Archive Report: Allied Forces

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29/30.05.1943 429 Squadron Wellington X HZ471 AL-M F/O. Richmond

Operation: Wuppertal

Date: 29/30th May 1943 (Saturday/Sunday)

Unit: No. 429 Squadron

Type: Wellington X

Serial: HZ471

Code: AL-M

Base: RAF East Moor, North Yorkshire

Location: Sea off Vlissingen

Pilot: F/O. Bruce Andrew Richmond J/21221 RCAF Age 21. Missing

Obs: Fl/Sgt. Isador Samuel Levitt R/135017 RCAF Age 29. Missing

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Robert Gordon Bailey R/113936 RCAF Age 20. Missing

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Edward George Collman 138457 RAFVR Age ? Missing

Air/Gnr: W/O II William Sherron Anglin R/95701 RCAF Age 27. Missing

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from RAF East Moor, North Yorkshire at 22:36 hrs joining 719 aircraft attacking the town of Wuppertal, the home of the Goldschmitt firm which produced Tego-Film, a wood adhesive used in the production of the HE162 and TA154.

Left - crew of Wellington HZ471. Right: Fl/Sgt. "Sam" Levitt, taken during training (courtesy Philip Green)

Around 1000 acres was destroyed in the firestorm that followed - 211 industrial buildings and nearly 4,000 houses were totally destroyed. A figure of 3,400 fatalities on the ground has been recorded.

Bomber Command did not escape lightly on this operation losing some 36 aircraft.

It is thought "probable" that HZ471 was shot down by Lt. Rolf Bussmann (1) of 1./NJG1 at 02:50 hrs. Flying out of Venlo airfield he attacked this Wellington at 3,700 mtrs with the aircraft falling into the sea off Vlissingen.

(1) This was the 14th abscuss for Lt. Rolf Bussmann. He survived the war with 21 kills, no further details are known.

Runnymede (Air-Rem archives)

Burial details:

F/O. Bruce Andrew Richmond. Runnymede Memorial Panel 174. From Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Fl/Sgt. Isador Samuel Levitt. Runnymede Memorial Panel 183. Son of Moses Benjamin and Bella Levitt, of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada.

Fl/Sgt. Robert Gordon Bailey. Runnymede Memorial Panel 181. Son of Perley R. and Ethel M. Bailey, of Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.A

Sgt. Edward George Collman. Runnymede Memorial Panel 145. No further details currently available.

W/O II William Sherron Anglin. Runnymede Memorial Panel 179. Son of W. Wendling Anglin and Josephine S. Anglin, of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada.

Researched for and with information from Philip Green, nephew of Fl/Sgt. "Sam" Levitt and dedicated to all relatives of the crew. With thanks for further information to Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - "Nightfighter War Diaries Vol's. 1 and 2", Bill Chorley - "Bomber Command Losses Vol. 4", Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - "Bomber Command War Diaries", Les Allison and Harry Hayward - "They Shall Grow Not Old", Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

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