Operation: Berlin, Germany

Date: 15th/16th February 1944 (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Unit No: 166 Squadron, 1 Group, Bomber Command

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: ED841

Code: AS:L

Base: RAF Kirmington

Location: Freudenberg, Ribnitz-Damgarten, Germany

Pilot: Fg Off. Raymond John Robinson 135130 RAFVR Age? KiA

Flt Eng: Sgt. Harold Kenneth ‘Ken’ Harrison 955861 RAFVR Age 26. PoW No: 1605 * (1)

Nav: Sgt. George Frederick Clark 1335626 RAFVR Age 20. KiA (2)

Bomb Aimer: Flt Sgt. Raymond Algernon Reeves Smith 1335530 RAFVR Age 22. KiA

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. Donald Joseph Stokes 1284065 RAFVR Age 29. KiA

Air Gnr (Mid Upper): Sgt. Norman Owen Jones 1605143 RAFVR Age 22. KiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Fg Off. Basil Owen Wright 51875 RAFVR Age 28. KiA

* Stalag Luft 6, Heydekrug, Memelland (now Šilutė in Lithuania)

Above: Sgt. Harold Kenneth ‘Ken’ Harrison (Courtesy of Alison Clappison)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off at 17:30 hrs to attack the heart of Germany, Berlin. 891 aircraft took part in the first raid on the city for more than 2 weeks. This was the largest raid of the whole war on the German capital resulting in the greatest ever tonnage of bombs dropped on the city with 2,642 tons.

The city was covered in cloud for most of the raid but the raid still inflicted huge damage to the city with 599 large and 572 medium fires, 1,000 houses and a further 526 wooden barracks also destroyed. 320 people on the ground were killed. The small number of casualties is mainly due to the large scale evacuation which had taken place but a further 260 civilians were reported to have been buried alive - no reports how many of these survived. Some of Berlin's most important industries were also hit including the Siemensstadt area. 59 people were also killed in other area hit by scattered bombs.

The bombers suffered heavily with 48 aircraft being lost. A huge loss of aircrew with 266 killed and a further 54 made PoW.

Lancaster ED841 was claimed by Oblt. Paul Zorner from 8./NJG3, his 23rd Abschuss, 3km SE of Ribnitz at 6.000m at 20:22 hrs. (Nachtjagd Combat Archive (1 January 1944 - 15 March 1944) Part 1 - Theo Boiten)

Oblt. Zorner, was credited with a total of 59 night victories. He survived the war - imprisoned by the Soviets until 1949 he went on to work for Hoechst as their Chief Engineer before retiring in 1981. He died in Hamburg on the 27th January 2014 age 93.

The aircraft crashed into a forest in the Recknitz river valley at Freudenberg, Ribnitz-Damgarten, Germany.

Another Lancaster from 166 Squadron was also shot down on this same raid. ME636 AS:E flown by Plt Off. George Arthur Woodcock-Stevens 171650 RAFVR was KiA along with his crew.

(1) Sgt. Harrison reported that he was captured near Rostock that day.

We have been contacted (May 2025) by a niece of Sgt. Harrison who relates a story told to her mother by him which recollects that the aircraft crashed into a lake, thought to be Saaler Bodden, and he had to swim to the shore.

His General Questionnaire for British/American Ex-PoWs he stated that he was captured near Rostock which is some 31 km (19 mls) to the SSW of the lake. From the contemporary witness report the aircraft crashed into a forest at Freudenburg which is some 30 km (19 mls) NE of Rostock.

As the aircraft was reported have been coming from the direction of Dierhagen, which is located on the SW shore of the Saaler Bodden it appears probable that he did bale out over the lake and the aircraft came down some 3 km (2 mls) to the SE of the lake.

So technically he was captured near Rostock.

Although he reported that he was not wounded he was taken to two Luftwaffe hospitals between the 16th February and the 20th February before being transferred to Dulag Luft, Oberursel.

