Operation: Stuttgart, Germany

Date: 24th/25th July 1944 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit No: 50 Squadron, 5 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: LL842

Code: VN:F

Base: RAF Skellingthorpe

Location: 2 km SSW Nogent-le-Rotrou, France

Pilot: Fg Off. Gordon Howard Parker J25943 RCAF Age 22. KiA

Flt Eng: Sgt. Thomas William Thompson 966222 RAFVR Age 27. KiA

Nav: Fg Off. John Mason Neal J27480 RCAF Age 21. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. James Henry Spencer 658681 RAFVR Age 24. PoW No: 630 * (1)

WOp/Air Gnr: Sgt. Leslie Salway 1587294 RAFVR Age 21. KiA

Air Gnr (Mid Upp): Sgt. Roy Hampton 2211450 RAFVR Age? Evaded (2)

Air Gnr (Rear): Flt Sgt. David Sinclair Campbell R215385 RCAF Age 31. KiA

* Stalag Luft 7, Bankau nr. Kreuzburg O.S." (O.S. standing for Oberschlesien, Upper Silesia). Today called Bąków nr. Kluczbork (Poland).

March 2025 - An updated comprehensive report on Stalag 3A: To read the report on conditions and evacuation of Stalag 3A during the period of liberation from April - May 1945 click here

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from Skellingthorpe, (Nicknamed "Skelly" by aircrews) Lincolnshire at 21.51 hrs as part of a 412 Lancaster and 138 Halifax force to attack Stuttgart. During this operation some 23 bombers were lost.

This raid was the first in a series of 3 such attacks on this city and this, for the first time used masses of long window (1.8 metres long and 7 cm wide) effectively jamming the German night fighter A/1 radar. Stuttgart was extremely badly damaged during this raid.

Lancaster LL842 Ground crew (courtesy of J. Phillips)

LL842 was claimed by Ofw. Wilhelm Glitz from Stab NJG2, his 9th Abschuss in the area of Dreux-Illiers at 2.500 m. at 23:56 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (24 July 1944 - 15 October 1944) Part 4 - Theo Boiten)

Ofw. Glitz survived the war and was credited with 10 confirmed Abschüsse and 1 awaiting confirmation (Nachtjagd Combat Archive - Biographies - Theo Boiten)

The aircraft crashed at Nugent-le-Rotrou at 23:45 hrs.

A No.1 Missing Research and Enquiry Unit (MREU) report dated 12th April 1946 determined that four bodies were recovered from the burnt out wreckage and buried in the cemetery at Nugent-le-Rotrou. These four graves were marked as “Unbekannt Gefallen 24-7-1944 Bei: Nugent-le-Rotrou”.

A witness saw a fifth airman whose parachute had failed to open. He was placed in a coffin and buried along with the other four. His grave was marked as “Campbell Can Airman Gefallen 24-7-1944 Bei: Nugent-le-Rotrou”.

(1) Flt Sgt. Spencer took refuge at a house (shown above) in the Commune of Saint-Hilaire-sur-Erre. But after a day or two the owner became panic stricken and turned him over to the Germans who then admitted him to a hospital to treat the slight head wounds he had sustained.

Above: 50 Squadron Lancaster I LL842 (Courtesy WW2 Images)

After being discharged he was transferred to Dulag Luft, Oberursel where he was held in a hot room for up to 16 days in-between interrogations. He was then transferred to Stalag Luft 7 arriving there on the 8th July 1944.

On the 19th January 1945, he was one of 1,500 prisoners who marched out of the camp in the bitter cold. They crossed a bridge over the river Oderon the 21st January, reached Goldberg on 5th February, and were loaded onto a train.

On the 8th February they reached Stalag 3Alocated about 52 km (32 mls) south of Berlinnear Luckenwalde, which already held 20,000 prisoners, consisting mainly of soldiers from Britain, Canada, the US and Russia.

In early 1945, some 1,000 PoWs from the Stalag 8C and Stalag Luft 3 were brought to Stalag 3A, and also PoWs from the Stalag 21C in Wolsztyn In February 1945 prisoners from Stalag 3B Furstenberg were evacuated to Stalag 3A, adding to the already overcrowded and unhygienic conditions.

On the 22nd April 1945 as the Russians approached the camp the guards fled leaving the prisoners to be liberated by the Red Army.

