Raf Lancaster Serial Numbers

The Last Mission of RAF Lancaster KB 8. Home. Projects. More Chronicles. The Last Mission of RAF Lancaster KB 8. RAF 4. 34 Squadron. By Rick Thomson. The Story of The Last Mission of RAF Lancaster KB 8. The first Canadian owned aircraft with British style military serials were the handful of aircraft reserved for the first Royal Canadian Navy Air Service. In the UK Royal Air Force RAF the individual serial takes the form of two letters followed by three digits, e. BT308the prototype Avro Lancaster, or XS903. During the September 1944 Quebec Conference, Winston Churchill proposed that once Germany was defeated and the Allied attention turned towards the defeat of Japan. RAF 4. 34 Squadron. Along With Over 1. Preserved Stories of Amazing WWII RAF Aircrew Survival. Can Be Found In Author Ian Darlings New Book Release Amazing Airmen Canadian Flyers In The Second World Warwww. Amazing. Airmen. com. During the second world war on March 1. Militaria Mart features a reputable dealer directory and resource site for collectors of militaria. USAAF Serial Numbers 4250027 to 4257212 Last revised November 12, 2017. RAF Middleton St George in the Second World War, The Wartime Memories Project. Nazi Germany as the allies were driving Hitlers forces of evil into forced retreat throughout what once was the Nazis occupied fortress Europe. Seeking to cut off the vital German supply lines 1,0. Lancasters, 2. 93 Halifaxs and 3. Mosquitos of all Royal Air Force bomber groups departed for a dangerous daylight operation on the industrial city of Essen Germany. This mission is recorded historically as the second largest bombing attack of the second world war surpassed only by the 1,1. RAF daylight plane attack on Dortmund on the following day March 1. Raf Lancaster Serial Numbers' title='Raf Lancaster Serial Numbers' />Lancaster FM213 shortly after a bad landing in Trenton in January of 1952. The damage to the centre section was severe and could have been considered unsalvageable. USAAF Serial Numbers 4230032 to 4239757 Last revised September 17, 2017. The Story of The Last Mission of RAF Lancaster KB834 of RAF 434 Squadron Along With Over 18 Preserved Stories of Amazing WWII RAF Aircrew Survival. Website%20Products%20449/11044h-avro-lancaster-hd-resolution.jpg' alt='Raf Lancaster Serial Numbers' title='Raf Lancaster Serial Numbers' />It was also one of the few daylight bombing missions the RAF was to have participated in. The enormous numbers of allied aircraft that were involved in this operation was reported by Air Force veterans who took part to be some eight miles long and some five miles wide. H2. S navigational radar directed sky markers through complete cloud cover. The attack was accurate leaving Essen virtually in ruins until the American 9th Army took control over the city on April 1. This was the last RAF bombing mission on Essen which had been attacked many times in the early years of the war with such disappointing and costly results. Three RAF Lancasters were lost on this mission to Essen. Wing Commander Ralph Davenports KB 8. Squadron with all crewmen lost, FO Eric Gibbins piloting NG 2. Squadron on their 2. KB 8. 34 of 4. 34 Squadron. This is the documented story and a tribute to the aircrew of one of the Lancasters that did not return home. The Fern Crew flying Lancaster MK X serial number MK1. KB 8. 34 coded WL Y of RAF 4. Squadron 6 Group. The preserved story of The Last Mission of Lancaster KB 8. RAF 4. 34 Squadron begins on the morning of March 1. KB 8. 34 was prepared for this Essen daylight operation by Royal Air Force ground personnel at its airfield base at RAF Croft England for what was to be its final fateful mission. Lancaster aircraft were built in both England and Canada and KB 8. Mk X Lancaster identifying that it in fact was manufactured at the Victory Aircraft Plant near Toronto in Malton Ontario Canada. Windows 8 Iso 64 Bit Full Activated there. Some 4. 30 of these models were built there with the first KB 7. August 1st 1. 94. England by SL Reg Lane DSO DFC on September 1. RAF Lancaster KB 8. Call Center Scorecard Template on this page. Is Pictured Here Third From Right At RAF Croft Airfield England. The Fern Crew L to R PO Jones, FLT Rowe Background, FO Copeland, FLT Fern,FO Latremouille and FO Marceau. Absent FO Scott. Aircrews did not always fly sorties in the same Lancaster and on this March 1. Essen KB 8. 34 was manned once again by an aircrew of seven courageous and dedicated RCAFRAF airmen. FLT John Fern Pilot age 2. Christopher Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada. FLT George Rowe DFC Navigator age 2. