Operation: Heilbronn

Date: 4th/5th December 1944 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit No: 467 Squadron

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: PB740

Code: PO:O

Base: RAF Waddington

Location: Meimsheim, Germany

Pilot: Fg Off. John Bithel Plumridge 428353 RAAF Age 20. Killed

Flt Eng: Sgt. John Leslie Wood 1894948 RAFVR Age 19. Killed

Nav: Fg Off. George Frederick Sinden 432361 RAAF Age 23. Killed

Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. John Ernest Penman 428930 RAAF Age 23. PoW No: 1299 *

WOp/Air Gnr: Fg Off. George Dudley Rawson 424797 RAAF Age 20. Killed

Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Charles Leslie George 430654 RAAF Age 19. Killed

Air Gnr: Flt Sgt Geoffrey Hayman 433207 RAAF Age 20. Killed

* Stalag Luft 7 Bankau nr. Kreuzburg O.S." (O.S. standing for Oberschlesien, Upper Silesia). Today called Bąków nr. Kluczbork (Poland) also PoW at Stalag 3A Luckenwalde.

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 16:42 hrs from RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire to join a total force of 292 aircraft to bomb Heilbronn, which took place between 19:26 hrs and 19:47 hrs. Only a small portion of units from II./NJG6 were airborne in time to intercept the bomber stream over the target.

From 19:30 hrs the Luftwaffe night fighters amounting to no more than 20 aircraft clashed with the allies over the target area. The night fighters were assisted by the bright lights from the target area already suffering fierce fires from the bombing. Most of the attacks took place within 5 minutes between 19:30 - 19:35 hrs. Despite these attacks the bombers succeeded in destroying some 82% of the built up areas of Heilbronn with over 7,000 people killed on the ground.

PB740 was claimed by Lt. Gustav Mohr, his 3rd Abschuss and 1st of two that night, from 2./NJG11, between Heilbronn & Karlsruh at 2.600m- 2,800m at 19:33hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archives 1944 Part 5 - Theo Boiten)

The body of one of the crew, Fg.Off. George Frederick Sinden was recovered from a river on the 7th December and initially buried at the Laffin Cemetery - identity discs recovered at the time identified him.

Recovered identity plate for Gyro Unit Mk VI from PB740 (Courtesy Joerg Mezger)

Information kindly submitted by John Jones 06th October 2024:

In a later report Flt Sgt Penman said “ After repeated attacks by enemy fighters, the aircraft was on fire and out of control. Emergency ‘jump’ order given for which no acknowledgement needed. Tail gunner not heard after first attack and suspect he was a casualty. I was out first. All members of crew in aircraft after I left at 9,000 feet. Aircraft on fire and in a spin. Saw no chutes on landing. After landing attempted to walk 50 miles west towards allied lines. Challenged by Volkstun, searched and escape kit gave me away. Released from Luft 3A in April 45 by Russians. Escaped from Russians on 7 May 45.” (467 Squadron RAAF WWII Fatalities - Alan Storr)

John Penman:-

“We crossed the lines into German territory in the Strasbourg area shortly after 7pm and at 7:15pm, right on zero hour. I saw the illuminating flares and TIs lighting up Heilbronn, our target. About ten minutes from the target we had our first attack. Happy giving us a corkscrew. I heard him firing over the intercom. The fighter broke away and I put Jack onto the “Reds”. We were attacked again. I didn’t hear much both Happy and Charlie were on the intercom, but after the fighter broke away I near heard Happy again.“I put Jack back onto our markers and once again we were attacked. Charlie giving the commentary

After the breakaway I put Jack quickly back onto the TIs and we got a good release. There was a bit of a natter all this time and I could see tracer shooting past We must have got our packet then. I did my panel check and the sent Johnny back and resumed windowing. Meanwhile I could hear George Sinden counting off the seconds for the camera steady, when George Rawson’s voice rather urgently started talking about the port motors. I didn’t make out what he had said but I put on my chute just in case. Then came Jack’s Voice “Abandon aircraft - abandon aircraft”. I didn’t delay but took an interminable time to get the hatch clear and I dived out, forgetting the instructions re helmet etc.

I pulled and the chute opened - I ripped off my helmut and mask which had twisted around my face and looked around. I could see burning Heilbronn and a kite burning on the ground - I guess it was poor old O-Oboe. Then I saw the ground and prepared for it and landed safely and rolled in a ploughed field - it was just before 8pm”.

John Penman was not to know it at the time, but he was the only survivor. gone in an instant were his six comrades, their average age only twenty, shot down at 7:33pm, ten to fifteen kilometres south of Heilbronn.

