Dunbar, William Alexander
Personal Information
Rank | F/S |
Forename(s) | William Alexander |
Surname | Dunbar |
Gender | M |
Age | |
Decorations | DFM |
Date of Death | 21-01-1944 |
Next of Kin |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax II |
Serial Number | HX165 |
Markings | ZA-J |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
Burial/Memorial Place | Hanover War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Coll. grave 6. F. 14-18. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 158 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 614225 |
Service | Royal Air Force |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 10 |
Trade | Flight Engineer |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Melbourne, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Brick Memorial Stone & Plaque |
Memorial Text | No 10 Squadron, 4 Group Bomber Command, WWII 1939-1945. This memorial was erected at the entrance to the former RAF Station Melbourne by ex Members and Friends of the Squadron to honour the memory of all personnel who died in the service of their Country |
Location | Melbourne Airfield, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Runway Light in Concrete Base |
Memorial Text | Let this landing light be a memorial to all those 1,000 aircrew and 120 aircraft that left this very point never to return so that we may return again and again in freedom to enjoy York Motor Sport Park |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/145/2 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/145/1 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 21-01-1944 |
End Date | 22-01-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Melbourne |
Day/Night Raid | Night (18% moon) |
Operation | Magdeburg- the first major raid on this target. 648 aircraft, 57 losses (8.8%). The Halifax loss rate was especially high at 15.6%. The German controller tracked the bomber stream across the North Sea and many night-fighters were already in the stream before it reached the German coast (using the newly developed Tame Boar methodology). The controller was slow in identifying Magdeburg as the target but this was of little consequence as the fighters were able to stay in the stream for the duration of the approach. Despite the high loss rate, this was not a successful attack. Stronger tail winds than anticipated placed some of the stream over the target before Zero Hour and dropped their bomb load anyway, making the target marking much less effective. German decoy markers exacerbated the situation. No local report is available but it is thought that most of the bombs fell outside of the city. |
Reason for Loss | Crashed at Schoningen, SSE of Uslar, Germany |