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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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207 Squadron crest
18/19.10.1943 No. 207 Squadron Lancaster III LM326 EM-Z W/O. G. Taylor

Operation: Hanover, Germany.

Date: 18/19th October 1943

Unit: No. 207 Squadron

Type: Lancaster III

Serial: LM326

Code: EM-Z

Location: Aerzen, south west Hamelin, Germany.

Pilot: W/O. G. Taylor RAAF PoW No: 259915 Camp: Stalag Mühleberg-Elbe - 4B

Fl/Eng: D.J. Duff RAF PoW No: 263669 Camp: Stalag Mühleberg-Elbe - 4B

Nav: Sgt. A.G. McLeod RAF PoW No: Not known Camp: Stalag Luft Barth Vogelsang - L1

W/Op/Air/Bmr: Sgt. C.R. Smith RCAF PoW No: 261188 Camp: Stalag Mühleberg-Elbe - 4B

Air/Gnr: Sgt. A.R. Burton RAF PoW No: 261241 Camp: Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria - L3

Air/Gnr: Sgt. W. Worthington RAF PoW No: 259927 Camp: Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria - L3

Air/Gnr: Sgt. W.J. McCarthy RAAF PoW No: 259887 Camp: Stalag Mühleberg-Elbe - 4B

REASON FOR LOSS:

Part of a force of 360 Lancaster's to attack Hannover - LM326 took off from Spilsby, Lincolnshire at 17.16hrs. The weather over Germany was extremely bad and as such the force encountered little opposition on the route to the target. However, once over the target German night fighters intercepted and 18 Lancaster's were lost.

LM326 on an earlier flight over England. (courtesy of Mike Burton)

The raid was not a success due to the weather with much of the bomb load being dropped in open country. north and north west of the city.

The squadron lost another crew on this operation. Lancaster W4276 EM-L Flown by 26 year old P/O. Bruce L. Negus AUS/414072 RAAF, from Auchenflower, Queensland, Australia - killed, with all but one of his crew.

The Lancaster was shot down at 20.26hrs at a height of 6.200m over Aerzen which is 50km south west of Hannover. (see map) Hptm. Friedrich-Karl Muller of JG300, survived the war with a total of 30 kills.


Right: Hptm. Friedrich-Karl Muller (courtesy Tom Kracker) See Kracker Archive on this site


Burial Details:

None - all survived as PoW (prisoner of war)

For further details our thanks to the following, Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vol's. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vol's. 1 and 2', Tom Kracker - 'Kracker Luftwaffe Archives'. Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries (Updated 2014 version), Fred Paradie - 'Paradie Archive'. Oliver Clutton-Brock - 'Footprints On The Sands Of Time'. Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Pages of Outstanding Interest
History Airborne Forces •  Soviet Night Witches •  Bomber Command Memories •  Abbreviations •  Gardening Codenames
CWGC: Your Relative's Grave Explained •  USA Flygirls •  Axis Awards Descriptions •  'Lack Of Moral Fibre'
Concept of Colonial Discrimination  •  Unauthorised First Long Range Mustang Attack
RAAF Bomb Aimer Evades with Maquis •  SOE Heroine Nancy Wake •  Fane: Motor Racing PRU Legend
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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