He had lost one of his flying boots when his parachuted opened and, having hidden his equipment under a bush, fashioned a slipper out of hid surviving boot for the other foot. At a village a few hundred yards away, most of the inhabitants were out on the street watching the end of the raid on Heilbronn and though, John attracted a few glances , he was nearly clear of the far end of the village when “I found my way barred by two bods in NFS outfit. I had no alternative but to try and brazen it through in the dark. However, I must have been conspicuous abroad during the alert, because they challenged me. I grunted in reply and apparently aroused suspicion as I was immediately seized and taken to the nearest house. He was not badly treated, indeed he was given a glass of lager, and was being taken outside indicated that he would like one of the buns that he saw on a nearby tray. Instead of a bun he received half a dozen hefty kicks in the pants from an evil-looking black haired brute who later similarly treated me. He was marched down the road to the Burgomeister’s office and thrown into the goal. One German who had learnt a little english when he was a prisoner of war in the First World War tried to question John, who kept repeating “Nix verstehn” (Don’t understand). The Germans gave up at that point and left me alone. I had a straw mattress on a cot, two light blankets and some canvas. I rolled myself in these coverings and slept well”.

John spent the next six days in the goal. and was usually well treated, except by the black haired brute who gave him a hefty sock over the head for refusing to answer questions. On the evening of 9 December the goal’s caretaker secretly took John back to his house for supper with him and his wife. I shared their meal - soup, a square inch of meal, helped myself to bread, butter and jam, and then some white "cake” loaf. Café au lait and some red wine. I stayed listening to the radio until about 9pm. For a nation that had been so utterly brainwashed into such a brutal hatred of the Terroflieger, this was a truly remarkable act of kindness by the caretaker and his wife.

On the 11th December, as two Luftwaffe men collected him from the goal was told by the German former prisoner of war that his aircraft “had been found with five bodies”. On that sad note John and his Luftwaffe escort walked to Heilbronn, a distance of about ten kilometres, “pretty grim in the snow in my slippers”. At the Burgomeister’s office, whither taken he met Sgt John J Willis. The two guards then took the two airmen through the ruins of Heilbronn to the damaged railway station, where they caught a train to Hessenthall several kilometres north. From the station it was a mile or so to the nearby Luftwaffe aerodrome, where they were locked into cells for the night: Hear we got bread and soup, - interrogated at 8pm and 1am - unsuccessfully. Each cell had a heater, stool and board bed - no palliasse or blankets”. Also there was another PoW, simply referred by John as “Ted” (possibly Flt Sgt Edward L Wolff).

After a hasty meal of bread and margarine the three airmen were rushed off to station by three guards. They travelled through the night and on through the next day (13 December) until after nine trains in twenty four hours they reach Oberursel. After a depressing time there John Penman was moved to Wetzlar on 17 December “with thirty eight others, mainly yanks and on the 23 December entrained, with forty-two RAF NCO’s (including John Willis, Edward Wolff and Paul Decroix) for Bankau. (The Long Road - Oliver Clutton-Brock)

Burial details:

The remains of the crew were buried at Meinsheim Cemetery on the 8th December 1944 at 17:00 hrs. The burial plot was marked with a simple white cross inscribed “Hier Ruhen 5 Englische Flieger” (Here rests 5 English Airman)

Fg Off. John Bithel Plumridge. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 9.A.8. Born on the 05th March 1924 the son of Arthur John and Lily Plumridge, of 2 Riley Street, Murrumbeena, Victoria, Australia.

Sgt. John Leslie Wood. Durnbach War Cemetery. Collective grave 9.A.10-12. Son of William Ernest and Alice Wood, of Romford, Essex, England.

Fg Off. George Frederick Sinden. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 9.A.7. Born on the 21st September the son of Charles Edward and Nellie Clarissa Sinden, of Guildford, New South Wales, Australia. (shown right)

Fg Off. George Dudley Rawson. Durnbach War Cemetery. Collective grave 9.A.10-12. Born on the 10th March 1924 the son of George Thomas Rawson and Eleanor Annie Rawson, of 414 Liverpool Street, Enfield, New South Wales, Australia.

Flt Sgt. Charles Leslie George. Durnbach War Cemetery. Collective grave 9.A.10-12. Born on the 15th January 1925 the son of Arthur Leslie and Natalie George, of 29 Queens Road, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Flt Sgt Geoffrey Hayman. Durnbach War Cemetery. Grave 9.A.9. Born on the 03rd February 1925 the son of Walter and Stella Janie Hayman, of 28 St. George’s Street, Haberfield, New South Wales, Australia.

Researched for Kye Hayman by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) who contacted us in June 2016 - page dedicated to all the relatives of the crew. Thanks to Joerg Mezger for the correction of the crash site and image of recovered wreckage (Mar 2020). Thanks to John Jones for the night fight claim details (Apr 2022).

Other sources as quoted below.

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