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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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75 Squadron Crest
14/15.04.1943 No. 75 Squadron Stirling III BF513 AA-E P/O. Donald G. McCaskill

Operation: Stuttgart

Date: 14/15th April 1943 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit: No. 75 Squadron

Type: Stirling III

Serial: BF513

Code: AA-E

Base: RAF Newmarket, Suffolk

Location: Regniéssart, Belgium

Pilot: P/O. Donald Gordon McCaskill NZ/13573 RNZAF Age 19. Killed

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Angus McVicar 1371651 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Nav: P/O. James Kennedy Grainger NZ/42295 RNZAF Age 21. Killed

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Bertram Elwell 519416 RAF Age ? Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Reginald Thomas Charles Green 1211032 RAFVR Age 27. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Ernest Desmond Cook 1609864 RAFVR Age 19. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Ronald Alexander Smith NZ/415378 RNZAF Age 22. Killed


In November 2014 we were contacted by researchers in Belgium regarding a planned memorial ceremony. Sadly they have not informed us of any updates although we are aware that this took place.


REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 21:32 hrs joining 462 aircraft – 146 Wellingtons, 135 Halifaxes, 98 Lancasters, 83 Stirlings to attack Stuttgart again. Not classed as a huge success as the pathfinders although claiming to have placed the markers accurately the main bombing force hit the north east of the target.

Only a few bombs hit the centre of Stuttgart. The old church Gedachtnis was destroyed with 1 bomb having a direct hit on an air raid shelter packed with French and Russian prisoners of war. 257 Frenchman and 143 Russians were killed. This tragedy brought the total death toll to 619, a new record for raids to Germany. 23 aircraft were lost on this raid.

It is understood that BF513 was attacked and shot done by Lt. Friedrich (‘Fritz’) Graeff (1) of I./NJG4 based at Florennes, his 4th abschüsse of the war. The Stirling crashed at 02:23 hrs in the area of Regniéssart, Belgium.

(1) Lt. Graeff went on to claim 6 kills before he was wounded on the 8/9th July 1943 in a crash some 15 km. south east of Avesnes near Wighenies, after a collision with Lancaster III ED720 ZN-R from 106 squadron - 1st. Lt. E.L. Rosner USAAF was killed, along with 6 other crew - 1 taken PoW (5 crew - RAFVR, 2 - RCAF) It is unknown if Lt. Friedrich Graeff survived the war.


Ceremony details:
14:00 hrs - Welcome of the participants in the City Hall, Nismes.
14.30 hrs - Travel by bus to Regniéssart (place of the crash)
15.00 hrs - Beginning of the official ceremonies (inauguration of the memorial, speeches, military homages, national anthems, friendship drink, small on-the-spot exhibition)
17.00 hrs - Regional Cultural centre, inauguration of the exhibition ‘Memory and Citizenship’ by ASBL foundation Auschwitz with, on the first floor, opening of the exhibition on Stirling BF513.
19.00 hrs - Conference by Mr. Martin Gray.




Burial details:

The crew were buried on the 16th April 1943 at 19:00 hrs. in the cemetery described below.

P/O. Donald Gordon McCaskill. Florennes Communal Cemetery. Row 2. Grave 27. Son of Gordon Milton McCaskill and Gwendolyn McCaskill, of Palmerston North, Wellington, New Zealand. His 7th operation. Total 444 flying hours.

Sgt. Angus McVicar. Florennes Communal Cemetery. Row 2. Coll. grave 22-26. Son of Donald and Margaret McVicar, of Dunbeath, Caithness-shire, Scotland.

P/O. James Kennedy Grainger. Florennes Communal Cemetery. Row 2. Coll. grave 22-26. Son of William Grainger and of Ida Grainger (née Main), of Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. His 4th operation. Total 249 flying hours.

Sgt. Bertram Elwell. Florennes Communal Cemetery. Row 2. Coll. grave 22-26. Believed to be from the London area. NoK details not available, are you able to assist?

Sgt. Reginald Thomas Charles Green. Florennes Communal Cemetery. Row 2. Coll. grave 22-26. Son of Ernest and Miriam Amelia Green, husband of Edna Daisy Green, of Medbourne, Leicestershire, England.

Sgt. Ernest Desmond Cook. Florennes Communal Cemetery. Row 2. Grave 26. Son of Ernest and Esther Cook, of Kintbury, Berkshire, England.

Sgt. Ronald Alexander Smith. Florennes Communal Cemetery. Row 2. Coll. grave 22-26. Son of David Watson Smith and of Agnes Adelaide Smith (née Doyle), of Lauriston, Canterbury, New Zealand. His 4th Operation. Total 168 flying hours.

For further details our thanks to the following, Errol Martyn - 'For Your Tomorrow Vol’s 1-3', Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vol's. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', ‘Bomber Command Database’, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vol's. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries (Updated 2014 version), Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Tom Kracker - 'Kracker Luftwaffe Archives'. Further information from these titles/organisations are available from us, just use the 'help' button on the main page above or 'add info' button also shown on this page.

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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