Operation: Circus 143, France

Date: 27th April 1942 (Monday)

Unit No: 485 (NZ) Squadron, 11 Group, Fighter Command

Type: Spitfire Vb

Serial: BM151

Code: OU:?

Base: RAF Kenley, Greater London

Location: St. Omer, France

Pilot: Plt Off. John Joseph Palmer 404402 RNZAF Age 23. PoW No. 204 *

* Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland

Above: Spitfire Vb BM155 of 485 (NZ) Squadron (Courtesy of N. Mackenzie and 'All Spitfire Pilots')

On the 29th December 1941 three (3) Spitfires took-off from RAF Martlesham at 14:00 hrs on a Convoy Overwatch patrol but failed to locate the ships and landed at RAF Manston at 15:15 hrs. Plt Off. Palmer who took-off 5 mins later from RAF Martlesham, flying Spitfire Vb AB853, OU:F, on the same patrol and located the convoy and patrolled the same for 3 mins at 1500/2000 ft without seeing the remainder of his section. At 14:50 hrs he saw a Ju88 flying over the convoy at the same height about 600 yards away and turned to make a quarter stern attack. When going into the attack he saw two (2) aircraft above him at 5 o’clock and 100 yards apart. As he continued toward the Ju88 he was attacked by two (2) Me109Fs. He turned away from the bomber and lost all three (3) enemy aircraft in cloud but was then hit in the engine and wings by cannon fire. He gained a little height before the engine cut out. He baled out at 2000 ft and landed in the water, climbed into his dingy and was rescued by High Speed Launch (HSL) and landed in Lowestoft.

There is a single claim for a Spitfire on this date by Lt. Karl-Hermann Schrader from 3./JG26 at 15:54 hrs. some 80 km. north of Ostende. Oblt Scrader survived the war and was credited with two (2) confirmed Abschuss.

On the 24th March 1942 flying in Blue section near Hesdin in an attack on four (4) Fw190s he claimed one of the enemy aircraft destroyed after it was witnessed by a Red section pilot, crashing in flames.

On the 28th March 1942 on a Rodeo he claimed an Fw190 as a probable over Marquise, France after he observed hits on the enemy aircraft which then flipped on its back and spun down with greyish smoke coming from the engine.

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 27th April 1942 eleven (11) Spitfires of 485 (NZ) Squadron took off at 14:35 hrs with the rest of the Kenley Wing and set course for Southend to rendezvous with twelve (12) Bostons and the Northolt and Biggin Hill Wings.

Soon after leaving the target at Sequedon on the ouskirts of Lille one of the Bostons was seen to be lagging behind and the Wing commander, ordered six (6) aircraft of 602 Squadron and three (3) of 457 (NZ) Squadron to escort it, but it turned south into France and it was last seen going down with glycol streaming from the port engine. Meanwhile the remainder of the Wing with the exception of several aircraft of 485 squadron which had become separated in combat over the target area, escorted the eleven (11) Bostons back to the English coast.

The aircraft was Boston III Z2194 OM:? from 107 Sqn. The three crew became PoWs. The Observer, Plt Off. John Francis Williams MiD was one of the 50 airmen murdered after the “Great Escape” from Stalag Luft 3.

Plt Off. Palmer, 485 (NZ) Squadron, baled out, after reporting that his aircraft had been hit by Flak but he himself was unhurt, near Lille. He was captured that day near St. Omer and was uninjured.

He was transferred to Dulag Luft, Oberursel that day. After the statutory interrogation and five (5) days in solitary confinement he was transferred to Stalag Luft 3 on the 6th May.

Between May and September 1942 he was involved with four (4) tunnels none of which were successful. It was to no one’s surprise that a major purge of the camp was undertaken after the discovery of the tunnels. Plt Off. Palmer was one of about one-hundred (100) PoWs, mostly from the escaping fraternity, who were transferred to Oflag 21B which was located near Szubinand a few miles SW of Bydgoszcz in Poland.

Here he was involved with two (2) tunnels one (1) of which was successful. On the 3rd March 1943 he was amongst forty (40) men crawled out of the tunnel beyond the wire and scattered themselves across Germany. Within two (2) weeks he was picked up with Flt Lt. Gilderthorpe and returned to the camp.

Flt Lt. Thomas Roberts Gilderthorpe 43482 RAAF was the pilot of 207 Sqn, Manchester I L7316, EM:U which was hit by Flak on a mission to Köln on the 31st August 1941 (4 KiA and 2 PoWs).

In April 1943 the camp was cleared of all PoWs who were sent to Stalag Luft 3. Here he was involved with another two (2) tunnels from April to December 1943, neither successful. After the “Great Escape” no more escape attempts were encouraged or made.

On the night of the 27th January 1945, with Soviet troops only 26 km (16 mls) away, orders were received to evacuate the PoWs to Spremberg which is to the West in Germany. The PoW’s were informed of the evacuation, which was on foot, at about 22:00 hrs the same night and were given 30 mins to pack and prepare everything for the March. The weather conditions were very difficult, with freezing temperatures, and it was snowing accompanied by strong winds. There was 15 cm (6 in) of snow and 2000 PoWs were assigned to clear the road ahead of the main groups.

After a 55 km (34 mls) march, the PoWs arrived in Bad Muskau where they rested for 30 hours. The PoWs were then marched the remaining 26 km (16 mls) to Spremberg where they were housed in empty garages, storerooms and in military barracks. There they were provided with warm soup and bread.

During next days, PoWs were divided up according to Compounds, and they were led to railway sidings and loaded into tightly packed carriages. On the 2nd February he was amongst the group who were sent to the Marlag und Milag Nord PoW camp at Westertimke.

Marlag is an acronym for Marinelager (Naval prisoner of war camp), Milag is short for Marine-Internierten-Lager (Naval internment camp), and Nord is German for ‘north’.

On the 2nd April 1945 the Commandant announced that he had received orders to leave the camp with most of his guards, leaving only a small detachment behind to hand over the camp to Allied forces, who were already in Bremen.

However, that afternoon a detachment of over a hundred SS-Feldgendarmerie entered the camp, Plt Off. Palmer was amongst the mustered over 3,000 men and marched them out, heading east. The next day, at around at 10:00 hrs the column was strafed by RAF aircraft, and two PoWs were killed.

Over the next few days the column was attacked from the air several times. Finally the Senior British Naval Officer (SBNO), who was later killed in a strafing attack by RAF aircraft, offered the Germans the PoW’s parole, in return for being allowed to rest during the day and march at night. The Germans agreed.

On the 9th April 1945 the guards at Marlag-Milag moved out and were replaced by older men, presumably local Volkssturm. Meanwhile, the column slowly headed east, finally crossing the River Elbe, north of Hamburg, on the 18th April.

On the 27th April the camps were liberated by elements of the British Guards Armoured Division.

The next day, the 28th April, the column finally arrived at Lübeck on the Baltic coast. They were liberated by the British 11th Armoured Division on the 1st May 1945. He was interviewed on the 3rd May 1945.

John Joseph Palmer was born on the 4th November 1918 in Napier, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. He was a farmer in Hawkes Bay prior to joining the RNZAF in November 1939. No further biographical information has been found on-line.

Burial details:

None: Survived the war

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the pilot and his family (Jan 2025).

Other sources listed below:

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