Operation: Scholven Oil Refinery, Germany

Date: 29th/30th December 1944 (Friday/Saturday)

Unit No: 419 (Goose) Squadron, RCAF

Type: Lancaster X

Serial: KB753

Code: VR:L

Base: RAF Middleton St. George, County Durham

Location: Gelsenkirchen approximately 19¼ km (12 mls) NE of Essen, Germany

Pilot: Plt Off. Raymond Francis Adam J90229 RCAF Age 29. KiA

Flight Engineer: Sgt. Robert Edward Eratt 1622341 RAFVR Age 21. KiA

Navigator: WO2. Leo Paul Wakely R160481 RCAF Age 21. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Sgt. Herbert Chester Tarzwell R186617 RCAF Age 23. KiA

Wireless Op/Air Gnr: WO1. Frederick Stanley Dennis R130571 RCAF Age 21. KiA

Air Gnr: (Mid Upper): Flt Sgt. John Campbell Rhind R253830 RCAF Age 19. KiA

Air Gnr: (Rear): Flt Sgt. Robert Gunnyon Rogers R192615 RCAF Age 22. PoW * (1)

* Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland. (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser, Bavaria).

Above left to right: Plt Off. Adam, WO2. Wakely, Sgt. Tarzwell from their service records.

Above left to right: WO1. Dennis, Flt Sgt. Rhind from their service records.

REASON FOR LOSS:

KB753 took off from RAF Middleton St. George at 14:58 hrs to join a force of 324 Lancasters and 22 Mosquitos to bomb the Scholven Oil Refinery in Germany. There was thick cloud over the target but Oboe sky-markers were accurately placed and the oil refinery was badly hit.

KB753 was hit by Flak during the bomb run over the target and exploded at 19:02 hrs throwing WO2. Rogers from his rear turret.All he could see as he fell was that his Lancaster was a mass of flames.

German records document that the aircraft wreckage was scattered in the vicinity of Gelsenkirchen approximately 19¼ km (12 mls) NE of Essen.

KB753 was one of two Lancasters that failed to return. The second aircraft was:

Lancaster X KB765, VR:Q - Hit by Flak and exploded over the target. (6 KiA, 1 PoW).

(1) Robert Gunnyon Rogers was born on the 8th September 1921 in Winnipeg, Manitoba and was a student in Vancouver, British Columbia before enlisting in the RCAF on the 22nd September 1942.

He landed badly on his right ankle, near Essen, and was unable to move. He was picked up by civilians who took him to a nearby air raid shelter. Then as the danger from the raid ended he was taken to the local police station and from there to a Luftwaffe PoW Hospital in Düsseldorf on the 31st December 1944.

He remained here until about the 26th January 1945 and was then transferred to Stalag Luft 3, Barth-Vogelsang on the 1st February and remained there until the 3rd April 1945. Whilst here he was promoted to Warrant Officer (WO2).

He was then transferred to Stalag 7A, Moosburg, which eventually held some 130,000 PoW’s which was ten times its designed capacity. On the 29th April 1945 the camp was liberated by elements of the US 14th Armoured Division.

He was interviewed on the 14th May 1945.

Above: Identity cards for Sgt. Robert E Eratt and WO1. Frederick S. Dennis which were recovered by the Germans

Burial details:

Plt Off. Raymond Francis. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Joint Grave 20.C.4-5. Grave inscription: 'IN OUR HEARTS, AS IN A JEWELLED FRAME, YOUR MEMORY WILL LIVE FOREVER. MOTHER'. Born on the 21st August 1924 in Windsor, Ontario. Son of Denis Joseph and Marie (née Tessier) Adam, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Sgt. Robert Edward Eratt. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Joint Grave 20.C.2-3. Grave inscription: 'THE ONE GREAT SCORER... MARKS, NOT THAT YOU WON OR LOST BUT HOW YOU PLAYED THE GAME'. Born on the 11th June 1923 in Sheffield, Yorkshire. Son of Dennis and Edith Ethel (née Clark) Eratt of Sheffield, Yorkshire, England.

Plt Off. Leo Paul Wakely. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, 20.C.7. Grave inscription: 'IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DEAR SON'. Born on the 8th July 1923 in Toronto, Ontario. Son of Leo and Olivia Louise (née Rudy) Wakely, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Posthumously appointed to a commission and promoted to J93804 Plt Off. on the 28th December 1944.

Plt Off. Herbert Chester Tarzwell. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, 20.C.12. Grave Inscription: 'HE GAVE ALL FOR KING AND COUNTRY'. Born on the 21st July 1921 in Grandview, Manitoba. Son of Norman and Annie (née Dingwall) Tarzwell, of Grandview, Manitoba, Canada.

Posthumously appointed to a commission and promoted to J93803 Plt Off. on the 20th December 1944.

Plt Off. Frederick Stanley Dennis. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, 20.C.9. Born on the 4th September 1923 in Welwyn, Saskatchewan. Son of Henry and Martha Elizabeth (née Barker) Dennis of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. Husband to Eva Margaret (née Hall) Dennis of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Posthumously appointed to a commission and promoted to J95222 Plt Off. on the 28th December 1944.

Plt Off. John Campbell Rhind. Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, 20.C.9. Born on the 25th July 1925 in Montreal, Quebec. Son of John and Edith Lillian Margaret (née Campbell) Rhind of York Mills, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Posthumously appointed to a commission and promoted to J95464 Plt Off. on the 28th December 1944

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this crew.

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