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Operation: Kassel
Date: 22/23rd October 1943 (Friday/Saturday)
Unit: No. 76 Squadron
Type: Halifax V
Serial: LK664
Code: MP-U
Base: RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Yorkshire
Location: 1 km south of Bühne, Germany
Pilot: Lt. Leif Woodrow Hulthin N349 RNAF Age 25. Killed. (1)
2nd Pilot: W/O. Ian Harold Blackburn 655425 RAFVR Age 25. Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Raymond John Kellitt Machan 1604641 RAFVR Age 20. Killed
Nav: P/O. Cyril Marshall Murfitt 157628 RAFVR Age 23. Killed
Air/Bmr: P/O. Alfred Vernon Cecil Barden 157645 RAFVR Age 18. Killed (1)
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Frederick Southern 1127777 RAFVR Age 21. Killed (1)
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Leonard Thomas Brawn 1380936 RAFVR Age 21. Killed (1, 2)
Air/Gnr: P/O. Lawrence James Pringle AUS/409592 RAAF Age 20. Killed
Took off from RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor at 17:31 hours to attack Kassel. A total of 569 aircraft took part - 322 Lancasters, 247 Halifaxes.
The initial 'blind' H2S marking overshot the target but 8 out of the 9 'visual' markers correctly identified the centre of Kassel and placed their markers accurately. Although German decoy markers may have drawn off part of the bomber force, the main raid was exceptionally accurate and concentrated. The result was the most devastating attack on a German city since the firestorm raid on Hamburg in July and the results at Kassel would not be exceeded again until well into 1944.
The fires were so concentrated that there was a firestorm, although not as extensive as the Hamburg one. Nearly 10,000 people are known to have been killed on the ground during this raid with a further 3,000 unaccounted for. Over 11,000 people were also injured.. The most useful part of this raid was the damage to the three Heinkel factories as these were at the time making the V1 flitting bombs. Also the railway system and its installations were severely hit. A total of 43 allied aircraft were lost with the majority of losses attributed to the Luftwaffe Night-Fighters.
Nothing was heard from Halifax LK664 after take off and the aircraft is believed to have been shot down by Ace: Major Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein of Stab II.NJG3 with combat taking place Immenhausen near Hofgeismar 6.100m. Time of attack: 21.10 hrs The Halifax crashed 1 km south of Bühne. LK664 was the only Halifax lost from 76 Squadron. All the crew were killed and they are buried in the Hanover War Cemetery, Locality Hanover, Niedersachsen,Germany.
(1) Lt Hulthin, P/O. Barden, Sgt. Southern and Sgt. Brawn escaped injury when Halifax V DK175 MP-T crashed on the 13/14th July 1943 on an operation to Aachen. All the crew scrambled clear of the aircraft which burst into flames.
(2) Sgt. Brawn was the brother of Flt/Sgt Henry Brawn who was with 51 Squadron. He was killed on 11 August 1944 whilst on operations to Somain, Halifax LW588 MH-O. Sgt Brawn received a foot injury when the Halifax V DK174 MP-W was hit by flak over Köln on 3/4th July 1943. The aircraft crash landed on Hartford Bridge Airfield in Hampshire - all the crew escaped.
Hanover War Cemetery (courtesy Rob Philips)
Lt. Leif Woodrow Hulthin. Hanover War Cemetery Grave 11.F.14.
Leif Hulthin was born on 23 July 1918 at Brooklyn, New York, USA the son of Anton Sofus and Ovida "Vivi" (née Nilssen) Hulthin originally of Bodø, Nordland, Norway. He had a sister, Vivian Antoinette born 2 July 1924 at Christiania, Norway.
Leif's father Anton, a factory machinist, migrated to the United States and sponsored Vivi, a resident of Fredrikstad, Norway, for immigration. They married at Brooklyn, New York, USA on 21 October 1911.
Lief Woodrow Hulthin is commemorated on the Memorial Norwegian Airmen in Gardermoen, Norway.
Grave of Lt. Hulthin (courtesy Rob Philips)
W/O. Ian Harold Blackburn. Hanover War Cemetery Grave 11.H.9. Son of Harold William and Mabel Blackburn, of Westminster, London, England.
Sgt. Raymond John Kellitt Machan. Hanover War Cemetery. Grave 11.H 10. Son of John William and Bathilda Helen Machan, of Kenilworth, Cape Town, South Africa.
P/O. Cyril Marshall Murfitt. Hanover War Cemetery. Grave 11.F.13. Born Sheffield in the June 1920 Qtr he was the only child of Joseph and Olive Ada (née Trotman) Murfitt.
P/O. Alfred Vernon Cecil Barden. Hanover War Cemetery Grave 11.F.12. Son of Cecil Eli and Minnie Barden, of Shelley, Yorkshire, England.
Sgt. Frederick Southern. Hanover War Cemetery. Grave 11.H.11. Born 29 August 1922. Sgt Southern was the youngest child of Frederick and Margaret (née Percy) Southern of Sunderland, Co. Durham, England. He was employed as a house and shop plumber just after the war started.
Sgt. Leonard Thomas Brawn. Hanover War Cemetery. Grave 11.H.12. Son of Alfred Charles and Emily Brawn, of Walthamstow, Essex, England. His brother 20 year old, Henry also died on service. 1601100 RAFVR a Fl/Sgt. air gunner flying with 51 Squadron and killed on the 11th August 1944. Buried at Valenciennes Communal Cemetery (St. Roch) Plot 4, Row AB, Grave 2.
P/O. Lawrence James Pringle. Hanover War Cemetery. Grave 11.F.11. Son of Leslie James Pringle and Zoe Roberta Pringle, of Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia.
Right: P/O Lawrence James Pringle (courtesy National Archives of Australia)
Researched by Mike Harrison for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to relatives of this crew. For further details our thanks to the following, Rob Philips, Stephen Hughes. Also to Dave Champion for comprehensive crew details - May 2019. Other sources as quoted below.
KTY Page updated 25.05.2019
RW Page updated 10.07.2019
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