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Operation: Wilhelmshaven (Scharnhorst)
Date: 27/28th February 1942 (Friday/Saturday)
Unit: No. 77 Squadron
Type: Whitley V
Serial: Z6943
Code: KN-A
Base: RAF Leeming, Yorkshire
Location: North Sea, 10 Kms. north of the island of Langeoog.
Pilot: Fl/Lt. Donald Atherton Irving AUS/402359 RAAF Age 26. Missing - believed killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Hubert Waddy Blackmore 1195088 RAFVR Age ? Missing - believed killed
Obs: Sgt. John Lewis Stanley Price 930432 RAFVR Age 20. Missing - believed killed
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Donald Unsworth 1057891 RAFVR Age ? Missing - believed killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Peter William Lindsay Strachan 580467 RAFVR Age 24. Missing - believed killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off from RAF Leeming in Yorkshire to attack the Scharnhorst (2) which was believed to be under repairs at Wilhelmshaven. 33 aircraft took part and the raid was considered a failure due to heavy cloud. Only 3 bombs exploded in the harbour and no damage caused.
The Luftwaffe night fighters sprang into defending the area with the result that 3 Whitleys all from 77 Squadron were shot down.
The other 77 Squadron losses this night:
Whitley V Z9148 KN-L Flown by F/O. Morris McCarthy NZ/403976 RNZAF killed with all 5 crew members (1)
Whitley V Z9280 KN-K Flown by Sqn/Ldr Leslie Parkin DFC. 37982 RAF killed with all but one of the crew. Sgt. Hancock survived as a PoW.
(1) Tragically the family of F/O. McCarthy also lost two other son's - Sq/Ldr. Ray McCarthy, 7 Squadron, killed 15th April 1943 and L/Cpl. Robert McCarthy New Zealand Infantry killed on the 25th October 1942.
Ofw Ney (shown above) was already considered an ace at this time with 12 kills. He was killed a month later when a Whitley (138 Squadron T4166) he had engaged, exploded and damaged his aircraft so severely that he crashed near Petten in Holland. (courtesy Nightfighter War Diaries)
(2) The Scharnhorst was eventually sank on 26th December 1943 at 19.45 hrs. with the loss of 1,932 crew after a total of 55 torpedoes and 2,195 shells had been fired at the battlecruiser.Post war investigations carried out on the 01st September 1946 by Fl/Lt. Buckley of the No. 15 Section Missing Research and Enquiry Unit (MREU) revealed that under interrogation, the German Officer (Cpt. Friedelein) in command of the German Navy Anti-Aircraft battery stated that he saw 4 twin-engined bombers hit by his anti-aircraft fire. Two of these exploded in the air and two other two flew out to sea on fire. An extensive search was made in the area by the MREU failed to find any wreckage and concluded that the aircraft was lost out at sea.
Burial details:
Fl/Lt. Donald Atherton Irving. Runnymede Memorial Panel 108. Born on the 19th January 1916 in Brisbane the son of Ernest Irving, and of Dorothy Lucy Harriet Irving, of Innisfail, Queensland, Australia. He had undertaken 18 operational sorties - 8 as second pilot, 10 as captain.
Sgt. Hubert Waddy Blackmore. Runnymede Memorial Panel 78. Son of Louis Agustine Blackmore, and of May Hutchinson Blackmore, of Bedminster, Somerset, England.
Sgt. John Lewis Stanley Price. Runnymede Memorial Panel 91. Son of Ernest Stanley Price and Margaret Annie Price, of Croydon, Surrey, England.
Sgt. Donald Unsworth. Runnymede Memorial Panel 95. Next of kin details currently unavailable - can you assist?
Sgt. Peter William Lindsay Strachan. Runnymede Memorial Panel 94. Born on the 07th May 1918 at Osbaldwick, York the son of William and Miriam Strachan (née Jewitt) of Motherwell, Scotland. Further information: in Sept. 1938 joined the RAF to train as an Air Observer. He did not succeed at this nor as a Wireless Operator, but stayed in the RAF as an electrician. In July to August 1941 he trained as an Air Gunner and was posted to 77 Squadron at RAF Leeming on the 8th October 1941. He was married on the 22nd December 1941. He flew on only two operations, the first to attack Mannheim on the 11th February 1942 and the second on 27th February 1942.
Researched for relatives of the crew. With thanks to Anne Strachan for additional information on Sgt. Peter Strachan - April 2017. Additional information from sources as shown.
KTY - 11.04.2017 further information/photograph added
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them. - Laurence
Binyon
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