Operation: Kiel

Date: 9th/10th April 1945 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit No: 622 Squadron

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: NG447

Code: GI:U

Base: RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk

Location: 1 km south of Karby, Germany

Pilot: Flt Lt. Lionel Arthur Sydney Hodge 131036 RAFVR Age 21. KiA

Flt Eng: Flt Sgt. Samuel George Taylor 1459586 RAFVR Age 20. KiA

Nav: Flt Sgt. William Munro Leckie Green R186454 RCAF Age 32. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Fg Off. George William Gell J40435 RCAF Age 34. KiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Fg Off. Alexander Sidney Seymour 164465 RAFVR Age 30. KiA

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. William Iorwerth 'Bill' Lewis 965442 RAFVR Age 27. PoW (1)

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. William Alfred Parsons 1025607 RAFVR Age 25. KiA

Six of Flt Lt. Hodge crew. Standing L to R: Sgt. Bill Parsons, Flt Lt. Lee Hodge, Sgt. Bill Lewis, Fg Off. Gell. Kneeling L to R: Flt Sgt. Green, Flt Sgt. Sam Taylor. (Fg Off. Seymour may have taken the photograph?) (Credit: Martin Lewis)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 19:34 hrs from RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk to bomb the U- boat yards in Kiel. The resulting operation caused severe damage to the yards and also sank the battleship Admiral Scheer.

Admiral Scheer - sunk on this operation

NG447 was claimed as a probable by Lt. (Plt Off) Arnold Döring, from 10./NJG3. There are no further details of the time and location of the intercept. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (1 January 1945 - 3 May 1945) Part 6 - Theo Boiten)

Lt. Döring survived the war with a total of 5 confirmed Abschüsse and at least 5 unconfirmed. He later joined the Bundes Luftwaffe and reached the rank of Hauptmann (Capt). He died on the 10th April 2001. (Luftwaffe ACES - Biographies and Victory Claims (Mathews and Foreman) - Volume 1).

The aircraft crashed 1 km south of Karby which is some 32 km north of Kiel.

The following is an extract from the Crash investigation Report conducted by Flt Lt. Hordel from 21 Section, No. 4 MREU dated 3rd July 1946:

A local eye-witness to the events that night reported that at between 23:00 and 23:59 hrs a British four engined aircraft was shot down by flak. The aircraft was burning when it struck the ground. The eye-witness arrived at the scene immediately after and found the aircraft burning and pieces scattered over a fairly wide area.

Five bodies were found in the aircraft but their identification was not possible. The bodies were removed to Karby. The next day a sixth body was found in the rear turret of the aircraft. The body was identified by the German army as that of Sgt. William Alfred Parsons. All six bodies were buried in the Karby Cemetery on the 12th April 1945, the five unidentified bodies in a communal grave and Sgt. parsons in a single grave. They were buried with a ceremony but without military honours.

(1) Sgt. Lewis bailed out of the aircraft. His M.I.9 (PoW Questionnaire) recorded that he was injured and that he was initially held in the Schleswig aerodrome cells from the 11th April 1945 to 20th April 1945.

Believed to be Schleswig-Jagel airfield some 7 km SSW of Schleswig itself and some 33 km SW of the aircraft crash site.

He was then moved to Pinneberg which is some 18 km NW of Hamburg and held there from the 20th April 1945 to the 4th May 1945.

There is no documented PoW camp at Pinneberg. Pinneberg is some 90 km due south of Schleswig-Jagel airfield and about 18 km NW of the centre of Hamburg. This may have been a Wehrmacht barracks and/or hospital as the facilities were used as a Displaced Persons camp after the war.

Burial Details:

Collective markers for the crew at the Kiel War Cemetery, Germany (Courtesy Martin Lewis)

Flt Lt. Lionel Arthur Sydney Hodge. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave 4.G.6. Son of Arthur Sydney and Amy Eleanor Hodge of Harpenden, Herts, England.

Flt Sgt. Samuel George Taylor. Kiel War Cemetery. Joint Grave 4.G.9-10. Inscription: "WHEN THE SUN GOES DOWN AND IN THE MORNING I SHALL REMEMBER YOU. MOTHER". Son of Samuel George and Annie Elizabeth Taylor of Droylsden, Manchester, England.

WOII. William Munro Leckie Green. Kiel War Cemetery. Joint Grave 4.G.9-10. Born on the 7th April 1913 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Son of Alexander and Isabella Clark (née Beckie) Green of North Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Husband to Jeanne Louise (née Brent) Green of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Grave markers for Flt Lt. Hodge, Flt Sgt. Taylor and WOII. Green. (Courtesy Martin Lewis)

Fg Off. George William Gell. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave 4.G.7. Inscription: "HE RESTS WITH GOD, IN PEACE "THY WILL BE DONE"". Born on the 22nd June 1910 in Louth, Lincolnshire, England. Son of Arthur George and Kate (née Dove) Gell of Huddersfield, England. Husband to Florence Ellis (née Bailey) Gell of Toronto, Ontario.

Fg Off. Alexander Sidney Seymour. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave 4.G.8. Inscription: "NOT A DAY DO WE FORGET YOU. EVERY DAY IN SOME SMALL WAY YOU ARE WITH US STILL". Born on the 24th June of 1914 in Edmonton, Middlesex. Son of Sydney William and Mildred Clara (née Pollentine) Seymour of Edmonton, Middlesex, England.

Sgt. William Alfred Parsons. Kiel War Cemetery. Grave 4.G.5. Inscription: "AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER HIM". Son of John Walter and Evelyn Parsons of Thornbury, Bradford, Yorkshire, England.

Grave markers for Fg Off. Gell, Fg Off. Seymour and Sgt. Parsons (Courtesy Martin Lewis)

Researched by Aircrew Remembered, researcher and specialist genealogist Linda Ibrom for relatives of this crew. Additional sources as quoted bellow. With thanks to Jack Brook for correction of serial number (Jan 2016). With thanks to Martin Lewis for the update to Flt Sgt. Green's details, crew photograph, his rank update for his burial details and the images of the grave markers (Feb 2020). Thanks to Martin Lewis for the update to the names for the crew photograph and for the information for Sgt. Lewis. (Nov 2022). Update to German fighter claim, NoK details for Fg Off. Gell and Fg Off. Seymour by Aircrew Remembered (Nov 2022). Thanks to Judi Rock for the correction to place of birth for WOII. Green (Nov 2022). Other updates to NoK details by Aircrew Remembered (Nov 2022).

Other sources listed below:

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