NAESS BH
Naess, Bjørn Håkon Died
Personal Information
| Rank | Capt |
| Forename(s) | Bjørn Håkon |
| Surname | Naess |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 30 |
| Decorations | Krigs Medaljen |
| Date of Death | 18-01-1943 |
| Next of Kin | Son of Helge Næss (born 1882 in Rakkestad), and Birgitte F. Eriksen (born 1882 in Oslo). Married 1938 in Ringsaker to Dagny Schellungen (born 1909 in Hof in Solør). |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax II |
| Serial Number | DT647 |
| Markings | MP-P |
Memorial Information
| Ribbon Stone | 0280 (Block 4, Column 7, Row 1) |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 2 |
| Panel Number | 217 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | N1120 |
| Service | Royal Norwegian Air Force |
| Group | 4 |
| Squadron | 76 |
| Squadron Motto | Resolute |
| 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 action "They gave their today for our tomorrow we who survived give thanks to almighty God We will remember them 76 Sqn WWII founded as 76 home defence Sqn Royal Flying Corps 1916 Ripon Yorkshire Commenced operations against enemy Zeppelins 1917-1918 Aircraft BE2C-BE12B Reformed as 76 Sqn bomber command 4 group 1941 aircraft Handley-Page,Hampden & Halifax B Series I.IIV.III.VI Linton-on-Ouse Yorkshire commenced operations against enemy shipping 1941 (Tirpitz-Scharnhorst-Gneisenad) detachment dispatched to Egypt 1942 transfered to Holme-on-Spalding Moor Airfield continued operations against enemy mainland targets 1945 5296 operations undertaken against enemy targets 160 aircraft and personnel failed to return |
| 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 |
| 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 " |
| Location | Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Memorial Gardens, Propeller, Inscribed Marble Tablets |
| Memorial Text | In everlasting homage to the courage of those who have found their winged victory through the skies of Yorkshire |
| Location | Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets |
| Memorial Text | They made the supreme sacrifice so that you & I may go in peace with freedom. 4 Group 1939 - 1945. |
| Location | Heslington Hall, York, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
| Memorial Text | Heslington Hall 1941 - 1945, 4 Gp Headquarters Bomber Command. In remembrance of those Air & Ground personnel who made the supreme sacrifice that we all may walk in peace with freedom |
Miscellaneous Information
| He was one of two Norwegians in the crew |
| Born 26 March 26 1912 in Moss, Norway. Attended secondary school, commercial high school, technical school, flight school. Served in the war in 1940. In January 1941 he traveled around the world to Toronto and became an instructor at the flight school, later chief instructor. He remustered for bombers in November 1942. |
| Note that the correct spelling of his surname is Næss but it has been simplified to make it more discoverable in the database. |
The National Archives
| Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/651/2 |
| Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/651/2 |
Fellow Servicemen
Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.
| Name | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Green P H B P (Sgt) | Died |
| Indseth B (Lt) | Died |
| Lamb L (Sgt) | Died |
| Moody M C (Sgt) | Died |
| Saunders A R (Sgt) | Died |
| Stinton A V D (Sgt) | Died |
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 17-01-1943 |
| End Date | 18-01-1943 |
| Takeoff Station | Linton-on-Ouse |
| Day/Night Raid | Night (90% moon) |
| Operation | Berlin. 170 aircraft, 22 lost (11.8%). The second attack on Berlin in as many nights. Gee and Oboe could not be used for target markers since Berlin was out of their range of operation. PFF failed to mark the centre of the city, resulting in most of the bombing taking place in the southern suburbs. A BMW aircraft factory was hit at Spandau but only slightly damaged. The Berlin report classified not one building as being destroyed or seriously damaged. The heavy losses of this raid were due in part to using exactly the same route as the previous evening, making it easy for German fighters to find the stream. Richard Dimbleby was aboard a 106 Sqn Lancaster, flown by W/C Guy Gibson. |
| Reason for Aircraft Loss | Shot down 40km NW of the island of Juist by a night-fighter flown by Oblt. Paul Zorner of 2./NJG3 at 21.54. Paul Zorner entered into correspondence in 2002 with Bjorn Naess's nephew and gave a vivid account of the events. It had been Paul's first victory and was unusual in being so far from his radio beacon (50km), and the attack took place from a very short range, all of which meant the events were etched on his memory. In one of his emails, Paul remarks "The world is crazy. Why had your uncle to bomb our towns and why had I to try to prevent that? Why couldn't we both go skiing together.....I can't change the world and you can't do too!". |