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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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467 Squadron crest
25/26.02.1944 No. 467 Squadron Lancaster I LL746 PO-M P/O. Herbert Stuchbury

Operation: Augsburg

Date: 25/26th February 1944 (Friday/Saturday)

Unit: No. 467 Squadron (RAAF)

Type: Lancaster I

Serial: LL746

Code: PO-M

Base: RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire

Location: Denklingen, Germany

Pilot: P/O. Herbert Ronald Houghton Stuchbury AUS/415488 RAAF Age 23. Killed

Fl/Eng: Sgt. Ernest Edward Olive 1630903 RAFVR Age ? Killed

Nav: F/O. William Thomas Charles Edginton AUS/422467 RAAF Age 22. Killed

Air/Bmr: Fl/Sgt. John Witham Wood AUS/410280 RAAF Age 21. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Eric Dudley Turpie AUS/415595 RAAF Age 20. Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Alfred John Barnett 1577045 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. James McLeod AUS/415672 RAAF Age 31. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 18:28 hrs RAF Waddington to bomb the M.A.N works at Augsburg. 594 aircraft took part including 461 Lancasters, 123 Halifaxes and 10 Mosquitoes. This was the first large raid on this target and the success of this raid was considered as outstanding with clear weather conditions and very light flak defences. The pathfinders ground marking was very accurate and 2,000 tons of bombs were dropped on the target area.

Above: crash site at Malfingen - courtesy Paul Jörg, January 2019

2,920 houses were destroyed and another 5,000 were damaged resulting in over 85,000 bombed out of their homes. Much of the city was destroyed including 16 churches and 11 hospitals. Over 700 people were killed on the ground and another 2,500 people were injured in what the Germans described as "extreme example of terror bombing". Damage on the second wave caused considerable damage to a important aircraft component factory and also to some former paper and cotton mills that had been taken over by the M.A.N. engineering company.

21 allied aircraft were lost on this raid, 16 Lancasters, 5 Halifaxes although 4 of these losses were due to collisions. 102 aircrew were killed, 43 were made PoW with another 6 interred in Switzerland.


Left: P/O. Herbert Ronald Houghton Stuchbury (courtesy Ron Miffling and family)

467 Squadron Lancaster 'Bombing Up' at RAF Waddington (archives)

Lancaster LL746 was intercepted and shot down at 00:00 hrs by Maj. Günther Radusch (1) of Stab NJG2 with the aircraft exploding when it crashed into a wood in near Decklingen. Luftwaffe personnel found all the crews bodies within the wreckage and buried them in the village cemetery at Decklingen - they marked the grave Here lie 7 English Fliers and gave the burgermeister the names that were known at the time. Reburied after end of hostilities in the Durnbach CWWG cemetery.

Right: Major ‘Fips’ Günther Radusch (Kracker Archive)

(1) This was the 54th abschüsse (2 on this operation) for the Luftwaffe ace Major ‘Fips’ Günther Radusch who survived the war with 66 victories. He died in Nordstrand, Schleswig-Holstein on July 29th 1988 age 75 of natural causes.

Burial details:

Crew were initially buried at Denklngen as shown above - courtesy Paul Jörg, January 2019

P/O. Herbert Ronald Houghton Stuchbury. Durnbach War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5.J. 9-15. Born on 10th February 1921 in Collie W.A. Son of Herbert Houghton Henry and Ivy Laurel Stuchbury, of Collie, Western Australia. Prior to serving had just graduated as a School teacher. Grave inscription reads: "His Duty Fearlessly And Nobly Done. Ever Remembered".

Sgt. Ernest Edward Olive. Durnbach War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5.J. 9-15. No additional information - are you able to assist?

F/O. William Thomas Charles Edginton. Durnbach War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5.J. 9-15. Born 28th August 1921 in Ashfield N.S.W. Son of Walter Charles and Hariett Ida Edginton, of 23 Tintern road, Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia. A clerk prior to enlisting. Grave inscription reads: "His Duty Fearlessly And Nobly Done. Ever Remembered".

Left: F/O. William Thomas Charles Edginton (Australian Archives)

Fl/Sgt. John Witham Wood. Durnbach War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5.J. 9-15. Born 26th June 1922 in Kyabram, Victoria. Son of John and Elsie May Wood, of Echuca, Victoria, Australia. A bank clerk prior to service. Grave inscription reads: "His Duty Nobly Done".

Right: Fl/Sgt. John Witham Wood (Australian Archives)

Fl/Sgt. Eric Dudley Turpie. Durnbach War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5.J. 9-15. Born 11th September 1923 at Fremantle. Son of David Low Turpie and Marion Nellie Turpie, of 115 Watkins Street White Gum Valley, Freemantle, Western Australia. A junior clerk prior to enlisting. Grave inscription reads: "Peace, Perfect Peace With Loved Ones Far Away".

Left: Fl/Sgt. Eric Dudley Turpie (Australian Archives)

Fl/Sgt. Alfred John Barnett. Durnbach War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5.J. 9-15. Son of Arthur Alfred and Frances Beatrice Barnett, of Stirchley, Birmingham, England. Grave inscription reads: "So Dearly Loved And Sadly Missed By Mom, Dad, Ted And Peg".

Fl/Sgt. James McLeod. Durnbach War Cemetery. Coll. Grave 5.J. 9-15. Born 29th August 1912 at Kembla Heights, N.S.W. Son of James and Rebecca McLeod, of Collie, Western Australia. Grave inscription reads: "Noble And True We Will Always Remember".

Researched for Ian H. Miffling relative of P/O. Herbert Stuchbury who plan to visit the crews graves in 2016 and for all the relatives of the crew. Also, many thanks to Paul Jörg for crash site and initial cemetery photographs - January 2019. For further details our thanks to the sources shown below.

KTY 05.10.2015

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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 Captain 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', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, 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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