KIEL
There had been no offensive operations by Bomber Command since 26/27 April and most squadrons thought that their war in Europe was over, but it was feared that the Germans were assembling ships at Kiel to transport troops to Norway in order to carry on the war there. A last raid by 8 Group Mosquitoes was thus organized, with a large supporting effort being provided.
16 Mosquito bombers of 8 Group and 37 Mosquitoes of 100 Group were first dispatched to attack airfields in the Kiel area. A Mosquito of 169 Squadron, 100 Group, was lost while carrying out a low-level napalm attack on Jagel airfield; its crew - Flying Officer R. Catterall, D.F.C., and Flight Sergeant D. J. Beadle - were killed.
126 Mosquitoes of 8 Group then attacked Kiel in 2 raids, 1 hour apart. The target area was almost completely cloud-covered but H2S and Oboe were used. Large fires on the ground were seen through the cloud. No Mosquitoes were lost on these raids. The Kiel diarist, Detlef Boelck, performing his duty to the end, provides an interesting report. Bombs fell in several parts of the town, killing 18 civilians. The tower of the Rathaus collapsed and other buildings were hit. Towards morning, a large column of military vehicles departed in the direction of Flensburg on the Danish frontier. 'The upsurge in the population's morale was indescribable.' There was a final spasm of fear when explosions were heard from the harbour but these turned out to be all the Flak guns and warships in the harbour firing off their ammunition; after this, Kiel was declared an open, undefended town. As soon as this happened, all the military stores and some of the civilian ones containing rationed goods were thrown open to the public before Allied troops arrived, but there was much confusion and Herr Boelck reports that people often reached home to find that they had two left or two right shoes instead of a pair. British and Canadian troops entered the town quietly 36 hours later.
Meanwhile, there had been a final small tragedy for Bomber Command. 89 R.C.M. aircraft of 100 Group had been sent to support the Mosquito bomber force and 2 Halifaxes from 199 Squadron, each with 8 men on board, were lost. The Halifaxes had been part of the Mandrel screen and were also carrying 4 500-lb bombs and large quantities of Window. The 2 aircraft crashed at Meimersdorf, just south of Kiel, and it is probable that they collided while on their bomb runs. They were the last Bomber Command aircraft to be lost in the war. There were only 3 survivors. 13 airmen, 12 from the United Kingdom and one from the Irish Republic, mostly second-tour men, died. They were: Warrant Officer W. F. Bolton; Flight Sergeant A. A. Bradley; Flight Lieutenant W. E. Brooks; Sergeant F. T. Chambers; Flying Officer K. N. J. Croft; Warrant Officer K. A. C. Gavin; Flight Sergeant D. Greenwood; Flying Officer A. S. J. Holder, D.F.C.; Flight Sergeant J. R. Lewis; Flight Sergeant J. Loth; Pilot Officer W. H. V. Mackay; Warrant Officer R. H. A. Pool; and Flight Sergeant D. Wilson. These men are now buried in the Kiel War Cemetery, together with the crew of the 169 Squadron Mosquito who were killed earlier in the night.
On 4 May, German officers came to the Tactical Headquarters of Montgomery's 21st Army Group on Lneburg Heath and signed a surrender document for all German forces in North-West Germany, Denmark and Holland, to be effective from the following day. Various local surrenders took place elsewhere. On 7 May General Eisenhower, with representatives from Britain, Russia and France, accepted the unconditional surrender of all German forces on all fronts, to be effective from 00.01 hours on 9 May. But the fighting was effectively already over. Allied troops, fully supported by Bomber Command, had liberated the whole of Western Europe in just eleven months of hard fighting. The British Army lost nearly 40,000 men during this campaign. Bomber Command had lost 2,128 aircraft during the same period, with approximately 10,000 airmen being killed.
51. An R.A.F. officer enters the ruined Krupps works in Essen at the end of the war.
Many of the bomber squadrons were now earmarked for Tiger Force, to continue the war against Japan, but the dropping of two atom bombs three months later brought the surrender of Japan and the end of the Second World War before Tiger Force left England.
Operational Statistics, 1 January to
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and 13 aircrew were killed.
