by Bill Leyland » Sun Sep 25, 2011 4:12 pm
Hi Kenny - Bill Leyland here, I'm pleased to make your aquaintance. I read your comment on Neils thread and have some info on the mission that your second cousin Eddie Walker was killed. This mission to Sterkrade was one of the worst for 102 Sqd for 1944. My uncle took part, so I researched what I could and am willing to share it with you. Here is what I have;
STERKRADE (Rhur) 16/6/`44 (Friday).
"The synthetic oil plants in the Rhur Valley were very important to the Naxis for obvious reason, and three of them are mentioned from different sources as targets for the night of 16th June at Sterkrade near Duisberg. They were the Fischer Tropsch, Rhur Chemie Holten and Rhur Benzinag plants.
451 bombers were despatched to target these plants on this night and 23 of those were from RAF Pocklington. The other squadrons taking part were 77 Sqd,158 Sqd, 466 Sqd and 640 Sqd. Of the 451 aircraft taking part 31 were not to return - 5 were from Pocklington.
I discovered two accounts of this mission, one from the Pocklington War Diary, and a brief account from a 77 Sqd crewman.
My uncles pilot -Jim Page - took off at 11:02 pm, you cousins pilot F/O A.V. Maxwell RCAF in MZ 652 'Z', would have taken off straight after. Unfortunately the route to the target lay over a German night fighter beacon at Bocholt only thirty miles from the target, which was being used as a holding point. This resulted in considerable night fighter activity from the target to the coast. There was also considerable ground fire.
Two 102 Halifaxes returned early with engine trouble. The bombing was scattered as markers could only just be seen through the thick cloud. Pilot Jim Page reported;
"10/10ths cloud at 4,000 feet, a glow seen through cloud at 21,000 feet, bombed on glow of target indicators. Despatched 11 x 500lb M.C. and 4 x 500lb G.P."
P/O Horace Pearce of 77 Squadron wrote;
"At the target there was 10/10ths cloud extending up to 16,000 feet. At first it was difficult to find an aiming point, as only glows from the target indicators could be seen, deep in the cloud. However, on the bombing run, green target indicators exploding at a higher level were identified, and in conjunction with the glow in the clouds an attack was made at 20,000 feet. Heavy flak was intense above and below, but at 20,000 feet there was less action".
Besides the flak there was a feirce battle for survival between the bombers and the night fighters. The enemy pilots found the conditions ideal as they hunted for Halifaxes and Lancasters starkly silouetted against the search light lit cloud base. 11 of the 31 aircraft lost were from 4 Group,- 6 from 77 Sqd from Full Sutton and 5 from 102 Sqd.
...................................................
The unfortunates who died from 102 are as follows;
MZ 292 DY-'C'
F/S J.G.W. Kelso.
Sgt J.C. Gibson.
Sgt T.E. Hill.
Sgt N. Howarth.
Sgt D.W. Jennings
Sgt A. Smith.
Sgt R Batram.
They had taken off on their fateful mission at 10:52 pm. Nothing is known as to what they encountered, but they crashed into the sea off the Dutch Frisian Islands chain. F/S JGW Kelso was found 26 days later on the 12/7/`44 and lies on Vlieland, in the General Cemetery. Sgt R. Batram was washed ashore on 17/8/44 and laid to rest in Westerschelling General Cemetery on Terschelling. Sgt D.W. Jennings was found on 29/8/44 and now rests in the War Cemetery at Bergen Op Zoom. Unfortunately none of the others were found, and so are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
MZ 301 DY-'M'
S/L D.R. Fisher. D.F.C., D.F.M. ('B' Flight Commander)
F/O A.G. Striowski. RCAF
F/O L.A. Watts D.F.C.
P/O G.C. Burglass.
F/L R.E. Cook.
Sgt P.J.N. Parker.
Sgt K. Clough.
They had taken off at 10:49 pm and were unfortunately lost without trace. No doubt meeting a similar end to the crew of MZ 292 - lost in the North Sea.
At 21 years of age Squadron Leader D.R. Fisher was one of the youngest Flight Commanders in Bomber Command. In 1942 while flying Whitleys with 77 Squadron, he showed great determination in attacking Rostock, gaining an immediate D.F.M. Details of this appeared in the London Gazzette on the 15th May 1942.
He had also competed a tour with 1652 Conversion Unit, for which he was awarded a D.F.C. He was just 19 when he started his first tour, and was two months short of his 22nd birthday at the time of the Sterkrade raid. His death was particularly demoralising for the lads of 102 as he had been living proof that young airmen could survive these dangerous days. This sentiment is summed up by F/O Bryan Purser of 102 Squadron, he said;
" My crew, captained by Fg Off Bill Graham, was coming to the end of its tour in June 1944. During our time with the squadron, we had seen heavy casualties and few crews were completing their tours. Most of our contemporaries had gone missing and our loss of friends and acquaintances seemed endless. Secretly, I think we all asked ourselves 'How can one hope to survive?' The arrival of Sqn Ldr Fisher and his crew revitalised the squadron. Here was a young, well decorated crew starting another tour - 'Some do survive' was a common comment. When he and his crew failed to return, the effect was devastating, and I cannot think of any other missing crew causing such an effect on those still around."
MZ 652 DY- 'Z'