[RodM]

Hi Michael,

from the 130 Squadron ORB (TNA AIR 27/938):

Form 540:

"27 [April 1945] At 07.20, 4 more aircraft took off on a similar mission to Parchim and Wismar. At 08.20 whilst the section was damaging 3 MET, a JU188 was sighted and attacked by W/O Miller. Unfortunately, the rear gunner fired on W/O Miller when making the attack, and our pilot was seen to crash and blow up. We are compelled to assume that W/O. Miller has been killed. The JU.188 was damaged".

There may be a combat report available in TNA AIR 50/52 - under the name of Sgt. Seymour on 27 April 1945.

The 2nd Tactical Air Force tabular report, "Enemy Aircraft Losses inflicted by 2nd T.A.F." lists a JU.88 damaged in air combat on 27 April, but does not record the location.

W/O Alister Miller RAAF was discovered buried in a single grave in the cemetery at Siggelkow, 11 kilometres south-east of Parchim airfield (Map ref rT799402). While, I presume you already have the circumstantial report and MRES investigation report relating to his death, here are extracts:

From the 130 Sqn circumstantial report:

"W/O Miller took off at 07.18 hours with three others, to make an armed recce of the Parchim - Wismar area. At 18.20 [sic] hours, whilst attacking transport at Map. Ref. T.1834 [roughly 32 kilometres ENE of Lugwigslust], the Section Leader (F/O Trevorrow) sighted a JU 188, flying at zero feet. The section immediately gave chase and attacked the enemy aircraft from astern. W/O Miller on making his attack, broke off to starboard exposing the under-surface of his aircraft to the fire of the top gunner of the JU,188, who obtained strikes on the Spitfire. W/O Miller's aircraft was seen to skid into the ground and exploded. Height of the combat at the time was 20 to 50 feet. The pilot did not bale out, and he has been report 'Missing Believed Killed'".

From the MRES Investigation Report:

"The Aircraft. Herr Horn the Burgermeister of Siggelkow relates that the A/C crashed at between 0600 and 0700 hours sometime in April, 1945. His nearest guess is the 25th, but he could not be quite sure. He saw the aircraft being attacked by a German fighter [sic] and burst into flames, hit the ground turn somersault and come to rest near the first house to the East of the Village. The Pilot. The Pilot was thrown clear and found about 20 yards from the burnt-out wreckage. For some reason he was thought to be a Canadian [German civilians often assumed any airmen with nationality shoulder flashes were Canadian, when they came from all over the Commonwealth] and was buried under a cross reading "Here rests a Canadian Pilot".


The sighting of the "JU.188" occurred 51 kilometres west of Parchim airfield and it presumably flew toward to airfield and attempted to land there once intercepted. The aircraft was not necessarily flying an operational mission when intercepted - it could have been on a morning transfer flight between airfields.

If I recall correctly, Rudolf Schoenert stated after the war that he flew a night mission in a Ju88 equipped with experimental FuG.220 AI aerials mounted in the fuselage. The Ju88 suffered an electrical failure before it was shot down in the wider Berlin area.

Regards

Rod


Cheers

Rod