Wellington losses over Romania in May 1944

[keith A]

I know that one Wellington was lost on the night of 3/4, and three more the following night but can anyone tell me which squadrons suffered casualties and any details of the cause of the loss?

regards

Keith

[Alex Smart]

Hello Keith,
104 and 150 Squadrons at least.
Alex

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

3/4-5-1944
No.150 Sqn
Wellington X HE956 'N'

Detailed to attack the marshalling yards at Bucharest. Failed to return.

1622193 F/Sgt (Pilot) K HINCHLIFFE RAFVR - PoW
542741 2/Lt C D FRANK SAAF - PoW
656903 Sgt C W FINLAYSON RAFVR - PoW
1563563 Sgt T G LINDSAY RAFVR - PoW
1567597 Sgt J S WALKER RAFVR - PoW

See:
Through Darkness to Light/Macdonald. pp.90-3 & 351.

Col.

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

4/5-5-1944
No.40 Sqn
Wellington X L191 'R"

Detailed to attack marshalling yards at Cimpina. Went down in flames, crashed at Valea Lungha, 10km SW of the target.

640834 W/O (Pilot) Donald Herbert ROYLE RAF +
123112 F/Sgt (Nav.) James Arthur SMITH RAFVR +
1354371 W/O (W.Op.[Air]) Allan BROWN RAFVR +
644866 Sgt (Air Bomber) George Walter WARD RAF +
1755414 Sgt (Air Gnr.) Alfred Richard WOOD RAFVR +

All buried Bucharest War Cemetery.

See:
Sweeping the Skies/Gunby. pp.263 & 375.

Col.

[udf_00]

La Chasse De Nuit Germano-Roumaine 1943-1944. Jean-Louis Roba Et Cristian Craciunoiu; pp48-49
3/4 MAY 1944
HE956 JN°H 150 Sqn, F/Sgt HINCHLIFFE , force-landed Han Hoti, Albania (possibly technical trouble); 5 POWs.
4/5 MAY 1944
NOTHING ???
5/6 MAY 1944
6 MAY 1944 01H05 Hptm LÜTJE, Kommandeur IV./NJG 6, Claimed a Wellington identified as
LP191 BL°R 40 Sqn, F/Sgt Donald ROYLE, crashed Valea Lunga, Romania;5 KIA.
http://aircrewremembered.com/royle-donald.html
HZ814 LF°B 37 Sqn, Sgt PARKES, one engine lost power, aborted, supposedly lost at sea; 5 MIAs.
ME827 [Lancaster serial, typo for ME872] LF°S 37 Sqn, ditched at sea; 1 MIA [W/Op], 4 picked up and returned.
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au search for ME872
MUIR, Jack Wallace - (Flight Sergeant); Service Number - 423207; File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Wellington MKID ME872; Place - at sea 60 miles off Yugoslavian Coast; Date - 5 May 1944
HOARE, George Tyler - (Flight Sergeant); Service Number - 426878; File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Wellington 10 ME872; Place - at sea off Yugoslavia Coast; Date - 5 May 1944
From
HOARE GEORGE TYTLER : Service Number - 426878 : Date of birth - 27 Oct 1922 : Place of birth - ROCKHAMPTON QLD : Place of enlistment - BRISBANE : Next of Kin - HOARE GEORGE
2H10 flying time, probably an early abort.

P.S. 1622193 is HINCHLIFFE not HINCHCLIFFE
http://ww1cemeteries.com/british_cem...churchyard.htm

[Alex Smart]

Hello Keith,

104 Sqdn - 4/5-5-1944
Wellington X - JA512 - "EP-E" - Missing (Budapest) - F/O Robert Avery,Sgt Frank Stanley Freeman, Sgt William Augustus Jones, F/O Ronald John Shaw, and F/O Henry Osbert Zetland all killed.
5 crew killed, 1 pow Sgt A. P. Northrop - L3-4802.

Alex

[keith A]

Thanks chaps. I was looking for possible victims of Hans Krause of NJG101 who claimed two wellingtons that night. One of them seems to be the 104 Squadron aircraft JA512, possibly the second is ME872?

[HGabor]

JA512 crashed in Budapest, Hungary at 98 Torbagyi street, while ME872 ditched the Adriatic. JA512 was probably downed by 1./NJG 6 Me 110G-4
(2Z+FH, WNr. 140043), Uffz. Herbert Nahlik. A well documented crash, many photos and witness report(s).

Cheers,
Gabor

[udf_00]

Unlikely, ME872 was lost on a track Foggia-Campina which is too way south of Parndorf, home of 6./NJG 101.
The file of Hoare (426878) mentions engine trouble and turning back on one; ditching after 2H10 flying time.
I guesstimate the ditching occuring around 21H30, 5 MAY 1944.
If you research claims related to 6./NJG 101, I think you can exclude ops targeting Romania (IV./NJG 6 & 2./NJG 100).

[researcher111]

NJG 101 was not active over nor based in Romania during the
Foggia campaign of 205th BG and 15th AF nor before . As
into the 205 Wellington losses they are listed on From Darkness Through
Light and The Danube Mining. Unlike the 15th AF the 205th
historical society has little to no photos and bios on some of the
brave airmen KIA and those captive on the Romanian campaign.