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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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51 crest
51 Squadron Halifax III LW537 Fl/Sgt. Malcolm Mason Stembridge

Operation: Nuremberg

Date: 30/31st March 1944 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit: No. 51 Squadron (motto: Swift and Sure'/) 4 Group

Type: Halifax III

Serial: LW537

Code: MH-C2

Base: RAF Snaith, East Yorkshire

Location: Fladungen, Germany

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Malcolm Mason Stembridge 1452226 RAFVR Age 21. Killed

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Frederick Edward Clinton 1616270 RAFVR PoW No: 3477 Camp: Stalag Luft Kopernikus

Nav: W/O 2. Douglas Stanley Stewart R/159128 RCAF PoW No: 3479 Camp: Stalag Luft Kopernikus

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Edwin Thomas Parker 1575542 RAFVR PoW No: 3473 Camp: Stalag Luft Kopernikus

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Digby Alan Smith 1288941 RAFVR PoW No: 3471 Camp: Stalag Luft Kopernikus

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Desmond William Lee 1301645 RAFVR PoW No: 3466 Camp: Stalag Luft Kopernikus

Air/Gnr: Sgt. John Doherty Goskirk 1822442 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

This raid on the City of Nuremberg resulted in Bomber Commands heaviest loss of the war.

Despite the fact that it was a period of bright moonlight and an earlier meteorological flight had warned that there would be no cloud cover for the bomber stream, conditions that normally would have ordered a cancellation of the mission, no such order was made. Nuremberg was an important industrial target as well as a centrepiece of the Nazi Party that had not been attacked for seven months. Air Chief Marshall Harris was not to be deterred from his plan.

Nuremberg was a distant target and even though the route chosen was to be one of a direct nature it still represented a round trip of between 1300 and 1600 miles dependant upon the base airfield. Additionally, it was one that would lead the bomber stream between the Ida and Otto radio beacons located near Cologne and Frankfurt respectively which in hindsight turned out to be a fatal mistake. German intelligence had monitored the bomber force taking off in England and plotted their course by intercepting their H2S transmissions. Suspecting that the intended target was somewhere in south eastern Germany, the Luftwaffe commanders had ordered their fighters to assemble at the Ida and Otto beacons.

Above: Squadron Leader Frederick Peter Hill, briefs crews of No. 51 Squadron RAF on the forthcoming raid to Nuremberg, Germany in the Operations Room at Snaith, The Station Commander, Group Captain N.H. Fresson (2) , sits third from the left in the front row.

The leading Pathfinders were able to pass through the gap before the consolidated force of over 200 night fighters converging on the beacons hit the middle of the bomber stream.

Above L-R Rear: (Inset) Sgt. Frederick Clinton, Sgt. John Goskirk, Fl/Sgt. Malcolm Stembridge and Sgt. Desmond Lee.
L-R Front: W/O 2. Douglas Stewart
, Sgt. Edwin Parker and Sgt. Digby Smith

Carrying 48 x 30lb. 540 x 4lb's incenderied at 22:30 hrs on the night of the 30th March Fl/Sgt. Stembridge and the crew of Halifax LW537, left the runway at Snaith. On approach to the target when it was attacked by Lt Hans Raum (1) flying a Bf110G of 9/NJG3 over Roth village: 6,000m at 00:34. Crashed near Fledungen 30km ESE of Fulda.

Of the 795 aircraft making up the attacking force 82 of their number would be lost due to enemy action en-route and near to the target. While some of these were brought down by flak by far the majority was as a result of night fighter action. Another nine bombers were brought down by the night fighters and flak on the return leg. Fourteen more were lost, eleven in crashes on take off or on their return to base, one due to friendly fire and two to mid-air collision.

In all 543 aircrew were killed and a further 157 captured as prisoners of war. Insignificant damage was sustained by the City of Nuremberg.

