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2/3 January, 1944; BERLIN:
Every available person on the station gave a hand in clearing
the snow ready for the evening's operation. Take-offs were able
to begin 15 minutes before midnight with Fiskerton managing to
get 12 aircraft airborne from the 13 detailed.
Just 311 bombers struggled to reach a cloud-covered Berlin where
the bombing was spread, with no concentrated fires developing.
The German controllers had realised the bombers target in advance
and instructed the night-fighters accordingly; most of the 27
Lancasters lost, fell in the Berlin area.
Canadian skipper F/O Johnny Young (JB231) and crew in N-Nan were
in the last wave and on approaching the final turning point before
the target were made well aware of the presence of night fighters
by the lanes of flares in the sky. For the first time, the ‘Fishpond’
radar screen was functioning well and Ted Cachart the Wop/Ag
reported a large number of ‘blips’ reflected from the
aircraft below them, a number of these were heading in the direction
of the final turning point but with the majority heading towards
the target.
They were skimming through hazy cloud and the pilot had just
lowered the starboard wing when in a split second they saw another
Lancaster heading straight towards them and before anyone could
yell a warning, the on-coming Lancaster's cockpit struck their
aircraft's starboard wing between the two engines.
It is just possible that F/Lt Palmer’s S - Sugar was the
Lanc that was in collision with N - NAN as it would have been
in the same wave, and if slightly ahead of Nan it would have
changed course and be heading back across the track of the oncoming
tail-enders.
Lancaster JB231 (EA-N)
F/O J.E.M. Young RCAF Pilot (P.o.W.)
Sgt A.W. Vidow
F/E (P.o.W.)
F/O J. Scott
RCAF NAV (P.o.W.)
Sgt E.B. Cachart W/OP (P.o.W.)
Sgt M. Mahony RAAF A/G (P.o.W.)
P/O L.M. Orchard
B/A (P.o.W.)
Sgt L. Crossman
A/G (P.o.W.)
Crew on their 8th operation
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