No.582 Squadron. Lancaster III NE172 60-T

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by Drew5233, Feb 26, 2010.

  1. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Lancaster III NE172 60-T

    No.582 Squadron.

    Operation: Douai.

    14th to 15th June 1944.

    F/L J H Hewitt DFC +
    W/0 V B Crosby DFM +
    P/0 H L Wilson DFM +
    P/0 R L Clenahan DFC +
    W/0 D Flynn DFC +
    W/0 W Smith DFC +
    F/S G V Cottrell +
    F/S A Bouch DFM +

    Take off: 0024 Little Staughton similarly tasked.

    Believed to have been shot down by a night-fighter, crashing 4 km SW of Adinkerke in the Belgian Province of West-Vlaanderen, 4 km WSW of Veurne. All are buried in Coxyde Military Cemetery.

    W/0 Crosby and P/0 Wilson had won their awards while serving with 156 Squadron and details had been Gazetted on 2 June 1944. That gained by F/S Bouch was for service 582 Squadron and was not with published in the London Gazette until 25 January 1946.

    Above info kindly supplied by Nicks.
     
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  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

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  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Pilot Officer Vincent Brian Crosby DFM

    [​IMG]

    :poppy: CWGC :: Certificate :poppy:

    Sorties 32. Flying Hours 215. Flight Engineer. Air2/9148.

    This NCO has a total of 32 operational sorties to his credit, 23 of which have been with the Pathfinder Force. Flight Sergeant Crosby has proved himself most efficient as a Flight Engineer and has operated over a number of important and keenly defended targets in Europe. On one occassion, his aircraft returned from a target with two engines practically unserviceable during which this NCO admirably acquitted himself and proved his worth under extremely difficult conditions.

    By his knowledge and skill, this NCO has enabled his crew to maintain a fine bombing record. He has set a high operational example and has shown himself to be consistently reliable. I consider him most worthy of the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.

    21st February 1944.

    LG 2.6.44
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Pilot Officer Harry Louis Wilson DFM

    [​IMG]

    :poppy: CWGC :: Certificate :poppy:

    Sorties 27. Flying Hours 186. Navigator. Air2/9148

    This NCO has completed a total of 27 operational sorties, 26 of which have been with the Pathfinder Force over most of the heavily defended areas of Germany. He has at all times shown great ability and devotion to duty and has proved himself an invaluable member of his crew. As a Navigator, Flight Sergeant Wilson was largely responsible for the excellent results achieved by his crew on target marking duties.

    He has proved himself a cool and reliable worker in very trying and difficult circumstances. In view of his operational record, I consider him well worthy of the award Distinguished Flying Medal.

    21st February 1944.

    LG 2.6.44
     
  5. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  6. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  7. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  8. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  9. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Flight Sergeant Albert Bouch DFM

    [​IMG]

    :poppy: CWGC :: Certificate :poppy:

    Sorties 41. Flying Hours 246. Air Gunner. Air2/9276.

    Flight Sergeant Bouch is the rear gunner of a very good marking crew. He has taken part in 41 bombing attacks on most of the heavily defended German targets including nine of Berlin as well as on French targets and Italian targets. His cheerfulness and pleasant disposition have inspired his crew to even greater efforts and they show amazing confidence in his ability to protect the rearguard of the aircraft. He is recommended for the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.

    12th June 1944 (Award WEF 14.6.44).
    LG 25.1.46

    Remarks by Station Commander:

    This Air Gunner has made many operational trips on some of the most heavily defended areas in Germany. His high sense of devotion to duty and skill as an Air Gunner make him worthy of being recommended for the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.
     
  10. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Any further info on the above flight or crew most welcome.

    Andy
     
  11. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    The Douai raid of 14-15 June 1944

    330 aircraft - 61 Lancasters, 255 Halifaxes, 14 Mosquitos - of Nos 4, 6 and 8 Groups attacked railways at Cambrai, Douai and St Pol. All of the targets were either partially cloud-covered or affected by haze and the bombing was not completely concentrated or accurate. 3 Halifaxes and 1 Lancaster were lost, the Lancaster being the Master Bomber's aircraft at Douai.
     