Above left//; Wedding of Fl/Sgt. Malcolm Stembridge and right wedding of Sgt. Frederick Clinton.

51 Squadron suffered badly during this operation, losing some 6 aircraft, the others:

Halifax III LV822 MH-Z2 Flown by 20 year old Fl/Sgt. Edward Wilkins AUS/414442 RAAF - Killed with all of his 6 crew. Halifax III LV777 MH-F2 Flown by Sq/Ldr. Frederick Peter Hill DFC 60532 (923931) RAFVR - Killed with all of his 6 crew.
Halifax III LV857 MH-H Flown by 21 year old Sgt. Jack Percival George Binder 1337685 RAFVR - Killed with all of his 6 crew.
Halifax III LW544 MH-Q2 Flown by 21 year old Fl/Sgt. Geoffrey Graham Brougham AUS/421885 RAAF - Killed with 4 of his crew, 2 PoW.
Halifax III LW579 MH-V Flown by 21 year old P/O. James Brooks 159065 RAFVR - Killed with all of his 6 crew. at 05:50 hrs when they crash landed at the base on return

Group Captain Noel Holroyde Fresson (2) 24091 RAF seen outside the control room, observing returning aircraft to RAF Snaith

(1) Lt Hans Raum - Born on the 10th November 1923. This was the eighth claim of ten. Flew with 9/NJG-3, 7/NJG-3. He survived the war, no further details.

(2) Noel Holroyde Fresson, born on the 02nd January 1909 in Putney, Surrey. He married Barbara Elizabeth Holdrich in 1941, in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, England. Retired as Air Commodore. He died in 1993, in Somerset, England, United Kingdom, at the age of 84.
DFC Citation. 22nd October 1943: 'One night in October,1943, this officer captained an aircraft detailed for an operation against Hagen. Before reaching the target, the aircraft was hit by fire from the ground defences. Two engines were damaged, one of them becoming completely unserviceable, the rear turret was damaged, while the lighting system failed. In spite of this. Group Captain Fresson continued to the target and bombed it. This officer has completed many sorties and has displayed inspiring leadership, great skill and determination'.
MiD: 'This officer has commanded three different operational stations since March 1943. His great ability and energy were recognized in February 1945 by his appointment to command No.42 Base. he has carried out his duties in this post in a highly efficient and satisfactory manner'.
Retired as Air Commodore on the 15th November 1956. Passes away on the 17th April 1993, age 84 in Somerset , England.

Burial details:

Fl/Sgt. Malcolm Mason Stembridge. Hanover War Cemetery. Joint grave 4. H. 9-10. The only son of Eli and Mary Stembridge, of York; husband of Kathleen Stembridge, of York, England. Epitaph: 'Husband Of Kathleen, Father Of Valerie And Only Son Of E. And M. Stembridge, York'.

Sgt. John Doherty Goskirk. Hanover War Cemetery. Joint grave 4. H. 9-10. Son of Bryce and Eleanor P. H. Goskirk, of Innerleithen, Peeblesshire, Wales. Epitaph: 'At The Going Down Of The Sun And In The Morning We Will Remember Them'.

Other details:

F/O. Douglas Stanley Stewart - of 10605-79th Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta. Husband of Margaret from Ontario. (predeceased Douglas in 1999), age 79. He was introduced to her by her brother, a fellow PoW after their return to Canada. Worked for TCA/Air Canada for 43 years. Passed away in May 2006, age 85 and resting in Glenwood Memorial Gardens, Alberta, Canada after cremation.
Desmond William Lee - was a Fish and poultry salesman from 19 Webster Street, Aston, Birmingham 6.

Hanover War Cemetery

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the National Archive. Kew, AIR-27-493-5/6, Arthur Nicholson a former flight engineer with 51 Squadron and his publication 'Living Through', Paradie RCAF Archives. Neil Smith. Kracker Luftwaffe Archives.


KTY 14-07-2024

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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and MWO François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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