Sorties Flown by Ben Weightman and Crew in 582 Squadron

Sorties Flown by Ben Weightman and Crew in 582 Squadron

A summary, taken from the 582 Operations Record Book of flights of Ben Weightman during May to July 1944.

One printed sheet

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Sorties flown by Ben Weightman and crew in 582 Squadron

The 582 Squadron Operations Record Book shows that Sqn Ldr John Bentley Weightman and his crew were posted in on 14 April 1944. They were: Navigator I Flt Lt Graham Bice Aungiers; Navigator II Warrant Officer H.C. Cole (RCAF); Wireless Operator Flt Sgt Thomas Charles Bower; Mid-upper Gunner Sgt George Reginald MacArthur (RCAF); Rear gunner Flt Sgt Edgar Walter Roslyn Pratt; and Flight Engineer Sgt James Gresty. From 15 June they were joined by another Navigator II, Flt Sgt J.F.G. Mann, to make a crew of eight. Sqn Ldr A. Coleman replaced Mann for one sortie on the night of 23/24 June, otherwise the crew was unchanged.

On 20 July 1944, Cole and Mann, the two Navigators IIs, did not fly with the crew as the use of the H2S ground-scanning radar was replaced by the Oboe equipment in ED908(Z) to be operated by Foulsham and Swarbrick.

The sorties of the crew are listed below.

1944 – LANCASTER – DETAILS OF SORTIE

May
7/8 – ND814(T) – NANTES: bombed on yellow TI-11,000’ at 170 knots
9/10 – JD417(R) – CAP GRIZ NEZ: bombed on red/yellow TI-12,000’ at 135 knots
19/20 – ND817(S) – BOULOGNE marshalling yards: bombed on white TI-11,700’ at 153 knots
22/23 – ND817(S) – DORTMUND: bombed on red TI-20,300’ at 152 knots
28/29 – ND817(S) – MARDYCK coastal battery: bombed on GEE fix-14,000’ at 152 knots
31/1 – JA673(L) – MONTCOUPLE radar jammer: bombed on green TI-14,000’ at 155 knots
June
5/6 – ND812(O) – LONGUES coastal battery: bombed on red TI-9,000’ at 140 knots
7/8 – ND810(R) – FOREST DE CERISY: bombed on greet TI-7,600’ at 140 knots
8/9 – ND817(S) – FOURGERES: bombed on red/green TI-7,000’ at 137 knots
9/10 – JB345(Q) – LAVAL airfield: (a) 10 x white TI on yellow TI-2,500’ at 167 knots (b) bombed from 2,000’ at 175 knots Instruction from Master Bomber to go below cloud
15/16 – ND817(S) – LENS marshalling yards: bombed on red TI-7,400’ at 180 knots Instruction from Master Bomber to come below cloud
23/24 – ND817(S) – OISEMENT NEUVILLE-AU-BOIS constructional works: (marked by 109 Sqn) 10 x yellow TI on red TI-14,000’ at 142 knots Orbited - instructed main force as Master Bomber After this mission John Weightman was awarded his Temporary PFF badge
July
9 – ND817(S) – ARDOUVAL: 8 x yellow TI on red TI, 6 x 1000 MC-11,000’ at 165 knots Instructed main force to bomb reds - bombing scattered
10 – ND817(S) – NUCOURT constructional works: bombed by GEE-14,000’ at 165 knots
12/13 – ND899(B) – FERME DE FORESTAL constructional works: bombed on red TI, 6 x 1000 SAP-12,000’ at 145 knots Instructed Main Force to bomb on Square Mile 8 x yellow Tis brought back - GEE u/s for bombing
16 – ND810(R) – ST PHILIBERT constructional works: bombed on leader in formation-15,300’ at 133 knots
18 – PB184(N) – CAEN NORTH: (a) bombed visual-7,000’ at 143 knots (b) 8 x yellow TI-7,000’ at 155 knots Instructed main force as Master Bomber
20 – ED908(Z) – FORET DE CROC constructional works: bomb load 16 x 500 GF, 2 x 500 GP - failed to return

This was the crew’s 18th mission together in 582 Squadron.

The Foret de Croc was first attacked on 6 July by 550 Squadron and, after the failed attack on 20 July by the two waves from 156 and 582 Squadrons, again on 23 July by 156 Squadron, when the Royal Air Force Bomber Command Campaign Diary records: “48 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of 3 and 8 Groups bombed flying bomb sites at Foret de Croc and Mont Candon through thick cloud. No aircraft lost”.