Bittner, John Drake
Personal Information
Rank | F/S |
Forename(s) | John Drake |
Surname | Bittner |
Gender | M |
Age | 25 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 29-01-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of John and Fern Drake Bittner. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Vickers Wellington III |
Serial Number | DF626 |
Markings | PT- |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Exeter Higher Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Sec. Z.K. Grave 29. |
Epitaph | REST IN PEACE |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 131 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | R/137089 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 420 (Snowy Owl) |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | Outside former St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Slate Tablet on Memorial Stone |
Memorial Text | In memory of those who served at RAF Croft, 1941-1945 including 420 Sqn RCAF |
Location | Village Green, Tholthorpe, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stone Memorial, inscribed Metal Plaque and Maple Tree |
Memorial Text | A memorial, in English & French, to those Canadians who served at RAF Tholthorpe during WW2, including 420 (RCAF) Sqn |
Location | Former Control Tower, Tholthorpe Airfield, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | A memorial to those Canadians who served at RAF Tholthorpe during WW2, including 420 Sqn |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1825/22 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1825/21 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 29-01-1943 |
End Date | 30-01-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Middleton St. George |
Day/Night Raid | Night (43% moon) |
Operation | Lorient. 116 aircraft, 4 losses. The target area was covered by thick cloud and the crews also suffered from severe icing. There was no PFF target marking, which meant the bombing was scattered and ineffective. |
Reason for Loss | Jettisoned bomb load and crashed at Exeter |