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. FO Joe Latremouille Wireless Operator age 2. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. FO Ben Marceau Rear Gunner age 2. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. FO Gibson Scott Upper Gunner age 2. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. FO Thomas Copeland Bomb Aimer age 2. Dundalk, Ontario, Canada. PO William Jones Flight Engineer age 3. Liverpool, England. The crew were all Canadian commissioned officers serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force except the Flight Engineer 3. PO William Jones from Liverpool England who was serving with the Royal Air Force. He had served previously in 4. Squadron and was serving on his first tour. The rest of the crew were all serving on their second tours. This was a significant accomplishment for these airmen as RAF bomber losses in WW2 were staggeringly high with records indicating bomber command having suffered 5. Squadron in fact was known as the unlucky squadron for having had far higher casualty rates than the other squadrons. This was to be the Fern Crews fifth operation and their third in a row in KB 8. The following is a list of missions by the Fern Crew RAF 4. Squadron. Rear Turret Gunner FO Ben Marceau flew on ten of these eleven missions. Feb 1. 3 1. 4, 1. Feb 1. 4 1. 5, 1. Feb 2. 0 2. 1, 1. Feb 2. 1 2. 2, 1. Feb 2. 3 2. 4, 1. Feb 2. 7 2. 8, 1. Feb 2. 8, 1. 94. 5March 1, 1. March 5 6, 1. 94. March 8, 1. 94. 5March 1. Dresden. Chemnitz. Dortmund. Duisburg. Pforzheim. Mainz. Neuss. Manheim. Chemnitz. Dessau. Essen. KB 7. KB 8. 24. KB 8. NG 3. KB 8. KB 8. 34. KB 8. NG 3. 34. KB 8. KB 8. KB 8. Pilot FLT John Fern and. Flight Engineer PO William Jones. Their primary mission objective on the Essen bombing attack was to destroy the railway supply yards and railway lines in the industrial heart of Germany the city of Essen to try to prevent the transfers of munitions and materials to the German war front by enemy rail cars. RAF records state Essen was second only to the capital city of Berlin in terms of total allied bomb tonage dropped during the war. Their mission began with departure at 1. Fern Crew and Lancaster KB 8. RAF Croft runways. KB 8. 34 was powered by four Rolls Royce Packard Merlin 1,6. FLT John Fern who was highly regarded by his crew as being an experienced and excellent Lancaster pilot. After take off they positioned into flight formation within the bomber streams that totalled 1,0. RAF Aircraft that had also departed from numerous other RAF Bases throughout England. Each crewmember carefully checked over their bombers operations and equipment and their mission assignments. At this time period in WWII the Germans actually knew when there was going to be an allied bombing attack as they were able to pick up the wireless operators test transmissions before take off thus allowing the Germans to ready their defenses hours in advance of the approaching bomber streams, no doubt this was a major contributing factor in the high numbers of RAF bomber losses. Navigating on board RAF Lancaster KB 8. FLT George Rowe DFC who was one of 4,0. RAF Airmen awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal during WWII. FLT Rowe was awarded his DFC when he previously served with RAF 4. Squadron 6 Group navigating on board RAF Wellington Aircraft flying missions out of RAF Skipton on Swale. He also previously served on RAF Wellingtons with RAF 4. Easycap Dc60 Driver Xp'>Easycap Dc60 Driver Xp. Squadron 6 Group where he flew operations out of RAF Dishforth. Both of these Royal Air Force Stations were located in North Yorkshire England. Now serving on his second tour of duty FLT Navigator Rowe bravely flew on at least 4. RAF missions on RAF Wellington Halifax and Lancaster Aircraft during WWII. Navigator Rowe set their course on to Essen Germany taking KB 8. RAF bomber groups straight south over England then heading east over the straights of Dover and flying right across the English channel. This 1,0. 79 plane RAF bomber stream was the second largest sent to a target in WWII it was massive in size and strength measuring approximately 8 miles long and five miles wide. After crossing the English Channel the bomber streams traveled over northern France and Belgium climbing steadily all the way heavily loaded with their bomb loads and then into German airspace reaching their scheduled bombing altitude heights of between 1. German anti aircraft defenses.