The 207 Sqdn left from Spilsby at 1944-01-01 at 17:18. Loc or duty Berlin
On Saturday 01 January 1944, a member of the 207 Sqdn, Pilot Officer R Burnet, took off from Spilsby in the United Kingdom. His mission is mentioned elsewhere on Back to Normandy. You can find the other details of this mission by searching here. Training and cargo flights are not separately mentioned as a mission. The plane left at 17:18.
He flew with a Avro Lancaster (type III, serial EE173, code EM-K).
Hello, love your website. I’m Eric Burnet, son of P/O R. Burnet who was the aircraft captain of subject aircraft. I just wanted to correct the flight date(s) for accuracy.He actually took off from Spilsby on 30 Jan 1944 (not 31 Dec 1943) for Berlin. They were subsequently shot down that night (early hours of 31 Jan) south of Berlin after delivering their bomb load. They were shot down by a night fighter and his tail gunner was killed in the attack. The remainder of the crew survived and spent the rest of the war as POWs.
Of note, his aircraft was recovered from the bottom of Krumme Lake on 31 July 1971.
Campaign report of the USAAF:
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force): The Operational Research Section, organized at Hq VIII Bomber Command in Oct 43, is made a special staff section, accountable directly to the US Chiefs of Staff (CoS). It is composed mostly of civilian specialists trained in statistical analysis and other disciplines pertinent to studying operations of a strategic bombing force.
The section subsequently proves of great value in improving the effectiveness of strategic bombing. HQ 491st and it's 852d, 853d, 854th and 855th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) transfer without personnel and equipment from the US to England. They will be equipped with B-24's and fly their first mission on 2 Jun.
The 856th, 857th, 858th and 859th Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy), 492d Bombardment Group (Heavy) transfer from the US to North Pickenham, England with B-24's. They will fly their first mission on 11 May. HQ 493d Bombardment Group (Heavy) and it's 860th, 861st, 862d and 863d Bombardment Squadrons (Heavy) transfer without personnel and equipment from the US to England; they will fly their first mission with B-24's on 6 Jun.
US STRATEGIC AIR FORCES IN EUROPE
(USSAFE): USSAFE is established for operational control of the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces.
Campaign report of the RAF:
31 December 1943/1 January 1944
There were no bomber operations on New Year's Eve; 2 Stirlings laid mines off the Dutch coast and returned safely.
1/2 January 1944
421 Lancasters despatched to Berlin. Despite a Mosquito 'spoof' raid on Hamburg, German fighters were directed on to the bomber stream at an early stage and were particularly active en-route to Berlin. 28 Lancasters were lost, 6.7 per cent of the force.
15 Mosquitos to Hamburg, 11 to Witten, 7 to Duisburg, 4 to Bristillerie and 1 to Cologne, 6 RCM sorties, 14 OTU sorties. No losses.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net!This record can also be found on the maps of Back to Normandy with Google coordinates. You can find the maps by clicking on this link on this location.
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