The camp was turned over to the Americans on the 6th May at which time the Senior American Officers (SAO) took over the running of the camp until all the PoWs were evacuated.Flt Sgt. Spencer was interviewed on the 13th May 1945

James Henry Spencer was born on the 12th November 1919 in South Shield, Durham. He was an Insurance Clerk in Watford, Hertfordshire prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 15th February 1940. James passed away in May 1990 in Chichester, West Sussex.

(2) Sgt. Hampton’s turret was turned slightly to Port when the aircraft was attacked. He turned his head to Port and immediately saw a very large fire raging in the centre of the Port mainplane. He described it as a terrific blaze which lit up everything on the aircraft. As far as he could see the engines were not hit or set on fire.

The Pilot immediately called out "Get to hell out of this as quickly as possible”. He then made some remark about bombs which Sgt. Hampton did not catch. The aircraft was still carrying its bomb load and Sgt. Hampton thought it was possible that the incendiaries had been set alight because when he reached the fuselage he found that the forward section was completely filled with smoke and flames.

He heard Flt Sgt. Campbell announce that he was about to leave and also believed that the Flt Sgt. Spencer had left before he reached the fuselage. When he did so he immediately took his parachute from its stowage, put it on, opened the rear exit door and baled out head first .

About 5 seconds after leaving the aircraft Sgt. Hampton heard an explosion which buffeted him. His boots were dragged off by the slipstream, but his parachute functioned satisfactorily. He landed among trees from which he remained suspended for about an hour. He tried without success to reach a branch and eventually released his parachute. He fell some. distance to the ground and he was stunned and bruised but broke no bones. He landed near the village of Dancé about 6½ km (4 mls) NW of Nugent-le-Rotrou

The escape and evasion report for Sgt. Hampton is not currently available and therefore the details of his evasion are not known at this time.

What is known is that he eventually joined the large camp that had been established for evaders and escapers near to Châteaudun.

Note: This camp was part of ‘Operation Marathon’ which was a plan to hide evading Allied airmen in secret camps in France and Belgium. The Forêt Fréteval camp was code named ‘Operation Sherwood’ and eventually held more than 130 Allied airmen. The camp was liberated on the 11th August 1944.

He left for the UK from the Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B.14 at Amblie, Calvados arriving at RAF Northolt on the 18th August 1944.

Burial details:

Above: Nogent-Le-Rotrou Communal Cemetery. The images shown on each grave had been placed prior to the visit of Dominic. These grave images are available from us at a higher resolution to relatives of the crew. (Courtesy of Dominic Spencer))

Fg Off. Gordon Howard Parker. Nogent-Le-Rotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Coll grave 4-7. Born on the 12th December 1922 in Toronto. Son of Arthur William and Mary Allen (née Greer) Parker of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Sgt. Thomas William Thompson. Nogent-Le-Rotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Coll grave 4-7. Grave Inscription: “AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER HIM”. Son of Peter and Polly Thompson, of Atherton, Lancashire, England.

Fg Off. John Mason Neal. Nogent-Le-Rotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Coll grave 4-7. Born on the 4th January 1917 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Son of John Frederick and Lily (née Mason) Neal. Husband of Norma Neal (née Finch) of Manitoba, Canada.

His brother Fg Off. William Stuart Neal also served in the RCAF overseas.

Neal Island in Kitchi Lake, Manitoba was named after Fg Off. Neal in 1995.

Sgt. Leslie Salway. Nogent-Le-Rotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Coll grave 4-7. Grave Inscription: “WE LOVED YOU SO MUCH IN LIFE WE CANNOT FORGET YOU IN DEATH. DAD,MUM AND MAURICE”. Son of Charles and Carrie Dorothy Salway, of Bristol, England.

Flt Sgt. David Sinclair Campbell. Nogent-Le-Rotrou Communal Cemetery, France. Plot 33. Grave 2. Grave Inscription: “HE DIED BELOVED BY ALL”. Born on the 13th January 1913 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Son of Andrew and Cecelia Campbell, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Flt Sgt. Campbell was posthumously appointed to commission and promoted to J90306 Plt Off. with effect 23rd July 1944.

Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) and dedicated to the crew and their families. With thanks to Christine Head for details on pilot (Jan 2017). Reviewed and updated with new images and narrative (Nov 2024).Further images courtesy Dominic Spencer.

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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