Operation: Hamburg, Germany

Date: 27th/28th July 1943 (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Unit No: 467 Squadron, RAAF

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: W5003

Code: PO:H

Base: RAF Bottesford

Location: Neuenkirchen, Germany

Pilot: Plt Off. James Llewellyn Carrington 413167 RAAF Age 25. KiA

Flt Eng: Flt Sgt. Eric Clive Brookes 1482399 RAFVR Age? PoW No: 1288 *

Nav: Flt Sgt. Michael Rodney Warr King 1315580 RAFVR Age 20. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Sgt. Henry Victor Hawkins 658138 RAFVR Age 25. KiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. William Green 1081353 RAFVR Age 34. KiA (1)

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Herbert Bradley 620508 RAF Age 27. KiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Stanley Drake 1480717 RAFVR Age? PoW No: 2855 ** (2)

* Stalag Luft 6, Heydekrug, Memelland (now Šilutė in Lithuania)

** Dulag Luft, Hohemark (Reserve Lazarett)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from Bottesford as part of a group of 787 aircraft - 353 Lancaster's, 244 Halifaxes, 116 Stirlings, 74 Wellingtons. 17 aircraft were lost. A total of 2,326 tons of bombs were dropped.

There were very few survivors from the firestorm area, approximately 40,000 people died, most of them from carbon monoxide poisoning when all the air was drawn out of their basement shelters. In the period following this raid, approximately 1,200,000 people fled the city in fear of further raids.

Lancaster W5003 was shot down by the German Night-fighter Ace Major Günther Radusch of Stab II./NJG3 at 00.43 hrs over Wöhrden, 6 km (3¾ mls) south West of Heide at a height of 5.900 m.

Above "Fips" Radusch had a total of 66 victories of which 1 was in day time the end of the war. He survived but no further information on his post war activities. He died on July 29th 1988 of natural causes in Nordstrand, Schleswig-Holstein. (By strange coincidence the same area W5003 came down)

(1) Above: Course No 30. 19 Operational Training Unit (OTU) dated 22nd October 1942. Plt Off. (then a Sgt) Carrington is on the front row 7th from the left and Sgt. Green is on 4th row from the front, 4th from the right. (Courtesy of Paul Markham)

(2) After Sgt. Drake suffered wounds to his upper thigh and lower stomach and after he had landed he was given first aid by a local resident of Neuenkirchen before being taken away by the Wehrmacht. He was repatriated to England on the Arundel Castle on 6th February 1945.

Above: During the war the family of Sgt. William Green had a German Prisoner of War staying with them at their home. After the war was over the man returned to Germany and he went to Bill's grave and took some pictures and sent them back as a thank you for looking after him. (Travel then was impossible for relatives, photographs were also a luxury, so this gesture was truly tremendous and the relatives wanted us to point this out)

Above The certificate the family received for looking after the German Prisoners of War

Burial Details

Plt Off. James Llewellyn Carrington. Hamburg Cemetery 5A. L.13. Inscription: 'HIS DUTY FEARLESSLY AND NOBLY DONE. EVER REMEMBERED'. Born on the 15th October 1917 in Moree, New South Wales. Son of James and Clara Middleton Carrington, of Quirindi, New South Wales, Australia.

Flt Sgt. Michael Rodney Warr King. Hamburg Cemetery Joint grave 5A.L.10. Inscription: "HE THAT BELIEVETH ON THE SON HATH EVERLASTING LIFE". Son of Wing Cdr. Dudley Warr King and Yvonne Muriel King, of Careby, Lincolnshire, England.

Sgt. Henry Victor Hawkins. Hamburg Cemetery 5A. L.12. Born on the 4th August 1917 in Islandmagee, Northern Island. Son of William James and Hentrietta (née Kerr) Hawkins of Islandmagee, Northern Island.

Sgt. William Green. Hamburg Cemetery Joint grave 5A.L.10. Inscription: "IN HEAVENLY LOVE ABIDING". Son of Samuel and Jane Green, of Bryn, Lancashire, England.

Sgt. Herbert Bradley. Hamburg Cemetery 5A. L.11. Inscription: 'THE BLOW WAS HARD, THE SHOCK SEVERE, TO PART WITH ONE WE LOVED SO DEAR'. Son of Selina Patton, of Brompton, Yorkshire, England.

With thanks to Joseph Green for the use of the photographs and information on his Uncle, Sgt. William Green. Reviewed and updated with new information by Aircrew Remembered (Jul 2023). Many thanks to Paul Markham for the OTU photograph (Jul 2023).

Other Sources listed below:

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