Johnson, Norman Hugh
Personal Information
Rank | F/S |
Forename(s) | Norman Hugh |
Surname | Johnson |
Gender | M |
Age | 20 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 27-04-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Harris Young Johnson and Gertrude Johnson, of Surbiton, Surrey. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Avro Lancaster I |
Serial Number | ME669 |
Markings | ZN-O O- Oboe |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
Burial/Memorial Place | Durnbach War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | 1. F. 27. |
Epitaph | DUTY WAS HIS WATCHWORD. THE BELOVED AND LOVING SON OF HARRIS AND GERTRUDE |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 1 |
Panel Number | 56 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 1398602 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 5 |
Squadron | 106 |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Holy Trinity Church, Martin, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Stone Tablet & Roll of Honour in Wooden Case |
Memorial Text | To the memory of the Airmen of 106 Sqn who gave their lives in the 1939-45 War |
Location | Former Airfield Site, Martin Moor, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Brick moument with inscribed Slate Tablets & Plaques |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to the airmen and airwomen who served on 106 Sqn in WW2. 995 gave their lives |
Miscellaneous Information
On his 30th and last sortie before being screened from operations |
It was on this sortie that Sgt N C Jackson won his VC. As a result of the Fw190 attack the starboard wing burst into flames adjacent to one of the fuel tanks. Aware of the risk of explosion Jackson, although already injured, placed a fire extinguisher inside his flying jacket and donned his parachute before jettisoning the escape hatch above the pilot's head and began inching along the fuselage towards the blaze. Almost immediately his parachute opened and the canopy and rigging spilled back into the cockpit. The pilot, bomb aimer and navigator gathered the parachute together and held on to the rigging lines, paying them out as Jackson crawled aft. But he slipped and fell from the fuselage on to the starboard wing. He held on by grasping an air intake on the leading edge. The extinguisher fell from his jacket and was lost and the flames burned Jackson severely. Then the Germans strafed the Lancaster once more. Jackson was hit, lost his grip and was sucked through the fire and off the trailing edge of the wing, dragging his parachute behind him. Jackson's parachute canopy was two-thirds burned and he was fortunate to sustain only a broken leg on landing but his right eye was closed through burns, and his hands were horribly burned and useless. He spent 10 months recovering in hospital before being transferred to the Stalag IX-C prisoner of war camp. He made two escape attempts, the second of which was successful, after which he made contact with a unit of the US Third Army. This was his 31st sortie- he had volunteered to do an extra one before being screened so that he could complete his tour at the same time as the rest of the crew. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/834/8 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/834/7 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 26-04-1944 |
End Date | 27-04-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Metheringham |
Day/Night Raid | Night (20% moon) |
Operation | Schweinfurt |
Reason for Loss | Intercepted by a night fighter which set alight the fuel tanks, the aircraft later crashing at Kirschensall. The pilot gave the order to abandon after W/O Jackson was lost. The pilot himself and his rear-gunner, who was his best friend, remained with the aircraft and were killed. Their sacrifice is perhaps overshadowed by W/O Jackson's efforts, although it must be remembered that Mifflin and Johnson were killed, whereas Jackson survived despite a terrible ordeal lasting many months. |