Here he was subjected to the statutory solitary confinement and interrogation. On the 27th February he was transferred to Stalag Luft 6, Heydekrug arriving there on the 2nd March 1944.

In early 1944 the Russian Army were advancing into the Baltic States from the North and the East preparation for evacuating the camp was being made. He was amongst the PoWs from Stalag Luft 6, the camp closest to the Russian advance, were transported to Stalag 20A by train in July 1944, and from there took part in the forced-march on the “Northern Route”.

It was estimated that 100,000 PoWs took the northern route. It went to Stalag Luft 4 at Groß-Tychow, Pomerania then via Stettin to Stalag 9B and Stalag 357, Kopernikus at Thorn (Toruń) in Poland.

On the 1st September 1944 the PoWs were force-marched from Thorn (Toruń) in Poland to the site of the former Stalag 11D, with construction being carried out by the Italian PoW from Stalag 11B. The camp was commonly known as Stalag 357, Fallingbostal but officially the designation was Stalag 357, Oerbke.

In early April 1945 the PoWs were informed by the Commandant Oberst Hermann Ostmann that 12,000 British PoWs were being evacuated from the camp in the face of the Allied advance. The men marched from the camp in columns of 2,000.

He escape from the marching columns on about the 9th April with a Flt Sgt. H. Walker RCAF but they were recaptured three (3) days later between Fallingbostel and Hannover and taken to Stalag 11B Fallingbostel in Schleswig. The camp was liberated by British troops from the 11th and 8th Hussars on the 16th April 1945. He was interviewed on the 3rd May 1945.

Flt Sgt. H. Walker was Sgt. Harry Walker R18121A RCAF PoW No. 3786. He was the Mid-Upper gunner from 431 Sqn Halifax III MZ521 which was shot down by a German night-fighter on the night of the 8th/9th May 1944 on a operation to bomb Haine-St-Pierre (1 KiA, 4 PoW, 2 Evd).

Harold Kenneth Harrison was born on the 29th December 1917 in Darlington, Durham. Prior to enlisting in the RAFVR on the 3rd March 1940 he was employed as a Radiator Tester in Hull, East Yorks. Harold passed away on the 17th January 1984 in Hull, East Yorkshire.

(2) Additional information supplied by Brian Bouchard in March 2018.

Frederick had contracted a second marriage, which was registered in Epsom for the March Quarter of 1915, to Gertrude Agate (born on the 27th September 1882, reg. Kensington, 12/1882). Birth of their son Basil O. Wright came to be recorded at Kingston, 12/1916. Before the 4th October 1916, the family had taken up residence at 47 Kingston Road, New Malden, Surrey.

With a Service Number 518852, his son Basil would have been a pre-war entrant as an aircraftman to the Royal Air Force.

For the 1939 Register Gertrude, Frederic and their daughter were living at 38 Sycamore Grove, New Malden, with his occupation stated to be 'Cafe Proprietor, Commercial Traveller (Glass)' and his wife a 'Cafe Manageress'.

Having risen to the rank of Flight Sergeant, Basil was appointed to a commission and promoted to 51875 Pilot Officer, on probation, emergency, with effect from the 14th May 1943 and promoted to Flying Officer (war substitute) on the 14th November 1943.

The Operational Record Book (ORB) for 166 Squadron recorded that he had been posted into the Unit on the 3rd October 1943.

The following contemporary witness statement described the crash of the aircraft:

"It was a foggy February evening. I sat with my parents, brothers and sisters having dinner when a loud engine noise was heard. It was louder than usual, because, normally, the English and American bomber formations flew higher. The sound of a big engine was getting closer. Suddenly there was an enormous explosion. My sister was shocked obviously. We ran out and saw the fire through the fog in the Recknitz River valley...

