Operation: Tobruk, Libya

Date: 10th/11th August 1942 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit No: 108 Squadron, Middle East Command

Type: Wellington IC

Serial: DV667

Code: LD:L

Base: RAF Kabrit, Egypt

Location: 5 miles south of the target.

Pilot: Plt Off. Albert Armstrong 109946 RAFVR Age 22. PoW No: 611 * (1)

2nd Pilot: Sgt. John Campbell England Leaning 413092 RNZAF Age 23. PoW No: 33661 ** (2)

Observer: Sgt. Daniel Christopher Willis 1206436 RAFVR Age 29. PoW No: 260279 *** (3)

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Edward Alexander Martin 404540 RAAF Age 21. PoW No: 255622 *** (4)

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Robert Gemmell-Smith 711070 RAFVR Age 29. PoW (5)

* Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland.

** Stalag 8B, Lamsdorf, Silesia.

*** Stalag 4B Mühlberg, Sachsen, Germany.

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 10th August 1942 seven (7) Wellingtons from the Sqn were detailed to attack the shipping and harbour installations at Tobruk. One aircraft returned with engine trouble with the remaining six reaching the target. DV667 took-off at 22:25 hrs and was carrying flares for the purpose of illuminating the target. DV667 was the only bomber that failed to return.

They were detailed to illuminate the target over the first half of the period between 02:25 hrs and 02:41 hrs. A second aircraft was to illuminate the target between 02:41 hrs and 02:57 hrs.

The crew of the second aircraft reported that they did not observe any flares being dropped over the earlier period but did observe Flak bursts. After they had dropped their first batch of flares they observed approximately six (6) flares dropped by another aircraft and also another large batch of flares from what appeared to be a second aircraft.

It was evident from the reports that Plt Off. Armstrong reached the target and started to dropped their flares although they were late over the target. They other crews observed an aircraft being caught in a cone of searchlights being heavily engaged by both heavy and light Flak at and altitude of 8000 ft. They saw this aircraft diving very steeply away from the cone of searchlights.

The crew later reported that they developed engine trouble over the target and became uncontrollable. They all baled out successfully and were captured immediately with the aircraft crashing 5 miles south of the target.

Sgt. Martin described circumstances of the loss of the aircraft and baling out:

“Our crew had been detailed to light up the target for incoming squadrons. We turned for our second run across when we were caught in searchlights. The pilot dived and was himself blinded by the searchlights. The aircraft went into a dive losing 5000 ft. At about 2000 feet the pilot brought the aircraft out of the dive but she was still flying crazily one wing low. The pilot spoke to the crew that the starboard engine had gone and we were losing height. He gave orders to abandon the aircraft. I had been at the flare chute and going to the Astro-Dome and saw that the fabric had been ripped clean from the starboard wing. Small arms fire from ground forces became intense but the pilot righted the plane. Holding her straight and level the rear gunner and 2nd pilot left the aircraft. I followed next and noticed the height before I left, it was 1200 ft. The observer left after me. The captain was Plt Off. Armstrong A, RAF. The aircraft crashed about 5 miles south of the target”.

“I saw two parachutes while coming down in the light from the burning aircraft. On the ground, the 2nd pilot, observer, rear gunner and myself met up within several minutes, but we did not see the captain. Subsequently we he heard of the captain. We had landed within sight of an Italian camp and seemed to be surrounded by tanks and underground trenches”.

We had started walking east, but the sight of tents made us turn south. Then an Italian soldier on guard near an underground shelter challenged us, called his ‘cobbers’ and it was over”.

On the 15th August 1942 the four (4) NCO aircrew were transferred to the Benghazi PoW camp which was located at the Oasis of Koefia (Coefia) to the North of Benghazi, in North Africa.

(1) After he was captured Plt Off. Armstrong was taken to the PoW camps at El Dhaba and Mersa Matruh where he was interrogated by German and Italian intelligence officers. He was then transported to Dulag Luft, Oberursel arriving there on the 22nd August 1942

On the 27th August he was transported to Stalag Luft 3 at Sagan-Silesia arriving there on the 29th August 1942.

