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Operation: Gelsenkirchen
Date: 12th/13th June 1944 (Monday/Tuesday)
Unit: 300 Squadron (Polish)
Type: Lancaster I
Serial: LL807
Code: BH:N *
Base: RAF Faldingworth
Location: IJsselmee, Holland
Pilot: Flt Lt Jerzy Wladyslaw Rozanski P-1818/793605 PAF Age 26. Killed
Flt Eng: Sgt. Mieczyslaw Gustaw Szeliga 782001 PAF Age 26. Killed
Nav: Fg Off Mieczyslaw Hahn P-2408/703491 PAF Age 25. Killed
WOp/Air Gnr: Fg Off Waclaw Bakun P-2251/703846 PAF Age 25. Killed
Air Gnr: Sgt Albin Pacula 704493 PAF Age 21. Missing - believed killed
Air Gnr: Flt Sgt Marian Wroblewski 704824 PAF Age 23. Killed
Air Gnr: Sgt Rajmund Barzdo 704838 PAF Age 30. Killed
* Bomber Command Losses have this listed as BH:K, a/c code changed to BH:N later.
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off at 23:16 hrs from Faldingworth, Lincolnshire to attack the Nordstein Oil plant at Gelsenkirchen. Part of a force of 286 Lancasters and a further 17 Mosquitos.
Heavy losses received on this raid with 3 being lost to 300 squadron alone. LL807 was claimed by Lt Ewald-Werner Hittler 3./NJG1 - South West of Zuiderzee: 2,500m at 01:30.(Nachtjagd Combat Archive (12 May 1944 - 23 July 1944) Part 3 - Theo Boiten).
Five of the crew are buried in Amersfoort Cemetery, another in Elburg whilst Sgt. Pacula has no known grave.
Other 300 Squadron losses this operation:
Lancaster III DV286 BH:C - Flown by Flt Sgt Franciszek Rembecki 793887 PAF Killed with 5 other crew, 1 taken PoW.
Lancaster III JA683 BH:S - Flown by Fg Off Henryk Marian Burkiewicz 793980 PAF killed with 5 other crew, 1 evading capture.
Flt Lt Jerzy Wladyslaw Rozanski. Amersfoot Cemetery Grave. Plot 13. Row 12. Grave 202. Born 27th March 1910, Łódź, Poland. (Grave shown left)
Sgt. Mieczyslaw Gustaw Szeliga. Elburg Cemetery Grave. A4. Born 28th July 1912, Szumbark, Czechoslovakia.
Fg Off Mieczyslaw Hahn. Amersfoot Cemetery Grave. Plot 13. Row 12. Grave 206. Born 17th September 1919. Warsaw, Poland.
Fg Off Waclaw Bakun. Amersfoot Cemetery Grave. Plot 13. Row 12. Grave 207. Born 06th November 1919 Grodno, Poland (now Belarus)
Sgt. Albin Pacula. Missing - commemorated on the Polish War Memorial in Northolt. Born 2nd March 1923, Poland.
Flt Sgt Marian Wroblewski. Amersfoot Cemetery Grave. Plot 13. Row 12. Grave 204. Born 21st July 1921, Piotrków, Poland.
Sgt. Rajmund Barzdo . Amersfoot Cemetery Grave. Plot 13. Row 12. Grave 203. Born 14th April 1914, Tomsk, Russia.
With thanks to Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii'. Thanks to John Jones for the German night-fighter claim (Mar 2021). Other sources as quoted below.
RS 24.03.2021 - Addition of German night-fighter claim
KTY 04.08.2015 Page updated
RS 24.03.2021 - Addition of German night-fighter claim
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Last Modified: 24 March 2021, 16:07