Next day, while it was still dark, I hurried to the crash site before I went to school and before I found the SS and the armed forces already there. In the dawn I saw that a Lancaster bomber had crashed. It was terrible to see the dead crew members hanging in the trees. One was gored through by a strong branch! Others were caught in the completely destroyed wreck of the aircraft. Parachutes were partly opened.

I looked a bit closer at the Englishmen; I could see that they were wearing blue uniforms under their heated flying suits, and below that they were also wearing civilian dress. Nearer the wreckage was an inflated dinghy and provisions packages were laying around. I quickly retrieved some parachute silk, a provisions package and a flare gun with ammunition. Then I also already saw pushing the first armed troops....

I quickly went to school. Soon after, the whole crash site was blocked off and was guarded by the SS. When I came home in the afternoon, I found out that somebody had stolen the felt boots from some of the aircrew. I can still remember that some people had their houses searched.

The Lancaster came from direction of Dierhagen. Someone said that the Lancaster had been attacked by a night-fighter and that the pilot was possibly attempting to crash-land on the Bodden near Ribnitz-Damgarte but crashed in the thick fog at ground level.

Those of the crew who perished, were buried locally [at Neuer Friedhof, Rostock] but were exhumed and re-interred in the 1939 – 1945 War Cemetery at Charlottenburg, Berlin after the end of the war”.

Mr. Frederic William Augustine Wright of Chiltern Lodge, 38 Sycamore Grove, New Malden, Surrey, died on 23 November 1945 in Kingston Hospital. In his Will, Malden Social Club was directed to have a drink at the bar instead of sending a wreath.

Burial details:

Above: Berlin War Cemetery (Courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

Fg Off. Raymond John Robinson. Berlin War Cemetery, Grave 8.D.2. No further details - are you able to assist?

Sgt. George Frederick Clark. Berlin War Cemetery, Grave 8.K.34-36. Grave Inscription: ‘FATHER, IN THY GRACIOUS KEEPING LEAVE WE NOW OUR DEAR ONE SLEEPING’. Born on the 3rd April 1923 in Culford, Suffolk. Son of Frederick George and Ellen (née Francis) Clark of Culford, Suffolk, England.

Flt Sgt. Raymond Algernon Reeves Smith. Berlin War Cemetery, Grave 8.D.20. Grave Inscription: ‘HE DIED BUT HIS MEMORY LIVES’. Born on the 28th June 1921 in Maidstone, Kent. Son of Norman Leslie and Emma Kate (née Reeves) Smith. Husband of Elsie Agnes (née Sharp) Smith of Maidstone, Kent, England.

Flt Sgt. Donald Joseph Stokes. Berlin War Cemetery, Grave 8.K.34-36. Grave Inscription: ‘REST IN PEACE’. Born on the 8th October 1915 in London. Son of Frederick William and Maud Harriet. (née Verrier - deceased in Oct 1933) Stokes of Middlesex, England.

Sgt. Norman Owen Jones. Berlin War Cemetery, Grave 8.K.34-36. Born on the 20th March 1921 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. Son of Thomas George and Beatrice May (née Carter) Jones of Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales.

Fg Off. Basil Owen Wright. Runnymede Memorial, Panel 210. Born in the 4th Qtr of 1916 in Kingston, Surrey. Son of Frederic William Augustine and Gertrude (née Agate) Wright of Rottingdean, Sussex, England.

Researched by Aircrew Remembered, researcher and specialist genealogist Linda Ibrom for relatives of this crew and for relatives of Sgt. George Frederick Clark. With thanks to Uwe Enrich for grave photo of Sgt. Clark. With thanks to Brian Bouchard and the Epsom and Ewell History Explorer website. Also to Karsten's and Peter's Bomber Command website. (Aug 2015) Thanks to John Jones for the Night-Fighter claim information (Dec 2019). Thanks to Alison Clappison for the information and photograph relating to her uncle Sgt. Harrison. Reviewed and updated with a new map and PoW information for Sgt. Harrison (May 2025).

Other sources listed below.

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