Plt Off. Armstrong was promoted to Fg Off. with effect 25th September 1942 (London Gazette 11th December 1942. He was promoted to Flt Lt. with effect 23rd September 1943 (London Gazette, 1st October 1943).

It is not know what role he played in the tunnelling operations but he was selected as one of the two-hundred (200) officers selected for the escape.

On the night of the 24th/25th March 1944, seventy-six (76) officers escaped from the north compound of Stalag Luft 3 which, at that time, held between 1000 and 1500 RAF PoWs. The escape was made by the means of a tunnel. At about 05:00 hrs on the 25th March the 77th PoW was spotted by guards as he emerged from the tunnel.

Flt Lt. Armstrong was the forty-second (42nd) officer to go through the tunnel at about 01:20 hrs. He stayed at the exit for three (3) hrs guiding the next twenty (20) along the rope to the woods. He then joined his party led by Flt Lt. Grisman and they walked west through the woods for two (2) km after which the group split into smaller groups. Flt Lt. Armstrong headed off by himself and walk south across country until dawn. He hid in a wood until dusk and set out again until 23:30 hrs and found his route was blocked by snow-drifts which he detoured by taking a secondary road. (Ref 1 p 195).

Flt Lt. Grisman was one of the fifty (50) officers murdered by the Gestapo.

At about 02:00hrs on the 26th March he was arrested by a member of the Volkssturm (German Home Guard) and taken to the Police Station in a nearby village when he met Plt Off. Royle and Flt Lt. Humphreys. He managed to destroy he documents and re-convert his jacket to an RAF Tunic. (Ref 1 p 195).

Plt Off. Royle was returned to Stalag Luft 3 and Flt Lt. Humphreys was one of the fifty (50) officers murdered by the Gestapo.

About an hour later Flt Lt. Marshall and Flt Lt. Valenta were brought in and at about 12:00 hrs the five of them were taken to the civil prison at Sagan. At 02:00 hrs on the 27th March the five of them and fourteen (14) other escaped officers were taken to the civil prison at Görlitz. On about the 5th April he was taken back to Stalag Luft 3. (Ref 1 p 195).

Flt Lt. Marshall was returned to Stalag Luft 3 and Flt Lt. Valenta was one of the fifty (50) officers murdered by the Gestapo

On the night of the 27th January 1945, with Soviet troops only 26 km (16 mls) away, orders were received to evacuate the PoWs to Spremberg which is to the West in Germany. The PoW’s were informed of the evacuation, which was on foot, at about 22:00 hrs the same night and were given 30 mins to pack and prepare everything for the March. The weather conditions were very difficult, with freezing temperatures, and it was snowing accompanied by strong winds. There was 15 cm (6 in) of snow and 2000 PoWs were assigned to clear the road ahead of the main groups.

After a 55 km (34 mls) march, the PoWs arrived in Bad Muskau where they rested for 30 hours. The PoWs were then marched the remaining 26 km (16 mls) to Spremberg where they were housed in empty garages, storerooms and in military barracks. There they were provided with warm soup and bread. During next days, PoWs were divided up according to Compounds, and they were led to railway sidings and loaded into tightly packed carriages.

On the 2nd February he was amongst the North, East and remaining West compound PoWs were sent to Marlag und Milag Nord at Westertimke.

Marlag is an acronym for Marinelager (naval prisoner of war camp), Milag is short for Marine-Internierten-Lager(naval internment camp), and Nord is German for ‘north’

On the 2nd April 1945 the Commandant announced that he had received orders to leave the camp with most of his guards, leaving only a small detachment behind to hand over the camp to Allied forces, who were already in Bremen.

However, that afternoon a detachment of over a hundred SS-Feldgendarmerie entered the camp, mustered over 3,000 men and marched them out, heading east. The next day, at around at 10:00 hrs the column was strafed by RAF aircraft, and two PoWs were killed.

