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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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420 Squadron Crest
21/22.01.1942 No. 420 Squadron Hampden I AT130 PT-S Sq/Ldr. Wood

Operation: Emden

Date: 21/22nd January 1942 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit: No. 420 Squadron RCAF "Snowy Owl" (motto: 'Pugnamus finitum - We fight to the finish')

Type: Hampden I

Serial: AT130

Code: PT-S

Base: RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire

Location: Sexbierum, Netherlands

Pilot: Sq/Ldr. Victor Thomas Lawrence Wood 39921 RAFO PoW No: 1444 Camp: Stalag Luft Sagan

Obs: Sgt. Desmond de Largy Grealy 903077 RAFVR PoW No: 90127 Camp: Stalag Luft Heydekrug

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. David Gardiner Semple 1305104 RAFVR PoW No: 125 Camp: Stalag Hohen Fels

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Robert Lewis Bott 930272 RAFVR PoW No: 120 Camp: Stalag Hohen Fels

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 17:25 hrs with 5 others from the Squadron (1 of these on a gardening operation to the Frisian Islands).

Bomb load for each aircraft consisted of 4 x 500 plus 2 x 250lb. bombs which they planned to start dropping between 11000 to 12000 feet at around 20:07 hrs. Weather for the operation was described as visibility good to cloud cover.

Three aircraft from other Squadrons on the Emden operation were shot down by Luftwaffe night fighters AT130 was hit by anti-aircraft fire by M. Flak Abt. 236 at 22:30 hrs. The Australian pilot managed to force land his aircraft, all the crew survived to be taken PoW.

Burial details:

None - all the crew survived.

With thanks to Michel Beckers for Hampden Image. For further details our thanks to the following sources shown below.

KTY 23.07.2019

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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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