One Last Op
Title
One Last Op
Description
Events leading to the shooting down of Ron's aircraft over Caen.
Creator
Temporal Coverage
Language
Format
One printed sheet
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
SCarterR1620578v10004-0004
Transcription
[circled C] 4 [circled 1]
[underlined] ONE LAST OP [/underlined]
JULY 1944 – A SENIOR OFFICER SUGGESTED MY FATHER CONSIDER RE-TRAINING TO FLY GLIDERS FOR THE FORTHCOMING CAMPAIGN AT ARNHEM, WHICH WOULD HAVE PROMOTED HIM TO OFFICER CLASS. (ARNHEM) 17TH TO 26TH SEPT.
HE WAS FURTHER COERCED BY THIS OFFICER TO STAND IN FOR ONE LAST BOMBING RAID WITH THE CREW OF ND517 KM-U WHO HAD LOST THEIR REAR GUNNER. THE TARGET WAS TO BE THE AMMO & TANK PARK AT CAEN, (DURING OPERATION GOODWOOD) THIS RAID HAD UNFORESEEN DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL CONCERNED.
ON THIS RAID SUFFERING "FLAK" DAMAGE AND HIT FROM UNDERNEATH BY (CANADIAN HALIFAX R-PILOT FLYING OFFICER HERON) FROM 420 SQN FLYING OUT OF THOLTHORPE PILOT OFFICER CUTHBERT GAVE THE ORDER TO BAIL OUT. THE REAR GUNNERS EXIT (MY FATHERS) SHOULD HAVE BEEN BY ROTATING THE TURRET, ENABLING EXIT THROUGH THE TURRET DOORS, HOWEVER THE TURRET WAS JAMMED AND WOULD NOT ROTATE, THEREFORE THE ONLY OPTION WAS THROUGH THE REAR DOORS INTO THE FUSELAGE WHERE HE FOUND HIS FRIEND SERGEANT KEITH BURROUGHS MORTALLY WOUNDED, KEITH INDICATED THAT MY FATHER SHOULD LEAVE HIM AND GO – AND SO BAILED OUT AT THE LAST MINUTE.
IN THE EVENT, HE SURVIVED THE PARACHUTE DROP HURTING ONE LEG QUITE BADLY. HE WAS PICKED UP BY TWO ARMED PANZER TROUPES, BEATEN AND TAKEN PRISONER. HIS [underlined] LOG BOOK SIMPLY READS TOUR ENDS P.O.W. [/underlined]
SOMETIME LATER THE GERMAN OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE COLUMN OF DOWNED AIRCREW SAW THE BLOOD ON MY FATHERS UNIFORM SAYING – "YOU ARE WOUNDED" IN BROKEN ENGLISH;
MY FATHER TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT IT WAS NOT HIS BLOOD BUT THE BLOOD FROM HIS FRIEND MID UPPER GUNNER SERGEANT KEITH BURROUGHS; NEVERTHELESS THIS SAME OFFICER TOOK MY FATHER TO SEE A DOCTOR FOR "TREATMENT" - SHOWING UNEXPECTED COMPASSION.
DECADE’S LATER CONVERSATIONS REGARDING HIS DECISION TO FLY WITH THE CREW OF ND517 KM-U WERE SIMPLY THAT HAD HE NOT DONE SO THE "RAID" WOULD HAVE BEEN A LANCASTER SHORT AS THEY COULD NOT HAVE GONE WITHOUT A REAR GUNNER. _ BUT IT HAD BEEN A "BIG ASK" AS CREWS WERE EXTREMELY LOYAL AND SUPERSTITIOUS OF CHANGE.
IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT MY FATHERS REGULAR CREW WENT ON TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE A FURTHER 6 OPERATIONS, COMPLETING THEIR REQUIRED 30.
[underlined] ONE LAST OP [/underlined]
JULY 1944 – A SENIOR OFFICER SUGGESTED MY FATHER CONSIDER RE-TRAINING TO FLY GLIDERS FOR THE FORTHCOMING CAMPAIGN AT ARNHEM, WHICH WOULD HAVE PROMOTED HIM TO OFFICER CLASS. (ARNHEM) 17TH TO 26TH SEPT.
HE WAS FURTHER COERCED BY THIS OFFICER TO STAND IN FOR ONE LAST BOMBING RAID WITH THE CREW OF ND517 KM-U WHO HAD LOST THEIR REAR GUNNER. THE TARGET WAS TO BE THE AMMO & TANK PARK AT CAEN, (DURING OPERATION GOODWOOD) THIS RAID HAD UNFORESEEN DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES FOR ALL CONCERNED.
ON THIS RAID SUFFERING "FLAK" DAMAGE AND HIT FROM UNDERNEATH BY (CANADIAN HALIFAX R-PILOT FLYING OFFICER HERON) FROM 420 SQN FLYING OUT OF THOLTHORPE PILOT OFFICER CUTHBERT GAVE THE ORDER TO BAIL OUT. THE REAR GUNNERS EXIT (MY FATHERS) SHOULD HAVE BEEN BY ROTATING THE TURRET, ENABLING EXIT THROUGH THE TURRET DOORS, HOWEVER THE TURRET WAS JAMMED AND WOULD NOT ROTATE, THEREFORE THE ONLY OPTION WAS THROUGH THE REAR DOORS INTO THE FUSELAGE WHERE HE FOUND HIS FRIEND SERGEANT KEITH BURROUGHS MORTALLY WOUNDED, KEITH INDICATED THAT MY FATHER SHOULD LEAVE HIM AND GO – AND SO BAILED OUT AT THE LAST MINUTE.
IN THE EVENT, HE SURVIVED THE PARACHUTE DROP HURTING ONE LEG QUITE BADLY. HE WAS PICKED UP BY TWO ARMED PANZER TROUPES, BEATEN AND TAKEN PRISONER. HIS [underlined] LOG BOOK SIMPLY READS TOUR ENDS P.O.W. [/underlined]
SOMETIME LATER THE GERMAN OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE COLUMN OF DOWNED AIRCREW SAW THE BLOOD ON MY FATHERS UNIFORM SAYING – "YOU ARE WOUNDED" IN BROKEN ENGLISH;
MY FATHER TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT IT WAS NOT HIS BLOOD BUT THE BLOOD FROM HIS FRIEND MID UPPER GUNNER SERGEANT KEITH BURROUGHS; NEVERTHELESS THIS SAME OFFICER TOOK MY FATHER TO SEE A DOCTOR FOR "TREATMENT" - SHOWING UNEXPECTED COMPASSION.
DECADE’S LATER CONVERSATIONS REGARDING HIS DECISION TO FLY WITH THE CREW OF ND517 KM-U WERE SIMPLY THAT HAD HE NOT DONE SO THE "RAID" WOULD HAVE BEEN A LANCASTER SHORT AS THEY COULD NOT HAVE GONE WITHOUT A REAR GUNNER. _ BUT IT HAD BEEN A "BIG ASK" AS CREWS WERE EXTREMELY LOYAL AND SUPERSTITIOUS OF CHANGE.
IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT MY FATHERS REGULAR CREW WENT ON TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE A FURTHER 6 OPERATIONS, COMPLETING THEIR REQUIRED 30.
Collection
Citation
Susan Carter, “One Last Op,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed March 21, 2025, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/41898.
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