Over the next few days the column was attacked from the air several times. Finally the Senior British Naval Officer (SBNO), who was later killed in a strafing attack by RAF aircraft, offered the Germans the PoW’s parole, in return for being allowed to rest during the day and march at night. The Germans agreed.

On the 9th April 1945 the guards at Marlag-Milag moved out and were replaced by older men, presumably local Volkssturm. Meanwhile, the column slowly headed east, finally crossing the River Elbe, north of Hamburg, on the 18th April.

On the 27th April the camps were liberated by elements of the British Guards Armoured Division. The next day, the 28th April, the column finally arrived at Lübeck on the Baltic coast. They were liberated by the British 11th Armoured Division on the 1st May 1945.

Flt Lt. Armstong was not named on the lists for those that remained at Marlag-Milag, escaped from the camp or from the marching columns so it is assumed that he was liberated at Lübeck. He was interviewed on the 3rd May 1945.

Albert Armstrong was born on the 14th July 1920 in Bolton, Greater Manchester. He was an electrical engineer prior to enlisting in the RAFVR in October 1940. Albert passed away in December 1986 in Portreath, Truro, England.

(2) From the Benghazi PoW camp Sgt. Leaning was transferred to the Italian PoW camp PG 75 Torre Tresca, in Bari, Italy arriving there in November 1942. In February 1943 he was moved to PG 85 Tuturano and in June 1943 to PG 57 Grupignano in Udine.

In September 1943 he was transferred to Stalag 8A, Gorlitz in Germany but a month later he was transferred to Stalag 344, Lamsdorf in Silesia.

Whilst at Stalag 344 the now promoted Warrant Officer (WO) Leaning assisted Sgt. Clifford Street in forcing rubber stamps and letterheads of Germans Firms for Escape Committee. Sgt. Street did the majority of the work and was commended for his work by Sgt. Leaning.

Sgt. Clifford Street 1043990 PoW No. 27664 was the Bomb Aimer from 51 Sqn Halifax II DT721 MH:A which was shot down by a German night-fighter on the night of the 27th/28th January 1943 on a mission to Düsseldorf. (3 KiA, 4 PoWs).

WO. Clifford Street was appointed to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Military Division (MBE(M)) which was promulgated in the London Gazette on the 9th May 194.)

Citation: “Warrant Officer Street was forced to make a parachute landing in Holland, in January, 1943, when his aircraft was shot down by enemy fighters in the target area. Although he ruptured his appendix on landing, he evaded the Germans for three days and obtained civilian clothing from friendly Dutch people. Eventually, however, he had to accept capture, as an operation was judged necessary by a Dutch doctor. In February, 1943, Warrant Officer Street made his first attempt at escape by climbing over the wall of the exercise ground of the civil jail at Amsterdam, but he was soon recaptured. Thereafter, either from working camps, or from trains, and sometimes changing his identity, Warrant Officer Street made five further bids for freedom. Before starting on his fourth attempt, he sabotaged machinery in the boot factory where he had been put to work. After his sixth attempt, this warrant officer was sent to a concentration camp at Teresine for 14 days and treated as a criminal rather than, a prisoner of war. Eventually, he with others, was forced to march to Plan, where he was liberated in May, 1945. Before liberation and whilst at Lamsdorf, this Warrant Officer was engaged in forging escape documents and gave great assistance to other escapers. He was severely treated by the Germans for his repeated attempts to escape and, though he suffered varying terms of imprisonment and great hardship, he maintained a strong determination to continue these attempts. He showed outstanding initiative, resource and zeal”.

In January 1945, as the Soviet armies resumed their offensive and advanced into Germany. WO. Leaning was amongst the many of the PoWs who were force-marched westward in groups of 200 to 300. Many died from the bitter cold and exhaustion. The column was liberated by units of the US Army near Ditfurt about 16 km (10 mls) SE of Halberstadt on the 12th April 1945. He was interviewed on the 30th April 1945.

