Missions (and victories) of the 418th RCAF Squadron

[Peter Kassak]

HI Mark, I issed, It was one day later:
17.10.1944 418 RCAF DH-89 Mosquito FB Mk.VI NS857 F/Lt. Stuart N. May
and the second crew wit cotterhil should be lost next day...

Peter

[Mark Proulx]

Peter:

The only entry for this flight comes from the ORB.

Oct 17th, 1944:

Crew

F/L S.H.R. Cotterill.
F/O C.G. Finlayson

F/L May
F/O Ritch

Duty

Day Ranger Vienna Area

Up Down

NYR

Details of Sortie or Flight

F/L May and F/O Ritch crash landed in enemy territory, crew safe.

Later in the month, when the ORB summary is complete it reads in part for Oct 17th:

F/L Cotterill after landing in Italy took off on another trip and is, unfortunately, missing from this.

I have no record of which aircraft was being flown by these crews. All my available documentation is rather silent on this event.

However, I do see from other records I maintain that there are records for NS857 to be flying into November, 1944. As far as these records go, the aircraft wasn't lost on the date you identify.

I do have a copy of the newspaper clipping printed Oct 18th, 1944 identifying the loss of Colin Finlayson where he was reported missing and presumed dead.

HTH

Mark Proulx

[strafer]

Dear gentlemen, I took down some notes on the mission on October 12, 1944, which is based on two articles by Jiri Rajlich - but it is in Czech only...
Regards, Filip