Høverstad, Gunnar

Personal Information

Rank 1st Lt.
Forename(s) Gunnar
Surname Høverstad
Gender M
Age 21
Decorations War Cross with Sword, Krigs Medaljen with Star, MiD
Date of Death 03-12-1943
Next of Kin Son of Dr. Torstein Høverstad (born 1880 in Vang), and Margit Johanne B. Knutsen (born 1888 in Leikanger).
HOVERSTAD G

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax II
Serial Number HX167
Markings TL-C

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Norway
Burial/Memorial Place Hjortbu in Voksenlia
Grave Reference
Epitaph
Ribbon Stone 0280 (Block 4, Column 7, Row 1)

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 2
Panel Number 185

Enlistment Information

Service Number 5154
Service Royal Norwegian Air Force
Group 8
Squadron 35 (Madras Presidency)
Squadron Motto Uno animo agimus (We act with one accord)
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin Norway

Other Memorials

Location Roadside Location, Graveley, Cambridgeshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Memorial Stone
Memorial Text Graveley Airfield 1942-1945 8 Group Bomber Command 35 Squadron Pathfinder Force 692 Squadron Light Night Striking Force R.A.F. To commemorate this airfield in honour of those who served the nation aircrew, groundstaff & WAFF of United Kingdom Dominions, C
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Location All Saints Church, Offord Cluny, Cambridgeshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stained Glass Window, Sqn Badge & Roll of Honour
Memorial Text Remember before God all those airmen and airwomen 3who served with 35 Squadron R.A.F. Graveley 1939-1945
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Location Roadside location (off E6), Fættenfjord, near Åsenfjord, Trøndelag Fylke
Country Norway
Memorial Type Inscribed memorial stone atopped with inert aerial sea mine and Tirpitz anchor chain link
Memorial Text For Frihet Til minne om Allierte Flymannskaper fra RAF drept under angrep pa det tyske slagskipet Tirpitz i Fættenfjord 1942
Translation "For freedom In memory of the Allied Aircrews from the RAF who died in attacks on the German Battleship Tirpitz in the Fættenfjord 1942 "
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Miscellaneous Information

Born February 3, 1922 in Asker, Norway. Trained as a pilot in Canada.
War Medal, War Cross with Sword and Mentioned in Dispatches for distinguished service.

The National Archives

Last Operation Information

Start Date 02-12-1943
End Date 03-12-1943
Takeoff Station Graveley
Day/Night Raid Night (34% moon)
Operation Berlin. 458 aircraft, 40 losses (8.7%). No diversionary raids and the force took a direct route to Berlin. The German controller anticipated Berlin as the target 18 minutes before zero hour and had amassed a considerable number of night-fighters in good time. An incorrect weather forecast caused difficulties in marking the target and the unexpectedly high winds also scattered the main force, allowing many to be picked off by the night-fighters, particularly on the home leg. Nonetheless, two Siemens factories were badly damaged along with a ball-bearing factory and some railway assets.
Reason for Loss Believed to have crashed in the Berlin area. He stayed at the controls to give the other crew members time to make good their escape from the aircraft. All survived except Gunnar.
 
 
 
 

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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.