Research Bomber command

[kev stevens]

Hi dfuller,

I haven't been on this site for a while but I'm researching and writing up the magdeburg raid. So what would you like to know?

I've been to the national archives and found a great deal of information.

Regards

Kevin

[dfuller52]

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the reply. I am particularly interested in the two a/c mentioned. The one from 102 Sqn was lost over the north sea somewhere off the coast of Yorkshire. I'm not sure if it was on the way out or back. Alan Clogg is my subject on that one.

Sqn Ldr Arnot, was on the a/c from 427 Sqn, which was shot down by a nightfighter as it left the target area but I don't have any details other than the one crew member, Thom, survived to become a POW. I traced him just recently through an obituary. He just died within the past year or so.

[kev stevens]

Hi Dfuller, here is what I have on your crews and national archives numbers.

102 lw274

From air14/3420.

4 Group. In addition 1 of 102sqn were contacted and are down in sea but so far unlocated. Those aircraft and crews are counted as missing.

I will scan the next document and send to you, Air15/595, the text reads

Darky call "flamborough Head & light seen there. a/c reported in sea nw of Flamborough.

2ASR vessels dispatched at 1349 on 22/1 to look for them, nothing found

As for the other aircraft that is more difficult as a good proportion of the losses were in and around Magdeburg. The CWGC war graves website should give details. I've just checked for Arnot and Nickerson and they are both listed with relatives, service numbers and they are buried in row 2 k in Berlin war cemetery. So you can get all the crew from the CWGC site. You could also try the RCAF archives. For commission DFC award dates try the london gazette website, found S/L Jaggers commission date on that site.

Also try www.bombercrew.com They list the squadrons and you may find someone who has posted something about either crew. Found Don Smedley from HX324 that way.

I have a post raid report and planning orders that I will scan and send to you.

Will look at my luftwaffe combat claim books to see if there is a definite claim, unfortunately most of the claims that night give pilot and time but not location, which is the most important piece we need.

Hope this helps and need to start scanning!

Kev

[dfuller52]

Thats' marvellous Kev, thanks.

I have quite a bit on Arnot, including his DFC citation, and Clogg from their RCAF service files. I also have all the relevant gen from CWGC and Chorley etc.

So the additional material on the raid will be very helpful. I have updated my e-mail address on my profile just recently so check it.

thanks again.

[kev stevens]

I have been tying to trace the MRES filEs which give the position of each aircraft loss and crew burial details. The Australian National Archives have most on line and I have paid for another one and have found LK922's as well which has not been digitised yet. Cost $15 nd will do that overnext few days. Have sent list of RCAF crew to the canadian archives and am waiting for a reply. If you've got an email address I'll start feeding some bits to you, I've got lots of copies and photo's of files from the national archives. Still raw data, yet to be given any order and narrative to be written. What I really wanted fro the archives at Kew are the group reports of crews reporting flak, aircraft seen going down but they don't exist for january 44.

regards

kev

[Henk Welting]

Kevin,
Sorry have no copies of relevant documents.
Henk.