  12. 156Squadron

    156Squadron Junior Member

  13. Leslie

    Leslie Member

    John Hewitt was a good friend of my father, Al Trotter, who also flew with 156 and 582 Squadrons. Dad, who is still alive, was on the sortie that fateful night. In his recently published memoirs of the war, Against the Odds, he says "On June 14 the target for our operation was the Douai Locomotive Works. My good friend and one of our notorious three regular volunteers, F/L J.H. Hewitt, DFC "John" was designated the Master Bomber.
    We took off at 0021 and the Master Bomber followed three minutes later. Our crew was designated as the Illuminator for this raid. We identified the target using H2S and marked with green TIs. The weather was 6-8/10th cloud based at ten thousand feet and visibility was moderate and hazy. We attacked at 0156 hours from ten thousand feet. We dropped twentyfour seven inch hooded yellow flares which really lit up the whole target area. At 0157hrs, we dropped our bombs. The green markers lay on track about five hundred yards apart and red TIs fell on top of each other midway between the greens. Bombing was concentrated on TIs as instructede by the Master Bomber.
    This was the last anyone heard from him. We were later told by the Squadron Commander, John's aircraft was intercepted by a night fighter over Douai and crashed killing all aboard. Two were now gone from "three muskateers". Two of my best friends and now I was the only one left of the three-some. I felt awful, very blue today, as did my crew."
     
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  14. JohnQ

    JohnQ Junior Member

    Hi,

    My mother (Marjorie Ellen) was married to Flt/Sgt G V Cottrell, my father was her second husband. I would be interested in any info about his service and other crews he was part of. I have his medals and the correspondence, telegram etc, from when they went missing. regards John Quinn (user JohnQ )
     
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  15. JohnQ

    JohnQ Junior Member

    Hi Leslie,

    My mother was married to F/Sgt G V "Tony" Cottrell who was killed with John Hewitt. I have a letter sent to my mother from John's father, Major Hewitt, after they went missing. He sent one to each crew member.

    Can you find out if this was his usual crew and anything else? He became a Pathfinder in April 1944. I attach a photo - do you know what the badge is on his lapel, is it a squadron badge.

    Kind regards John
    P.S. I will try to get a copy of your father's book
     

    Attached Files:

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  16. Erich

    Erich Senior Member

    Drew

    582 sqdn Lancaster NE 172 was shot down by a Bf 110G-4 piloted by ace Werner Hopf as his 8th victory. He flew in 8./NJG 5 and later Kommandeur of the whole of III./NJG 5 piloting a Ju 88G-6 with Neptun radar to Switzerland before the end of the war.

    the evenings actions of 3 Halis and 2 Lancs shot down by LW Nachtjäger are confirmed.

    E ~
     
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  17. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Take off: 0024 Little Staughton similarly tasked.

    To bomb rail facilities. Douai
     
  18. AlanW

    AlanW Senior Member

    John,
    The badge is an Air Gunner's brevet, he was Mid-Upper gunner. Have sent email regarding 582sqdn Operations Record Book. I have found that this crew did 11 ops with 582sqdn, this includes their last one, they were posted in on 01/04/44 but does not say where from.
    Alan
     
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  19. JohnQ

    JohnQ Junior Member

    Hi Alan,

    Thanks very much. I would very much like as much info as you have on their previous missions.

    As to the badge, I didn't mean the brevet above the breast pocket, he seems to have a roundish badge on his lapel It may be non-uniform but it looks the shape of a squadron badge.

    Best regards, John
     
  20. Leslie

    Leslie Member

    Hello John
    I have the squadron orbs for 582 and 156 Squadron which is where the crew were prior to 582. If you give me some time, I will be more than happy to review them for you and provide more details. I do believe Hewitt had the same crew on both squadrons however will confirm same when I look at the orbs. If you go to the 156 Squadron website and scroll down to the search crew database, click on it and then type in the name you wish to search it will come up with a list of all missions flown with that squadron then you can click on who flew with that person and it will list all the sorties with the full crew.

    Kind regards
    Leslie
     
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