P/O Douglas F J Baxter RCAF and crew – 576 Sqn - RAF Elsham Wolds - 1944
Failed to Return – 4/5th July 1944 – Lancaster III - LM532 – Op Orleans
Douglas Baxter ( pictured above ) and his crew were posted to 576 Squadron from 11 Base in June 1944. He flew his first operation as second pilot in the crew of P/O D W McIvor RCAF on the 23rd June 1944 to Saintes in LM532.
Baxter then took his own crew on their first op to Domleger and was sadly lost on his second operation. See below,
02/07/1944 – Domleger - V weapon – ME801 – P/O DFJ Baxter RCAF
04/07/1944 – Orleans - Railway yards – LM532 – P/O DFJ Baxter RCAF - FTR - Night Fighter victim. Crashed at St-Cyr-En-Val, France.
Claim by Fw Ernst Reitmeyer 1/NJG5 - 10-20km South of Orleans (ED 9): 2,500m at 01:52. per John Jones
All 7 of the crew were killed and rest at the St-Cyr-Val Communal Cemetery, France.
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P/O Douglas Frank Jakes Baxter RCAF – Pilot – 25 – 576 Sqn - Son of Frank Edward and Ethel Baxter; husband of Sibyl L. Baxter of Auburndale, Massachusetts, USA - St-Cyr-Val Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt James Pender RAFVR – Flight Engineer – 35 – 576 Sqn – Son of Mr and Mrs Robert Pender and husband of Bessie O. Pender of Mitcham, Surrey - St-Cyr-En-Val Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt Donald Shoobridge RCAF ( pictured below ) – Air Bomber - 28 – 576 Sqn - Son of Robert Edgar and Ada Shoobridge of Claremont, Ontario, Canada – St-Cyr-En-Val Communal Cemetery
Sgt Edward Jerome McCloskey RCAF ( pictured below ) - Navigator – 26 - Son of Thomas P. McCloskey and Mary McCloskey of Maidstone. Ontario. Canada - Canada St-Cyr-En-Val Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt Arthur Henry H Treadwell RAFVR – Wireless Operator – 20 – 576 Sqn - Son of Frederick James Treadwell and Alice May Treadwell of Shepherd's Bush, London - St-Cyr-En-Val Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt Ralph Frithjaf Hillman RCAF ( pictured below )– Air Gunner - 25 – 576 Sqn - Son of John and Olga Hillman of Tacoma, Washington, U.S.A.; husband of Blanche Hillman - St-Cyr-En-Val Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt Earl Wesley Bookhout RCAF – Air Gunner – 576 Sqn - St-Cyr-En-Val Communal Cemetery, France.
Sgt Donald Shoobridge RCAF
Sgt Edward Jerome McCloskey RCAF
Sgt Ralph Frithjaf Hillman RCAF
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4 July 44 Orleans France Railway yards Night 16 aircraft detailed. Outward 6 to 8/10ths cloud to south coast. The cloud dispersed over the Channel but was 4 to 5/10ths at French coast. At the target cloud dispersed and was identified. Weather on return was similar to that on the outward route with cloud decreasing to 2/10ths at base.
Special Duty Flight marked assembly point with green TIs and target with 2 red spot flares. The Master Bomber assessed the marking and instructed crews to bomb the southerly spot fire. Bombing appeared well concentrated.
Slight heavy flak was encountered over the target area but fighters were not evident.
Sgt West of P/O Cartwright's crew was killed by flak over the target area and the bombs were released by the Flight Engineer. The aircraft landed away from base in the south of England. P/O Baxter and crew failed to return from this operation.
( 283 aircraft to attack railway yards at Orleans and Villeneuve. Believed to have been accurate attacks. )
The 1 Group ORB does mention 6 combats with night fighters on this attack however and it seems likely that LM532 was a night fighter victim.
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Lancaster LM532
This machine completed 32 operations being lost on its 33rd.
10/04/1944 – Aulnoye - Railway yards – LM532 – F/S CG Wearmouth
18/04/1944 – Rouen - Railway yards - LM532 – F/S DW McIvor RCAF
20/04/1944 – Cologne – LM532 – F/S DW McIvor RCAF
22/04/1944 – Dusseldorf – LM532 – F/S DW McIvor RCAF
24/04/1944 – Karlsruhe – LM532 – F/S DW McIvor RCAF
26/04/1944 – Essen – LM532 – F/S DW McIvor RCAF
27/04/1944 - Friedrichshafen – LM532 – F/S DW McIvor RCAF
30/04/1944 – Maintenon - Ammunition dump – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
03/05/1944 – Mailly-le-Camp - Army base – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
07/05/1944 - Rennes St Jacques – Airfield – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
09/05/1944 – Mardyck - Coastal gun batteries – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
11/05/1944 – Hasselt - Railway yards – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
19/05/1944 – Orleans - Railway yards – LM532 – F/O GE Stockdale RCAF
21/05/1944 – Duisburg – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
22/05/1944 – Dortmund – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
27/05/1944 – Aachen - Railway yards – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor
02/06/1944 – Calais - Coastal gun batteries – LM532 – P/O C Hart
03/06/1944 – Wimereux - Coastal gun batteries – LM532 – F/O HAF Smith
05/06/1944 - St Martin-de-Varreville/Crisbeq - Coastal gun batteries – LM532 – P/O C Hart
06/06/1944 – Vire - Railway communications – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
09/06/1944 – Flers – Airfield – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
12/06/1944 – Gelsenkirchen – Oil – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
14/06/1944 - Le Havre - Naval forces – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
16/06/1944 – Sterkrade – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
17/06/1944 – Aulnoye - Railway yards – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
22/06/1944 – Mimoyecques - V weapon – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
23/06/1944 – Saintes - Railway yards – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
24/06/1944 – Flers - V weapon – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
27/06/1944 - Chateau Benapre - V weapon – LM532 – P/O DW McIvor RCAF
29/06/1944 – Domleger - V weapon – LM532 – P/O J Archibald RNZAF
30/06/1944 - Oisemont Neuville Au Bois - Army support – LM532 – P/O J Archibald RNZAF
02/07/1944 – Domleger - V weapon – LM532 – P/O J Archibald RNZAF
04/07/1944 – Orleans - Railway yards – LM532 – P/O DFJ Baxter RCAF - FTR - Crashed at St-Cyr-En-Val, France.
Compiled by David Fell. Thanks to John Jones for his input. Photos courtesy of the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
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