|
16/17 December, 1943; BERLIN:
Bad weather had prevented the bombers operating for almost two
weeks.
Thursday night of 16th saw them back on the road to Berlin once
again. An all Lancaster force of 483 plus PFF Mosquitoes attacked
a cloud covered target using sky-markers. 49 Squadron had two
new crews operating; Canadian F/O Bill Healey (JB679) and crew
flying D-Dog, and P/O Gordon Ratcliffe (JB545) and crew in O-Oboe.
German night fighters had managed to intercept the main force
whilst en-route over Holland, and it was here that Oberleutnant
Heinz Schnaufer the German night fighter ace shot down the unsuspecting
Ratcliffe crew using the dreaded 'Schrage Music'. Their Lancaster
came down between Oldetrijne and Sonnega in Holland where recovery
of the bodies proved extremely difficult due to the marshy ground.
The crew are all buried together in Wolvega Cemetery.
Twenty-five Lancasters had been brought down over enemy territory,
but the losses did not end there. Returning over Eastern England,
tired crews found low cloud covered many of their bases. A further
32 bombers were lost as a result of crashes or being abandoned
when their desperate crews baled-out. No. 1 Group, whose airfields
were situated up on the Lincolnshire Wolds suffered the heaviest
- fifteen 1 Group Lancasters and their crews perished on what
became known as 'Black Thursday'.
Lancaster JB545
P/O G.L. Ratcliffe Pilot
(Killed)
Sgt A.E. Marsland F/E (Killed)
Sgt E. Holloway NAV (Killed)
Sgt W.T.
Rees W/AG (Killed)
F/S R. Losa
RCAF A/G (Killed)
Sgt W.R. Day
B/A (Killed)
F/S B.J.V.
King RAAF A/G (Killed)
Crew on their 1st operation
See
the Sonnega Memorial
|
