbork in Poland.

* Stalag Luft 1, Barth-Vogelsang, today situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Above left to right: Flt Sgt. Kenneth T. Hutton, WO2. Herbert F. Axford, Sgt. Leonard Miles (Courtesy of Paul Markham)

Above: Originally identified as WO2. Axford however, WO2. Axford was an Observer so this image could either be Flt Sgt. Wilks or Sgt. Tommis both of whom were Air Gunners.

REASON FOR LOSS:

Leaving RAF Burn, Yorkshire at 23:10 hrs to attack the synthetic oil refineries at Bottrop. 166 aircraft taking part in this operation, 149 Halifaxes, 13 Mosquitoes and 4 Lancasters.

Bombing the target between 01:29 hrs - 01:42 hrs the northern parts of the target were reported as badly damaged, but no further information on casualties on the ground.

12 aircraft were lost during this operation, resulting in 61 aircrews killed, 13 taken pow, and 1 evading capture with 4 crew members parachuting over friendly territory.

MZ556 was hit by Flak from 2./schw. Flak Abt. 321, Flak Battr. z.b.V.10409, 1./schw. Flak Abt. 471, 2./schw. Flak Abt. 231, 3./schw. Flak 407 and 1. & 4./gem. Flak Abt. 382. The aircraft crashed at Vluynbusch 7½ km west of Moers at 01:43 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (12 May 1944 - 23 July 1944) Part 3 - Theo Boiten)

A tragic night for this squadron losing 6 aircraft, the others were:

Halifax III LK834 LK:E - Flown by Sgt. William Davidson, who was killed along with his crew after killed collided with MZ696 over Balkholme, near Goole, Yorkshire;

Halifax III MZ696 LK:K - Flown by Fg Off. Maurice Day, killed with crew in collision with LK83;

Halifax III MZ511 LK:M - Flown by Flt Lt. Alistair Hope-Robertson;

Halifax III MZ617 LK:D - Flown by Flt Lt. Joseph Couture RCAF KiA along with his crew;

Halifax III MZ572 LK:C - Flown by Fg Off. Trevor Gordon Harrison.

Burial details:

Plt Off. Kenneth Thomas Hutton. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Grave 2.E.12. Born in the 3rd Qtr of 1922 in Leicester, Leicestershire. Son of Thomas and Elsie (née Radley) Hutton of Bridlington, Yorkshire, England.

Flt Sgt. Hutton was posthumously appointed to a commission and promoted to 178775 Plt Off. effective 4th July 1944.

Plt Off. Herbert Frank Axford. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Grave 29.E.7. Born 12th January 1916 in Peterborough, Canada. Son of Daniel Neale and Bessie Florence Kate (née Targett) Axford of Riverside, Ontario, Canada. Brother to Gwenith, William and Norman.

WO2. Axford was posthumously appointed to a commission and promoted to J87271 Plt Off. effective 21st August 1944.

Grave marker for Sgt. Leonard Miles

Sgt. Leonard Miles. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Grave 15.D.8. Born in the 2nd Qtr of 1923 in Camberwell, London. Son of Charles and Ellen (née Carter - deceased in March 1939) Miles of Lambeth, London, England

Researched for Barry Miles - nephew of Sgt. Leonard Miles and all the relatives of this crew. With thanks to Mitch Buitling for the Cemetery photo and the Windsor Daily Star. Reviewed updated and corrected with new information and images with thanks to Paul Markham for the new image for Sgt. Miles (May 2026).

Other sources listed below:

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