467 Squadron RAAF

467 Squadron RAAF

Some information about 467 Squadron's history and about Lancaster R5863 'S Sugar' which is currently in the RAF museum at Hendon. Mentions operations on 6 June 1944. Includes colour photograph showing front quarter of a Lancaster inside a museum. In addition, a b/w photograph taken during the visit of HRH the Duke of Gloucester to 467 Squadron at RAF Waddington showing the Duke and seven other airmen including the squadron commander. Three of the aircrew in the photograph were subsequently killed in action over France. Continues with more information on operational flights of R5868.

One page printed document with text and one colour and one b/w photograph

IBCC Digital Archive

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MThorpJF1623333-160412-04

[underlined] 467 Squadron RAAF [/underlined]

(no badge awarded)

The squadron formed part of [underlined] No. 5 Group, RAF Bomber Command [/underlined], According to the RAAF Museum, during these raids the squadron gained a reputation for accurate bombing and was selected to attack the [underlined] Dortmund-Elms Canal [/underlined], an important and heavily defended German transport artery, on several occasions.

No.467 Squadron returned to Waddington, Lincolnshire, on 25th November 1943 The squadron was prominent in the bombing offensive in connection with the Allied invasion of France.

Avro Lancaster B.I, B.III: Nov. 1943 onwards

Code Letters: "P0"

Originally "Q-Queenie" of No. 83 Squadron, R5868 logged 79 sorties before joining No. 467 Squadron in November 1943, and becoming "S-Sugar".

It resumed operations on 26th/27th November with a sortie against Berlin, and [highlighted] logged its 100th operation on 11th/12th May 1944, when the target was Bourg Leopold in Belgium [/highlighted].

[photograph]

Prior to the Allied invasion of occupied Europe, the emphasis of Bomber Command's operations switched to military targets in and around Normandy. In early May, the squadron attacked German armoured formations in France and targeted German airfields. [highlighted] On D-Day, 6 June 1944, 467 Squadron attacked the German artillery batteries on Pointe du Hoc, which covered "Omaha" beach, but with little success. Raids in support of the ground campaign continued throughout June and into July, with an increasing number being conducted in daylight [/highlighted] but the focus of Bomber Command's operations progressively returned to the strategic bombing campaign against Germany.

[page break]

[photograph]
AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL SUK1 2464

Lincolnshire, England, June 1944. During his visit to RAF Waddington HRH met the crews of 467
From left to right:

HRH the Duke of Gloucester;
467 Sqn CO Wing Commander William Lloyd Brill DSO DFC and Bar, of Grong Grong, NSW;
425278 Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Roland Reginald Cowan, of Brisbane, Qld;
unidentified;
429503 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Arthur Albert Summers, of Brisbane, Qld;
Sergeant (Sgt) Jack Sheffield, RAF.

On [highlighted] 25 June 1944 [/highlighted], Flt Lt Cowan, Flt Sgt Summers and Sgt Sheffield were killed when their aircraft, Lancaster ND 729, was shot down over Mareuil-Caubert, France.
John Thorp's crew flew on 24th and 27th June.

[underlined] RAF MUSEUM HENDON ENTRY [/underlined].

28 May 44 Correspondence with [highlighted] Mr Derek Thorp [/highlighted] in January 2011 indicates another additional, and previously unpublished, operational flight undertaken by R5868 on this night. The rear-gunner's logbook of his father, Sgt J.F. Thorp of 'B' Flight, No. 467 Squadron (See RAFM MF 10066/20) records an operation 'Ops - Cherbourg Area – France Bombs, taking off at 22.50, total flying time 3 hours 40 minutes', the aircraft being clearly recorded as Lancaster R5868 'S'. [highlighted] Pilot [/highlighted] F/O D.F. McLauchlan, RAAF, [highlighted] Engineer [/highlighted] Sgt R. Hodgkinson RAF, [highlighted] Navigator [/highlighted] F/O H.C. Phillips, [highlighted] Bomb Aimer [/highlighted] F/O G.P. Craven RAAF, [highlighted] Wireless Operator [/highlighted] Sgt A.H. Smith RAF, and [highlighted] mid-upper gunner [/highlighted] F/Sgt Eric J.L. Klemm RAAF. This was the first operational trip for this crew, and it is assumed that they didn't have their own aircraft and R5868 was available as spare aircraft. The squadron ORB records that on that night this crew attacked St Martin de Varrevilles, but records their aircraft as LL789. However, the 'RAF Waddington: Raid Record Book 1943 Dec – 1944 June' also records R5868 as the aircraft for this flight. The Bomber Command War Diaries record that on this night as part of the preparations for the D-Day landings in the area 181 Lancasters and 20 Mosquitoes bombed three coastal gun positions, with one Lancaster being lost. (103)