P/O George A Langford RAFVR and crew - 576 Sqn - RAF Elsham Wolds - 1944
Failed to Return - 24/25th May 1944 - Lancaster I - LM120 - Op Aachen
George Langford and crew were posted to 576 Sqn from 11 Base early May 1944
Langford does not seem to have flown as a second pilot with another crew. He took his own crew on their first operation on the 9/10th May 1944 to Mardyk and completed 5 operations before being lost on their 6th.
Tour details as follows :-
09/05/1944 - Mardyck - Coastal gun batteries - LL796 - P/O GA Langford
10/05/1944 - Dieppe - Railway yards - LL796 - P/O GA Langford
19/05/1944 - Orleans - Railway yards - JB460 - P/O GA Langford
21/05/1944 - Duisburg - JB460 - P/O GA Langford
22/05/1944 - Dortmund - LM439 - P/O GA Langford
24/05/1944 - Aachen - Railway yards - LM120 - P/O GA Langford - FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Mulartschutte SSE of Aachen, Germany.
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All the crew were killed. Langford, Dickinson, Mason and Hodkinson are missing and commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Shutt, Bachelor and Coper rest at the Rheinberg War Cemetery.
P/O George Albert Langford RAFVR – Pilot – 576 Sqn – Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Geoffrey Shutt RAFVR – Flight Engineer – 576 Sqn – Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt Raymond Stuart Dickinson RAFVR – 24 - 576 Sqn – Runnymede Memorial.
W/O Eric Arthur Mason RAFVR - 24 - Son of John Albert and Emily Jane Mason of Lambeth, London – Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Kenneth Harold Hodgkinson RAFVR – 576 Sqn – Runnymede Memorial.
Sgt Albert Ernest Bachelor RAFVR – Air Gunner - 21 – 576 Sqn - Son of Ernest Godfrey and Alice Mary Bachelor of Tonbridge, Kent – Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt George James Cooper RAFVR – Air Gunner – 576 Sqn – Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.
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24 May 44 – Aachen – Germany - Railway Yards - Night.
15 aircraft detailed. Weather en route was 7/10ths at base clearing to nil over the coast and the North Sea. Hazy to the target. Clear on return to English coast then 7/10ths. Target clear but hazy.
Moderate heavy flak with 5 search lights active. TIs dropped on zero hour were well concentrated.
Crews reported good bombing on these but could not observe results due to haze and occasional this patches of cloud. Fighters active in target area.
F/S Thorpe and crew and P/O Langford and crew failed to return.
All the other crews returned to base.
( 442 aircraft. An accurate attack which hit both railway yards and in particular the east yard. Much
bombing also fell in the city itself and surrounding villages )
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Lancaster LM120
This was a new machine being lost on its 2nd operation.
21/05/1944 - Duisburg - LM120 - P/O HMC Thomas
24/05/1944 - Aachen - Railway yards - LM120 - P/O GA Langford - FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Mulartschutte SSE of Aachen, Germany.
Item compiled by David Fell.
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