Operation: Oil Refinery Mission
Date: 25th February 1945 (Sunday)
Unit: 174 (Mauritius) Squadron, 121 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force
Type: Typhoon Ib
Serial: RB282
Code: XP:N
Base: ALG B.80 Volkel, Netherlands
Location: Stadtlohn SW of Ahaus, Germany
Pilot: Flt Lt. Harry Knight 138913 RAFVR Age 24. PoW *
* Stalag 7a Moosburg, Bavaria (Work Camps 3324-46 Krumbachstrasse and 3368 Munich).
Flt Lt. Harry Knight is in the 2nd row standing and 2nd from the left. (Credit: Julian Proddow)
REASON FOR LOSS
Two sections, Red and Blue, took off from the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B.80 at Volkel, Netherlands at 09:00 hrs on the 25th February 1945. They were tasked on a mission, together with aircraft from 245 Sqn and 184 Sqn, to attack the oil refineries NE of Hanover at Eicklingen.
Shortly after take off Red #3, escorted by Red #4 and Blue #4, escorted by Blue #3 returned to base with engine and long range tank problems.
Flt Lt. Knight, newly appointed as “B’ Flight commander, as Red #1 and the remaining four Typhoons from Red and Blue sections continued onto the targets. One of the factories, 4 miles east of Eicklingen, was destroyed and another a little further north was damaged. However, owing to fuel shortage only one attack was carried out.
1101211 Flt Sgt. Knight was commissioned and promoted to Plt Off (138913) with effect 20th November 1942. He was promoted to Fg Off. with effect 20th May 1943 and to Flt Lt. with effect 20th November 1944.
On the return flight to base, about 10 miles east of Ahaus, Flt Lt. Knight’s Typhoon started streaming Glycol and began to lose altitude rapidly. He bailed out at about 4000 ft and his parachute was seen to open but due to the low cloud no one saw him land.
Flt Lt. Knight’s log book has the following entry written by a Jim Penfield, (believed to be Fg Off. James Gillam Penfield J23882 RCAF who was later awarded the DFC as a Flt Lt. with 245 Sqn) which read:
"As Red 1. Eicklingen, Germany. Got to the target but engine quit on the way home and had to jump out"
A note was also added by Ron (believed to be Flt Lt. Ronald Frederick Sweeting DFC 67027 RAFVR) which read:
"Hard Luck Harry “
Flt Lt. Knight was captured and spent the duration of the war as a PoW. When he returned he updated his log book with the following entry:
“Returning from Eicklingen, my engine packed up and I bailed out from 3000 ft near Stadtlohn where I was held by the police for 12 days in an underground cell. Was taken from here to the Rheine airfield by car, stayed four days and then by train to Oberursel interrogation centre by train. Left the same night and reached Wetzlar transit camp. Two days later via Frankfurt stayed 10 days and then spent three weeks on the march with occasional (very!) short journeys by train”.
Stadtlohn is some 11½ km SW of Ahaus.
“Route was via Giesen, Alsfeld, Hersfeld, Bebra, Eschwege, Heiligenstadt, Mühlhausen, Eisenach, Salzungen, Heiningen, Hildburghausen, Goburg, Lichtenfels, Rattelsdorf, Hallstadt, Bamberg, Forchheim, Erlangen, Fürth, Nuremberg (one night), Schwabach, Elligen, Weißenburg, Pappenheim, Neuberg, Donauworth, Dillingen, Augsburg, Hering, Olching, Pasing, Munich, Mooseburg”.
“At Mooseburg, I entered Stalag 7b [sic] and met Geo Chapman, Basil Proddow, Doug Price, Geo Handyside, Snelson and many of 121 & 122 Wings”.
Fg Off. George Beswick Chapman 139594 RAFVR - 174 Sqn Typhoon Ib RB331 XP:? - Shot down by flak on 14th January 1945;
Flt Lt. Basil Francis Proddow 119143 RAFVR - 174 Sqn Typhoon Ib RB362 XP:? - Shot down by flak on 24th February 1945;
Flt Lt. Douglas L. Price - 80 Sqn Tempest V NV646 W2:? - Shot down by flak on 25th February 1945;
Flt Lt. Ian Graeme Handyside 134127 RAFVR - 184 Sqn Typhoon Ib RB200 BR:K - Shot down by flak on the 14th January 1945;
Flt Lt. Norman Frederick Snelson 124800 RAFVR - 184 Sqn Typhoon Ib MN972 BR:D - Shot down by flak on 25th February 1945.
“Was liberated by the American 3rd Army (General Patton) on Sunday, April 29th at 12:30 pm. Next by truck to the airfield at Regensburg/Straubing on May 8th & flew out by Dakota (USA). Two days later we landed at Rheims and slept late (very well!!) at a USA transit camp. The following day, we flew out by RAF Lancaster & landed at Tangmere where I rang EAS0210 to give first news of my safety”.
EAS0210 was a London exchange (EAS = Poplar, East End) and telephone number of 0210.
Burial details:
None survived the war
After the war Flt Lt. Knight transferred to the Training Branch RAFVR as a Fg Off. with effect the 20th February 1961. He relinquished his commission, retaining the rank of Flt Lt. with effect 4th June 1985 and retired from the Royal Air Force.
Harry Knight (4th June 1920 - 17th December 2000) Cutting and photograph courtesy of Jamie Newbold
Researched by Ralph Snape and dedicated to this pilot and his family. With special thanks to Jamie Newbold for sharing his Grandfather’s log book, photograph and other information. Julian Proddow is the son of Flt Lt. Basil Francis Proddow.
Other sources as quoted below:
RS 15.11.2021 - Initial upload
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