Looking for Operation Varsity station & airfield Flying Logs or ORBs

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by brithm, Oct 8, 2020.

  1. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Looking for airfield/station Flying Logs or Operation Record Books used by both USAAF 52nd Wing and RAF 46 Group on Operation Varsity used for 6th Airborne Division.

    I assume that these documents are not available at TNA as these airfields were under the aegis of USAAF.

    Any information would be appreciated.

    52nd Wing
    Chipping Ongar
    Boreham
    Wethersfield

    RAF 46 Group
    Birch
    Gosfied
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2020
  2. BFBSM

    BFBSM Very Senior Member

    If you know the specific RAF Squadrons, THE ORBs should be available at TNA.
     
  3. JPP

    JPP Junior Member

    Here is a link Pegasus Archive web site. If you look under War Diaries in the section
    The Rhine Crossing. you will find 512 squadron amongst others. 512 Squadron took off from Gosfield.

    My Uncle Lt R S Preston,Commander18 Platoon, B Company, 2 OXF & BUCKS was on board Glider CN2 towed by a Dakota piloted by S/Ldr W.A. Mostyn-Brown of 512 Squadron. A/Cdre L. Darvall was on board the Dakota to observe events.
    This was a coup de main mission to take the bridge over the River Issel ajacent to Hamminkeln Station at the start of Operation Varsity. The glider had the port wing blown off and crashed into a wood on the East side of the river. My uncle was one of 14 KIA.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2020
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  4. JPP

    JPP Junior Member

    Just remembered that I have a copy of 512 Squadron ORB for March 1945 which I downloaded from National Archives a couple of years ago.

    Due to the limited access to the Kew site, digital records including ORBs are currently free to download
     
  5. dp_burke

    dp_burke Junior Member

  6. dp_burke

    dp_burke Junior Member

  7. Cee

    Cee Senior Member Patron

    Hi,

    I was curious about the Troop Carrier Squadrons (TCS) belonging to the American Troop Carrier Groups (TCG) that carried British Paratroopers to Germany on Op Varsity. Below are the ones I could find but no idea if they all participated in Varsity. According to The Blackjacks at War Report the 53rd TCS for example provided twenty-one C-47s of the 243 total aircraft used to transport the Paras.

    Chipping Ongar - 61 TCG - 14, 15, 53, 59 TCS
    Wethersfield - 316 TCG - 36, 37, 44, 45 TCS
    Boreham - 315 TCG - 34, 43, 309, 310 TCS


    The attached document shows the aircraft and crews belonging to the 44th Troop Carrier Squadron which took part in Op Varsity. The highlighted individual Pilot Lt. Frederick Meyer carried a 13 Parachute Battalion stick and two Para dogs in his Dakota, CN 136.

    44 TCS Varsity.jpg

    Regards ...
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2020
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  8. HighTow

    HighTow Junior Member

    You might find the 46 Group ORB useful - AIR 25/650. It doesn't contain any specific operation or flight logs but it mentions some of the logistics and planning of the detachments to Birch and Gosfield.
     
    brithm likes this.
  9. brithm

    brithm Senior Member

    Thanks for the help guys,

    I have the squadron ORBs for 46 Group just trying to confirm which Dakotas were used as 3x same RAF numbers were used by 437 and 575 for Varsity. So I am trying to confirm which Dakotas left by their RAF number; there should be a watch log confirming what time the aircraft left the airfield, pilot, operation, codename etc.

    I am also trying to find which Dakotas of 315th and 316th Troop Carrier Group dropped 6th Airborne Division.

    HighTow I will give AIR 25/650 a look as I do not have any record of it.

    Thanks Cee for 44th TCS' OO.

    brithm
     
  10. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    If you can match up aircraft numbers and crew with stick lists then you would have officially won at everything! I’ve never found the aircraft details other than which group took over 7 Para for example.
    Alex.
     
  11. Alex1975uk

    Alex1975uk Well-Known Member

    And he kept the dog and took it home apparently!
     
    Cee likes this.

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