Bjercke, Arne Reidar
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | Arne Reidar |
Surname | Bjercke |
Gender | M |
Age | |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 30-07-1943 |
Next of Kin |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax V |
Serial Number | EB244 |
Markings | MP-X Bar |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | |
Burial/Memorial Place | |
Grave Reference | |
Epitaph | |
Ribbon Stone | 0280 (Block 4, Column 7, Row 1) |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 131 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 1581 |
Service | Royal Norwegian Air Force |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 76 |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | Norway |
Other Memorials
Location | Behind old Main Guardroom, former Holme On Spalding Moor Airfield, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stone Pillar with inscribed Metal Plaques |
Memorial Text | In Remembrance of the aircrew members from the UK,Australia,New Zealand,Canada and Norway,who gave their lives in the cause of freedom in operational sorties against the enemy from 76 Sqn 1941-1945 and to the ground personal who lost their lives by enemy |
Location | All Saints Church, Holme On Spalding Moor, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window and Roll of Honour within Wooden Box with inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | S G Window In memory of 76 Sqn R.A.F / Roll of honour In memory of those members of 76 Sqn R.A.F who were killed on active service 1939-1954 |
Miscellaneous Information
Had only been with 76 Sqn for around two weeks but had shown great promise during his first raid on Essen, making two bombing runs due to technical difficulties with the bomb door mechanism. On this occasion his aircraft was badly damaged and he maintained control until most of the crew had baled out. He was one of two Norwegians in the crew |
Five survivors all became PoW: N/5450 Odd Grønfur "Olly" Olsen RNAF, 1448355 Dennis Maex Morrison, 1482188 H. Roberts, 1409509 Victor Charles Daniels (Air Gunner), 1647644 Stanley Herbert Bates (Air Gunner). Olsen had spent five days on the run before being captured. |
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/651/14 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/651/13 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 29-07-1943 |
End Date | 30-07-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Holme-on-Spalding-Moor |
Day/Night Raid | Night (4% moon) |
Operation | Hamburg. 787 aircraft, 17 losses (2.2%). For the second consecutive raid, Brig. Gen. Anderson, the commander of the American 8th Air Force, flew as an observer on this operation. PFF used H2S to mark the target but were approximately 3km east of the centre of the city but was at least concentrated, leading to concentrated bombing with little creepback. This raid caused a firestorm resulting from very high summer temperatures and low humidity following a particularly dry spell. Most of the fire crews were in the west of the city following the raid of three nights earlier and few could make the journey to the new fires due to rubble blocking roads. The fires quickly joined into one mass of fire, drawing so much oxygen into the area that it caused storm-force winds. The fire raged for over three hours after the raid and only subsided when all combustible material was consumed. Approximately 40000 civilian deaths mostly from asphyxiation resulting from lack of oxygen. The raid led to an exodus of over 1.2 million people fearing another raid. |
Reason for Loss | Hit by flak and finished off by a night-fighter. Crashed near Oberndorf, Germany |