F/O Richard C Sowerbutts RAFVR and crew - 576 Sqn – RAF Fiskerton – 1944/45.
Failed to Return - 2/3rd February 1945 - Lancaster I – NG119 - Op Wiesbaden.
Richard Sowerbutts was posted to 576 Squadron at Fiskerton in November 44. He flew his first operation as co-pilot with F/L H Leyton Brown and crew on the 6/7th December 1944 to Leuna/Merseburg in PA173
He then captained his own crew and completed 6 more operations being lost on the 7th.
Tour details: -
29/12/1944 - Scholven Buer – ME671 – F/O RC Sowerbutts
31/12/1944 – Osterfeld – NF976 – F/O RC Sowerbutts - Followed by twin engined night fighter. Mid upper opened fire and night fighter broke away.
02/01/1945 – Nuremberg – NF976 – F/O RC Sowerbutts - Hit by flak causing damage and loss of starboard inner engine. Aborted dropping bombs in Channel.
05/01/1945 – Royen – NG273 – F/O RC Sowerbutts
28/01/1945 – Stuttgart/Zuffenhausen – PD403 – F/O RC Sowerbutts
01/02/1945 – Ludswigshafen – PB785 – F/O RC Sowerbutts
02/02/1945 – Wiesbaden – NG119 – F/O RC Sowerbutts - FTR - Crashed at Kautenbach, Luxembourg.
….................
F/O Richard Christopher Sowerbutts RAFVR - Pilot – 576 Sqn - Son of James Barrington Sowerbutts and Annie Sowerbutts of Nottingham – Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium.
Sowerbutts was a graduate with a BSc and also an Associate Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society
P/O Melvin Douglas Groundwater RAFVR – Flight Engineer - 576 Sqn - Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium.
F/O Henry John O'Connor RAFVR – Air Bomber - 21 – 576 Sqn - Son of Harry and Hilda O'Connor of Iver, Buckinghamshire - Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium.
Sgt Herbert Walter Porter RAFVR – Navigator - 22 – 576 Sqn – Son of Wallace and Beatrice Porter of West Didsbury, Manchester - Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium.
F/S Henry John Knightbridge RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - 23 – 576 Sqn - Son of Henry Sloman Knightbridge and Ada Knightbridge, husband of Dorothy Jean Knightbridge of Wandsworth Common, London - Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium.
Sgt Gordon Lester RAFVR – Air Gunner - 19 – 576 Sqn - Son of James Harold and Dorothy Winifred Lester of Derby – Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium.
Sgt Ronald Ernest Streatfield RAFVR – Air Gunner - 19 – 576 Sqn - Son of Ernest William and Louisa Streatfield of Tottenham, Middlesex - Hotton War Cemetery, Belgium.
….................
2 February 45 – Wiesbaden – Germany – Night. 13 aircraft detailed. Weather for take off and over England was clear to Reading where 7/10ths cloud with tops to 5000 ft built up. This cleared to 3/10ths over the Channel and dispersed to 0400E where a front was met with 10/10ths cloud with tops 18000 ft. This persisted with to the target and back to 0600E. From there to the English coast 7/10ths cloud with tops to 6000 ft was experienced. Over England and at base conditions were good.
For this attack emergency marking was used. Ground markers could not be seen through the cloud and most crews bombed on Gee and H2S. No results could be observed but bombing appears to have been scattered.
Very light flak in loose barrage form was employed as defence. No searchlights or fighters were reported.
On this operations D2 F/O Sowerbutts and crew failed to return. R2 F/L Boullier was at first reported missing but 4 members of the crew are now safe. Sgts McVey ( Nav ) Laverty ( MUG ) and Stanton ( RG ) still missing. Owing to late take off F/O Dalziel in C2 was instructed to abort at 5010N 0400E through failure to catch the main force. Their cookie was jettisoned before landing.
No training was carried out.
507 aircraft attacked from 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups. 3 Lancasters crashed in France. This was the only large attack by Bomber Command on this city. There was complete cloud cover and most of the bombing hit the centre of the city. The railway station was damaged but important industries situated along the River Rhine were not hit.
….................
Lancaster NG119
This machine completed 37 operations being shot down on its 38th trip. It was first flown on ops by F/O C F Phripp RCAF and crew on the 23/24th September 44 to Neuss. NG119 was the regular aircraft for F/O K A Moore and crew who flew it on ops on 24 occasions.
….................
Compiled and written by David Fell
|
