Archive Report: Allied Forces

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20/21.08.1944 No 101 Squadron Lancaster III LL779 SR-V F/O. Jack A. Harvey

Operation: Homberg, Germany

Date: 20/21st July 1944

Unit: No.101 Squadron

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: LL779

Code: SR-V

Base: RAF Ludford Magna, Nr. Louth, Lincolnshire

Location: Handel, Gemert.

Pilot: F/O. Jack Arthur Harvey J/85522 RCAF Age 20. Killed

Fl/Eng: Sgt. John Purcell Irvine 106338 RAFVR Age 23. Killed

Nav: Fl/Sgt. William Osadchy R/178725 RCAF Age 22. Kiled

Air/Gnr: P/O. Ingval Millar Hanon J/89926 RCAF Age 22. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. John Lyle Sime 1570435 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. William James Cooper 1893358 RAFVR Age 19. Killed (Special Operator ABC)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Alexander Wilson 1563280 RAFVR Age 23. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Frederick Roberet Loveridge RAFVR Age 20. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

LL779 took off from its base at Ludford Magna in Lincolnshire at 22:35 hrs. as part of a group of 147 Lancasters and 11 Mosquitoes to attack the oil plant situated in the town of Homberg. German night fighters caught the Lancasters by surprise and 20 were lost. 75 Squadron lost 7 of its aircraft on this single raid.

Another Crew of Lancaster LL779 3rd from the right is Sgt. David Russell Glendinning DFM - later commissioned Fl/Lt. (Photo kindly supplied to us by Mike Ruddick - relative. Can anyone name the other crew members?)

Lancaster LL779 was shot down by Uffz Kurt Boldt of 8./NJG2 10 km. East of Gemert at a height of 4.500 mts. at 01:50 hrs. His Ju88 (G-1 4R+PS) was hit by debris from LL779 and also crashed at Gemet. (See Kracker Luftwaffe Archive on this site)

He survived but his Bordfunker (W/Op) was killed. Uffz Boldt was later killed on the 11/12th November 1944 after air combat in a crash 12 km West of Amsberg.

101 Squadron were very much involved in Radio Counter Measures which involved using a system developed by the BTRE at Malvern (known as ABC - Airborne Cigar). This system was made up from a receiver and 3 X 50 watt T.3160 transmitters - the German VHF frequency and language was identified and then jammed.

This jamming caused a loud and constant varying note running up and down the scale of the relevant speech channel. An eighth member of the crew who spoke German was added and used on specially fitted Lancaster aircraft.

This was a follow up to the practice of dropping 'window' which also jammed German radar but was soon overcome by ground controllers scrutinising the radar screen.

P/O. Ingval Millar Hanon (courtesy Steve Hanon, nephew) and grave photo (courtesy Michel Beckers)

Burial details:

F/O. Jack Arthur Harvey. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Coll. grave 106. Son of Rufus Lee and Mary Alma (née Bartsch) Harvey of Milden, Saskatchewan, Canada

(1) Harvey Lake in Saskatchewan is named after F/O. Harvey

Sgt. John Purcell Irvine. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Coll. grave 106. Son of James and Annie Irvine, of Whitburn, West Lothian, Scotland.

Fl/Sgt. William Osadchy. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Coll. grave 106. Son of Louis and Emma Osadchy.

P/O. Ingval Millar Hanon. Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery. Grave. XVI.B.5. Son of Harris D. and Clara Hanon, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Sgt. John Lyle Sime. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Coll. grave 106. Son of Archibald Sime and of Helen L. Sime, of Dundee, Scotland.

Sgt. William James Cooper. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Grave 109. Son of William Charles and Margaret Eva Cooper, of Deptford, London, England.

Sgt. Alexander Wilson. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Grave 110. Son of Margaret Wilson, of Kirkfieldbank, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Sgt. Frederick Roberet Loveridge. Endohoven (Woensel) General Cemetery Plot KK. Grave 108. Son of Raymond and Lily Loveridge, of Copnor, Portsmouth, England.

Researched for relatives of the crew with thanks to Mike Ruddick relative of Sgt. Glendinning DFM, Steve Hanon nephew of P/O. Hanon. A book has been written regarding this loss by the Dutch author Ad Hermess. Please mention us should you wish to order a copy direct. Further information on F/O. Harvey available from the Saskatchewan Virtual Memorial.

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