Aircraft | Avro Lancaster III |
Serial Number | JB284 |
Markings | OL-C |
Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
Burial/Memorial Place | Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Coll. grave 1. C. 2-8.. |
Epitaph | THERE'S SOME CORNER OF A FOREIGN FIELD THAT IS FOR EVER ENGLAND (excerpt from Rupert Brooke's 1914 poem "The Soldier") |
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 150 |
Service Number | 48603 |
Service | Royal Air Force |
Group | 8 |
Squadron | 83 |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of origin if different | United Kingdom |
Ainsworth G (F/O) |
Chisholm A F (S/L) |
Davis S J (F/S) |
Hilton R (W/C) |
Tucker B G (F/S) |
Burton-Burgess F E (F/S) |
Start Date | 23-11-1943 |
End Date | 24-11-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Wyton |
Day/Night raid | Night |
Operation | Berlin. 764 aircraft- the largest raid on Berlin so far and the last to include Stirlings which had not fared well in recent raids on the city. Bad weather again kept the night-fighters at bay and as a result 26 aircraft were Lost (3.4%). The target was completely cloud-covered but despite the weather, this was the most successful raid on Berlin of the war. An unseasonably dry spell led to several firestorms and there was an immense area of destruction. At least 3000 houses were destroyed along with 23 industrial premises. 175000 people were bombed out and the list of municipal buildings damaged or destroyed is too long to include. The famous Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was hit this night- it is a famous landmark in Berlin to this day because it was deliberately only part-restored. Five Siemens factories and the Alkett tank works were destroyed, the latter having been moved to Berlin from the Ruhr after its destruction earlier in the conflict. |
Reason for Loss | Hit by flak and crashed in the target area |