Operation: Nürnberg

Date: 30/31st March 1944 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit: No. 101 Squadron

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: DV264

Code: SR-L

Base: RAF Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire

Location: Gemünd, Germany

Pilot: F/O. William Ian Adamson DFC. 148447 RAFVR Age ? Killed (1)

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Norman Hugh Bowyer DFM. 1463805 RAFVR Age ? Killed

Nav: P/O. Ernest McClure Kippen DFC. 172900 RAFVR Age 23. Killed

Spec/Op: F/O. Norman Marrian 155122 RAFVR Age 24. Killed

Air/Bmr: W/O.2 Alan G. Hall R/109942 RCAF PoW No: 3492 Camp: Stalag Luft Heydekrug

W/Op/Air/Gnr: P/O. Ryland Leonard Luffman DFM. 169399 RAFVR PoW No: 3435 Camp: Stalag Luft Heydekrug

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Donald Brinkhurst 647699 RAFVR Evaded capture (2)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. James Alexander Goodall DFM. 1552815 RAFVR Age 28. Killed

July 2018 - we have been contacted by a reader who hold a photo of Sgt. Norman Hugh Bowyer DFM and would like to return it to the family - please contact us in the first instance. (Copy as shown at foot of the page)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from RAF Ludford Magna at 21:45 hrs. Part of a huge raid of over 795 aircraft, mainly Lancasters and Halifaxes - one of the costliest in the history of Bomber Command in a single operation with 105 aircraft lost (including accidents on take off and landing) with over 500 aircrew killed!

7 lost from this squadron alone - the others:

Lancaster I LL832 SR-K2 Flown by 22 year old Fl/Sgt. Gerald Tivey 1217960 RAFVR, from Melbourne, Derbyshire, killed with all 7 other crew.
Lancaster I LL861 SR-B Flown by 26 year old P/O. Donald James Irving AUS/420950 RAAF, from Bondi, NSW, Australia, killed with all 7 other crew.
Lancaster I ME618 SR-J Flown by 26 year old P/O. Clyde Roderick Harnish J/87477 RCAF, from Hubbards, Nova Scotia, Canada, killed with 3 other crew, 4 taken PoW.
Lancaster III DV276 SR-R Flown by 22 year old, P/O. John Batten-Smith DFC. 171042 RAFVR, from Nilgiris, India, killed with all 7 other crew.
Lancaster III DV290 SR-X Flown by 26 year old Fl/Sgt. Edwin Robert Thomas 527414 RAF, from Forest Gate, Essex, killed with all 7 other crew.
Lancaster III LM463 SR-K Flown by P/O. A.E. Lander RNZAF taken PoW with 1 other crew member, 6 others killed.

DV264 is reported to have been intercepted at 00:12 hrs by Oblt. Hans-Joachim Witzleb of 7./NJG4 2 km. East of Germünd, Germany. Although some reports state that they were hit by friendly fire from a Halifax.

(1) 1) F/O. William Ian Adamson DFC was initially placed in a grave marked 'An Airman of The 1939-1945 War. RAF 31st March 1944. Known Unto God'. Established later to be that of the pilot and new headstone placed accordingly.

(2) Sgt. Donald Brinkhurst evaded capture via Switzerland and then into France. Eventually returned to his unit and completed a further 20 operational sorties.

Units who lost aircraft/crews on the Nürnburg operation (537 airman killed, 157 taken PoW, 11 evading capture):

7 Squadron losing 3 Lancasters, 9 Squadron losing 1 Lancaster, 10 Squadron losing 1 Halifax, 12 Squadron losing 2 Lancaster, 44 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 49 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 50 Squadron losing 3 Lancasters with 1 other written off on take off, 51 Squadron losing 6 Halifaxes, 61 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 76 Squadron losing 4 Halifaxes, 78 Squadron losing 3 Halifaxes, 97 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 101 Squadron losing 7 Lancasters,103 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 106 Squadron losing 3 Lancasters, 115 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 156 Squadron losing 4 Lancasters, 158 Squadron losing 4 Halifaxes, 166 Squadron losing 4 Lancasters, 207 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 408 Squadron losing 1 Lancaster, 424 Squadron losing 2 Halifaxes, 425 Squadron losing 1 Halifax, 426 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 427 Squadron losing 3 Halifaxes, 429 Squadron losing 2 Halifaxes, 432 Squadron losing 2 Halifaxes, 433 Squadron losing 3 Halifaxes, 460 Squadron losing 3 Lancasters, 467 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 514 Squadron losing 6 Lancasters, 550 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 576 Squadron losing 1 Lancaster, 578 Squadron losing 3 Halifaxes, 619 Squadron losing 1 Lancaster, 622 Squadron losing 2 Lancasters, 625 Squadron losing 1 Lancaster, 625 Squadron losing 1 Lancaster, 630 Squadron losing 3 Lancasters, 635 Squadron losing 3 Lancasters, 640 Squadron losing 3 Halifaxes.

A detailed account of this operation has been described in Martin Middlebrooks publication ‘The Nuremberg Raid’ ISBN-13: 978-1844158751 (Also available in softcover)

Burial details:

The crew were initially buried in the village of Gemünd where they crashed - reinterred June 1947.

F/O. William Ian Adamson DFC. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 14.D.3-4 (Joint.) No further information - are you able to assist?

Sgt. Norman Hugh Bowyer DFM. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 14.D.2. Son of Harry and Florence Ethel Bowyer and husband of Dorothy Marianne Bowyer, of Shirley, Croydon, Surrey, England. Grave inscription reads: "Greater Love Hath No Man Than This That He Lay Down His Life For His Brother".

P/O. Ernest McClure Kippen DFC. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 14.D.3-4 (Joint.) Son of Alexander and Margaret Kippen, of 35 Eveline Street, Dennistoun, Glasgow, Scotland. Grave inscription reads: "Blessed Be Thy Sleep, My Beloved Son, Till God Wills Us To Meet Again".

F/O. Norman Marrian. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 14.D.1.Son of William L. Marrian and Mary Marrian, of Manchester and husband of Muriel O. Marrian, of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England. Grave inscription reads: "I Have Fought A Good Fight, I Have Finished My Course, I Have Kept The Faith".

Air/Gnr: Sgt. James Alexander Goodall DFM. Rheinberg War Cemetery. Grave 14.D.5. Son of Harry Goodall, and of Annie Nicol Goodall, of Elgin, Morayshire, Wales. Grave inscription reads: "In Memory Of My Son Jim. Ever Remembered. Mother And Family".

Researched for Edward Marrian, relative of the specialist operator, F/O. Norman Marrian and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to sources as quoted. Thanks also to Alex Bechard, the great nephew of W/O.2 Alan G. Hall, for his photograph.

Copy of image of Sgt. Norman Hugh Bowyer DFM that a reader has in her possession with newspaper clippings:

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
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