Mosquito Raid Night March 30/31 1945

[Michal]

Hallo,

does somebody have information which Mosquito Squadrons were involved in Night Ranger Operation over Austria and Czechoslovakia during night from 30th to 31st March 1945? According my info it sould be 27 planes, but I don´t have any other evidence. I am interesting as well if there is some evidence how many planes, trains and cars were destroyed by Mosquitos during this night.

Thank you for reply.

Michal

[mhuxt]

Hi:

Best I can manage is a single 406 Squadron crew which claimed one aircraft damaged on the ground at Pardubice, two damaged on the ground at Chrudim.

Where does the number 27 come from? Seems like an awful lot of Mossies - not even sure if the Firebash raids put that many aircraft up at night.

Cheers,

Mark

[Michal]

Hi,

thanks for reply. My source is Jiří Rajlich: Mustangy nad Protektorátem. Praha 1997 (Mustangs over Protectorate (Böhmen und Mähren), Prague 1997) but I don´t know where author found this info. I have evidence from one police book that one train was damaged and one railwayman was wounded at 1.30 morning nearby Nymburk Railway station (Central Bohemia) by air raid. So I think it could be Mosquito. I don´t have any evidence about damaged planes on Pardubice and Chrudim Airfields (which are some 50 kilometers East of Nymburk) but I can check archive files.

What´s your source for this, please?

Once again thank you lot for answer

Best

Michal

[mhuxt]

Hi Michal:

Reference was a combat report in the AIR 50/139 file at the National Archives in Kew, in the U.K.

I haven't seen the 406 Squadron Operations Record Book, which would likely have any references to trains attacked.

The claim at Pardubice was at 0015 U.K. time, at Chrudim at 0025, so it may have been the same aircraft. I didn't get a copy of the report, so I'm afraid I can't say for sure.

Cheers,

Mark

[Michal]

Dear Mark,

thank you very much once again. I will try to find something more about this day. Do you know who were crew and S/N or Code of aircraft?

If it help you it was cargo train No. 8982 with locomotive No. 354.762. Locomotive was damaged but "possible repairerable". Railwayman Josef Zlata was wounded on neck and left arm. A roof of one house was damaged.

Best

Michal

[mhuxt]

Hi Michal:

The crew were Squadron Leader Donald Burke Freeman RCAF and Flight Lieutenant J.J. Greene RCAF. I don't have the registration number of the aircraft, however it would have been an NF. 30 version. Thanks for the train info.

Cheers,

Mark

[Michal]

Thank you for info. I have found that 2 planes destroyed at Chrudim Airfield should be Me 323. It seems to be little bit strange, because on this Airfiled couple of Me 323 landed in autumn 1944 after retreating German Forces from Romania and three of this Gigants were claimed as destroyed on December 28 1944 by Mustangs of 325th FG 15th AF. Maybe (I am not sure) that Mosquito attacked already damaged or destroyed planes.

Plane destroyed at Pardubice Airfield probably belonged to Stab, III. or 10.(Pz)/SG 77.

Does somebody have any information about lost Fw 190F of SG 77 on March 31 1945?

[mhuxt]

Hi Michal:

The planes claimed in the combat report at Chrudim were indeed Me 323s - I wasn't sure what to make of this, but your information seems to support the claim.

The aircraft claimed damaged at Pardubice was an Fw 190 - perhaps this is the SG 77 plane?

Cheers,

Mark

[Michal]

Hi Mark,

I can not find any lose of SG 77 on March 31, but I think it could be SG 77 plane. I don´t have one book (Luftwaffe over Czech Territory) by hands but if I remeber well Me 323 landed at Chrudim somewhere in autumn 1944 and stood there because they couldn´t take-off because of bad runway after rains. First attacked Me 323s Mustangs of 325th FG 15th AF USAF on December 28 1944 and damaged or destroyed three of them. I saw photo of damaged planes with visible Verbandskennzeichen in mentioned book. So, it could be that Mosquito on March 31 attacked already damaged planes because I don´t have any other evidence of landing of Me 323 in Chrudim. But it is not for sure.

Best

Michal

[mhuxt]

Hi Michal:

Were those 323s the glider variant, or the powered version?

Cheers,

Mark