207 SQUADRON
SERVICE
A training squadron on the outbreak of war and lost its identity in April 1940. Reformed in 5 Group in November 1940 for the introduction of the Manchester and commenced operations in February 1941. Served in 5 Group for the remainder of the war, converting to Lancasters in March 1942. Based at Waddington, Bottesford, Langar and Spilsby.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Raids Flown
Manchesters - 76 bombing, 15 minelaying, 4 leaflet
Lancasters - 350 bombing, 35 minelaying, 1 leaflet
Total - 426 bombing, 50 minelaying, 5 leaflet = 481 raids
Sorties and Losses
Manchesters - 360 sorties, 17 aircraft lost (4.7 percent)
Lancasters - 4,203 sorties, 131 aircraft lost (3.1 percent)
Total - 4,563 sorties, 148 aircraft lost (3.2 percent)
8 Manchesters and 19 Lancasters were destroyed in crashes. Some operations flown in 44 Squadron's Hampdens, when 207 Squadron's Manchesters were grounded, are included in 44 Squadron's records.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Introduced the Manchester to operations, the first new bomber to enter Bomber Command service after the outbreak of the war.
Carried out more raids, flew more sorties and suffered more losses than any other Manchester squadron.
207 Squadron was often unlucky and it suffered the fourth highest overall percentage losses in Bomber Command and the highest percentage losses in 5 Group.
214 (FEDERATED MALAY STATES) SQUADRON
SERVICE
A Wellington squadron in 3 Group on the outbreak of the war but did not fly operations until June 1940, the first raid being a fire-raising tour of German forests by 2 Wellingtons on 14/15 June. Served in 3 Group until January 1944, flying Wellingtons and Stirlings from Methwold, Stradishall (twice), Honington, Chedburgh and Downham Market. Transferred to 100 Group as an R.C.M. squadron, flying Fortresses from Sculthorpe and Oulton until the end of the war.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Raids Flown
3
Group Wellingtons - 184 bombing, 1 minelaying
3
Group Stirlings - 131 bombing, 88 minelaying, 3 leaflet
100 Group Fortresses - 192 R.C.M.
Total - 315 bombing, 89 minelaying, 192 R.C.M., 3 leaflet = 599 raids
Sorties and Losses
3
Group Wellingtons - 1,532 sorties, 45 aircraft lost (2.9 percent)
3
Group Stirlings - 1,432 sorties, 54 aircraft lost (3.8 percent)
100 Group Fortresses - 1,225 sorties, 13 aircraft lost (1.1 percent)
Total - 4,189 sorties, 112 aircraft lost (2.7 percent)
29 Stirlings were destroyed in crashes.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Completely unbroken service throughout the war in Bomber Command, though not on operations for the first nine months.
Suffered the highest percentage losses in 3 Group.
218 (GOLD COAST) SQUADRON
SERVICE
Returned from the Advanced Air Striking Force in France in June 1940, posted to 2 Group and converted from Battles to Blenheims. Flew operations from Oakington from August to November 1940 but then transferred to 3 Group, where the squadron remained until the end of the war. Flew Wellingtons, Stirlings and Lancasters with 3 Group and based at Marham, Downham Market, Woolfox Lodge, Methwold and Chedburgh.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
Raids Flown
2
Group Blenheims - 22 bombing, 3 photo recce, 3 weather recce
3
Group Wellingtons - 115 bombing
3
Group Stirlings - 183 bombing, 153 minelaying, 3 leaflet, 1 Window (on the eve of D-Day)
3
Group Lancasters - 127 bombing
Total - 447 bombing, 153 minelaying, 10 others = 610 raids
Sorties and Losses
2
Group Blenheims - 122 sorties, 2 aircraft lost (1.6 percent)
3
Group Wellingtons - 854 sorties, 21 aircraft lost (2.5 percent)
3
Group Stirlings - 2,600 sorties, 91 aircraft lost (3.5 percent)
3
Group Lancasters - 1,726 sorties, 16 aircraft lost (0.9 percent)
Total - 5,302 sorties, 130 aircraft lost (2.5 percent)
35 Stirlings and 3 Lancasters were destroyed in crashes.
POINTS OF INTEREST
With Advanced Air Striking Force duty, continuous service as a bomber squadron throughout the war.
Victoria Cross: Flight Sergeant A. A. Aaron, D.F.M., posthumously, Turin,
