| 12/13 June, 1941;
SOEST: This was an all Hampden attack, with 91 aircraft dispatched
against the railway yards at Soest. 49 Squadron detailed 17 aircraft
for the trip, but by 23.10hrs only 13 had managed to become airborne.
Haze and cloud made accurate bombing difficult with only 42 aircraft
claiming to have bombed the primary target; only 4 aircraft from
the unit were successful on Soest - the remainder bombed Hamm,
Dortmund and Münster. The Green (AD976) crew were unable
to locate Soest so they bombed a flak concentration that had
bracketed them; 15 minutes later they were attacked by another
heavy gun battery and shrapnel penetrated the cockpit striking
the W/Op Sgt Donovan and injuring his left foot. Sgt Donovan
continued to obtain fixes until an emergency landing was made
at Harwell. |