John Campbell England Leaning was born on the 18th February 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was a Clerk in the New Zealand Government Civil Service prior to enlisting in the RNZAF on the 25th May 1941. John passed away on the 21st December 1989 in Auckland, New Zealand.

(3) On the 13th November 1942 Sgt. Willis was transferred from the Benghazi PoW camp to Tripoli where he remained until the 30th November 1942. He was then transferred to the Italian PoW camp PG 75 at Bari in Italy arriving there on the 2nd December 1942.

During March 1943 he was moved to PG 85 Tuturano where he contracted Malaria.

PG 85 was condemned by the protecting power as it was located in a Malaria zone.

In June 1943 he was transferred to PG 70 Monturiano, where he remained until September 1943 when he was transferred to Stalag 4B Mühlberg, Sachsen in Germany. Whilst at the camp he was promoted to Warrant Officer (WO).

The camp which held some 30,000 PoWs and of these 7,250 were British was liberated by the Soviet Army in April 1945. The Soviet’s held the British and American PoWs in the camp for over a month. Individual soldiers "escaped" from the camp and made their way on foot to the American lines. WO. Willis was liberated on the 6th May 1945 and was interviewed on the 18th May 1945.

Daniel Christopher Willis was born on the 19th January 1913 in Bristol, England. He was a Schoolmaster prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 27th March 194. Daniel passed away in November 1995 in Weston Super Mare, Somerset, England.

(4) Whilst at the Benghazi PoW camp Sgt. Martin had a fall and sustained a double fracture of his left leg and hip. On the 17th October 1942 he was admitted for treatment to the fractures at hospitals in Brindisi, Taranto and Altamura in Italy until the 5th January 1943. After being discharged from hospital he was transferred to the PoW camp PG 65 Gravina where he remained until the 28th June 1943.

He was promoted to Warrant Officer (WO) with effect the 1st May 1943. He was then transferred to PG 57 Grupignano in Udine where he remained until the 8th September 1943.

He was then transferred to Stalag 18A at Wolfsberg in Austria arriving there 13th September 1943. Seven (7) days later he was transferred to Stalag 4B in Mühlberg, Sachsen in Germany arriving there on the 23rd September 1943. On the 1st February 1945 he was transferred to Oflag 7B, Eichstätt in Bavaria arriving there on the 4th February

On 14 April 1945, as the US Army approached, he was amongst the officers who were marched out of the camp. A short distance from the camp the column was attacked by American aircraft, who mistook it for a formation of German troops. Sixteen (16) British officers were killed and forty-two (42) were wounded.

The camp was liberated by the US Army on the 16th April 1945. The PoWs were repatriated to their home countries. For the British this meant a march begging for food from farmers until transport reached them. He was interviewed on the 15th May 1945.

Edward Alexander Martin was born on the 4th February 1921 in Toogoolawah, Queensland. He was employed as a Furrier prior to enlisting in the RAAF on the 13th September 1940. Edward passed away on the 4th July 1994 in Tugun, Queensland, Australia.

(5) After being held at the Benghazi PoW camp the only other PoW information found for Sgt. Gemmell-Smith is that he was held at the PoW camp PG 59 at Servigliano in Ascoli Piceno, Italy.

Robert Gemmel-Smith was born on the 21st February 1913 in Rarawai, Fiji. He passed away on the 21st January 1994 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Burial details:

None – Crew Survived

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to this crew and their families (Mar 2025).

Other sources listed below:

Reference:

1. Stalag Luft III - An official history of the “Great Escape” PoW Camp - Published by Frontline Books - ISBN: 978-1-47388-305-5.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
All site material (except as noted elsewhere) is owned or managed by Aircrew Remembered and should not be used without prior permission.
© Aircrew Remembered 2012 - 2026 Last Modified: 18 April 2025, 10:42