The 157 Sqdn left from Swannington at 1945-02-16 at 22:00. Loc or duty BS
He flew with a de Havilland Mosquito (type XIX , serial TA402 , code RS-F).
Campaign report of the USAAF:
AIRBORNE OPERATIONS
(IX Troop Carrier Command): The 77th Troop Carrier Squadron, 435th Troop Carrier Group, moves from Welford Park, England to Bretigny, France with C-47s.
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS
(Eighth Air Force):: Mission 833: 1,042 bombers and 197 fighters attack benzol plants, oil refineries and marshalling yards in C Germany; 8 bombers are lost:
1. 223 B-17s are sent to hit the marshalling yard at Hamm (208); targets of opportunity are Osnabruck (1), Meppen (1) and Rheine (1); bombing is by H2X, Micro H and some visual; 2 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 95 damaged; 7 airmen are WIA and 11 MIA.
Escorting are 44 of 45 P-51s.
2. 375 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Harpenerweg oil refinery at Dortmund (78) and oil refineries at Nordstern (104) and Minsterstein (112); 30 hit the marshalling yard at Munster, a secondary target; targets of opportunity are Langendreer (23) and other (2); bombing is by Gee-H with some visual; 5 B-17s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 170 damaged; 8 airmen are WIA and 46 MIA.
38 of 39 P-51s escort.
3. 362 B-24s are sent to hit marshalling yards at Osnabruck (174) and Rheine (94) and the Salzbergen oil refinery (46); 31 hit Burgsteinfurt, a target of opportunity; H2X and Gee-H are used; 1 B-24 is lost and 26 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA.
50 P-51s escort the B-24s.
4. 63 of 76 B-17s hit the rail bridge at Wesel visually; 13 hit the marshalling yard at Rheine, a target of opportunity, with H2X.
Escorting are 45 of 51 P-51s.
5. 6 B-24s fly a screening mission without loss.
6. 4 P-51s fly a scouting mission.
7. 4 P-51s escort photo reconnaissance aircraft over Germany.
8. 4 P-51s escort a B-17 on a "special sortie."
TACTICAL OPERATIONS
(Ninth Air Force): In Germany, 300+ B-26s and A-20s bomb the Mayen, rail bridge, Rees communications center, Solingen turbo-jet component works, Unna ordnance depot, and a target of opportunity; fighters escort the bombers, fly patrols, sweeps, and armed reconnaissance, attack bridge, railroads, and other special targets; the XIX Tactical Air Command also supports the US VIII, XII, and XX Corps W of the Prum River, E of the Sauer River, and in the Saarlautern area.
The 158th Liaison Squadron, Ninth AF (attached to Twelfth Army Group), moves from Somme-Suippe, France to Celles, Belgium with L-1s, L-4s and L-5s.
Campaign report of the RAF:
15/16 February 1945
37 Lancasters and 18 Halifaxes minelaying in Oslo Fjord and the Kattegat, 2 RCM sorties, 6 Mosquito patrols. 1 Mosquito fighter crashed in France.
16 February 1945
100 Lancasters of No 3 Group and 1 Mosquito of No 8 Group attacked the town of Wesel on the Rhine, near the fighting area. No aircraft lost. The raid took place in clear conditions and 'the town and the railway were seen to be smothered in bomb bursts'.
With thanks to the RAF and USAAF.net
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