Time over target ~ Peernemunde August 1943

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Dear friend Gnome,

Yes, a friend of mine lived in Australia for one year. I saw the pictures, it is indeed a very lovely country and we are pratically on the same parallels, so we do have the same kind of weather...Enjoy it fully!

I have been looking at some facts: If they were buried into the cemetery of Swinemunde, they are supposed to have crashed very near that town, isn´t it? There are only 4 claims that mentions Swinemunde, that is actually a bit more to the WSW of Peenemunde. ( I do not know the Flight Plan for that night, but I guess your uncle´s Lancaster has already bombed and was turning for home when he was shot down...The last claim that mentions Swinemunde is that of Hptm Friedrich-Karl Muller on a single engined Bf 109 G-6 at 01:58hs a Lancaster 10km NW of Swinemunde...nearer to Peenemunde than the other claims...)

I guesstimated that the first leg led the Bomber Stream from England to somewhere to the north of Flensburg. The first victory against the main stream was somewhere there on Westerland.

From Flensburg to Peenemunde there are some 320km in a straight line. If we calculate a cruising speed for the Lanc of 130/140 knots that we give us something like 01:05/01:20h of flying time - withoug any deviation!

I had a small description from one Pathfinder navigator who flew that night with 156 Squadron. The total flying time of their aircraft was 06:30h. I "guesstimated" a first leg of around 02:20hs from England to this point somewhere to the north of Flensburg. It seems - from the German claims - that the RETURN leg also passed around South Denmark ( the last claims all being by NJG 3 and around Sankt Peter, and other towns in that area ).

You told me that the fuselage crashed some 200 meters from the town of Peenemunde. There are at least 17 claims with the only mention of Peenemunde. You also mentioned a combat report from a 619 Squadron on Middlebrook´s book. There are four claims at the same hour, over Peenemunde ( 01:52h and 01:57h ).

Yes, ALL Squadron RECORDS are stored at the Public Record Office at Kew in the UK. They have researches that can help you to find the documents you wish so, but they charge a wealthy charge. If we did know if the aircraft before your uncle´s had returned, we could calculate HIS time over the target...It would be nice to have any clue that would give us the average time for a 619 Squadron aircraft to arrive over the target, this way we could calculate HIS time also.

From my personal opinion, your uncle´s aircraft perhaps was shot down close to Swinemunde ( these 4 particular claims ) and more close to the report published by Middlebrook.

I tried to find out 619 Squadron on the google but got no reply for a kind of Association. Will keep researching the Swinemunde possibility.

Any new I will inform you, ok? Will try to be your co-pilot on this research my friend. Keep warming and enjoy your beautiful country! Friendly as ever ( from Brazil )

Adriano

[nick de carteret]

Originally Posted by Adriano Baumgartner

I had a small description from one Pathfinder navigator who flew that night with 156 Squadron. The total flying time of their aircraft was 06:30h.

I have the log book of a 207 Squadron w/operator whose Lancaster flew on the Peenemunde raid... he gives a flight time of 06:35h in his log book. Take off noted at 21.40.