| <Previous Page | Next Page> |
February & March 1945
On February 10th, "W/C EW Pierce led thirty-one aircraft which included six Squadron aircraft, on an ASR search to the Norwegian Coast in the hope of finding some trace of the crews missing yesterday. Although a very thorough search was carried out, no dinghies were sighted."
F/O RA (Bob) Wallace, CGM, DFC and his navigator WO JJ Temple, DFC. (PL 40760)
Things once again became quiet in the 404 areas of operations and remained that way until the end of February when three Buffalo aircraft set out on lone Rover Patrols. While on a night patrol along the south Norwegian coast in company with 455 and 489 Squadrons, P/O CN Moe and his navigator WO WA Wade located a group of four vessels near Kristiansand on 26 February. They attacked up-moon and scored several RP hits on what was thought to be a minesweeper, but it was likely the 766-ton German tanker Rogn that was damaged. F/O Jack Coyne attacked a second target in the same area and claimed four hits on the deck of a 4,000-ton merchantman. After the attack, Coyne escorted a 455 Squadron aircraft in distress back to home base. F/O Wallace in NV291 attacked vessels in a position passed on by Coyne on VHF. As a result of a torpedo strike, the 1923-ton German merchant vessel Arsterturm, who was carrying a cargo of mines, exploded and was destroyed.
March 1945
The squadron suffered another loss on 6 March when F/O WA Tustin and his navigator Wettlaufer were killed in a flying accident. Records state that the crew were participating in a fighter affiliation exercise four miles north of the control tower at Dallachy, two miles off the beach in Spey Bay. The aircraft was seen to turn over on its back and dive steeply into the water. A destroyer was nearby at the time and launched boats but neither of the crew was ever recovered.
On 8 March, nine Buffalo Beaufighters led by S/L Bobby Schoales in NE669, were part of a 49-aircraft strike force that included 144, 455 and 489 Squadrons. Their target was a convoy of six ships sheltering under the high cliff walls of a narrow fjord south of Midtgulen, near Vindapol. Five of the Buffalo aircraft concentrated their fire on the 991-ton Dutch car ferry Heimdal, which received RP hits above, and below the water. Schoales and another pilot shot up an auxiliary vessel, while F/O RC Ridge and P/O P McCartney in "L" NV427 attacked the largest ship in the group. Hit by flak with one engine on fire, the plane was last seen flying up the fjord and failed to return to base. Cliff Ridge
and McCartney, his RAF navigator, had been with No. 404 for exactly one year and were nearing the end of their tour. They had twelve strikes to their credit on 46 sorties . Ridge was later posthumously awarded the DFC for valorous actions.
P/O Peter McCartney, DFC, navigator and F/L RC 'Cliff' Ridge, DFC, stand on the wing of their Beaufighter, 'U' for Uncle. This photo was taken in December 1944. PL 41454
Post war records indicate that two German merchant vessels were damaged in the attack, the 4124-ton Phoenicia, and the 3764-ton Alsterdamm .(Photo left shows one of the vessels being attacked.)
Four days later, the squadron dispatched six aircraft to knock out three lighthouses on Vaagso Island. It must have seemed a strange task to the attacking aircrew, but to put the light houses out of commission could possibly force the enemy merchant vessels to stay more out to the open sea rather than risking running aground. Though it may seem that this would be a simple task now, it must be remembered that these important navigation aids were heavily defended with anti-aircraft sites.
The formation split into three teams of two aircraft each - one team per lighthouse. W/C EW Pierce and F/L JBA Stewart tackled the lighthouse at Skongsnaes on the island's northeastern tip. Stewart suffered considerable damage when one of the rockets he fired struck a ridge of rock in front of the target and threw up a shower of debris that struck the aircraft. F/L JL Rancourt and F/O JB Bedell attacked a second target, the North Vaagso light. Though the attack results could not be seen due to evasive flying from a cliff in the target area, the red sector light was extinguished. F/L LA Bolli and F/O DA Catrano attacked the Krakenes light on the northwestern point of the island. Even though the crews were met with a considerable barrage of flak, smoke and dust were seen rising over the site afterward, evidence that the attacks were successful.
F/L Hugh F Watlington, DFM on his second tour of operations, won his DFM in Malta in the early days of the war when he was flying Beaufort Torpedo Bombers. Now, flying Beaufighters with the Buffaloes, he is completing his second tour on anti-shipping operations in a different theatre of war. F/L Watlington comes from Bermuda. (Original write up for PL 40769)
Between flights, some members of the squadron had been putting their time into an amateur theatrical group that came to be known as the Dallachy Minstrels. On March 20 they had their dress rehearsals in the evening and the next day they gave their first performance. This highly successful engagement marked the official opening of the station's new concert hall. Never let it be said that the members of 404 Squadron were not talented.
On 24 March, six Buffalo crews participated in another large formation strike including 144, 455 and 489 Squadrons. The attacking force of 44 aircraft included Beaufighters, Mustangs from 65 Squadron and two Warwicks from 269 Squadron. The force found its quarry described as three merchant and three escort vessels at Egersund Harbour in southern Norway. Diving through the curtain of intense barrage that the vessels and shore batteries threw at them, the squadron, led by S/L Christison, DFC and Bar, in "R" NV428, opened the attack and had to break off due to taking accurate flak, seriously damaging his aircraft. He passed control of the attack to his number two, F/O 'Pat' Flynn who immediately engaged an escort vessel and saw the ship take direct hits, likely sinking it. Two merchant vessels were sunk as a result of the attacks, the 2788-ton German vessel Thetis and the 1116-ton Norwegian Sarp. One escort, the 550-ton Auxiliary Trawler/Sub Chaser UJ.1435 Malangen was sunk. A third merchant vessel, the 1011-ton Oberprasident Delbruck was verified as being damaged. The three sunken vessels were raised after the war.
This was a devastating mission for the Buffalo Squadron with the loss of two crews. It is likely that the flak barrage suffered by the attacking aircraft was radar controlled and extremely accurate. Christison's aircraft was hit by flak in the starboard engine and his navigator, F/L FJ Toon, DFC, was wounded. He radioed that he would have to ditch. Christison's aircraft was seen to enter the water approximately 10 miles off the coast. Pat Flynn circled his comrade and saw someone climb into the raft after the perfect ditching. Even though one of the crew likely survived the ditch and was relatively close to shore, he was never found. The Air Sea Rescue aircraft "Warwicks unable to land to assist the airmen due to proximity to shore. The positions were broadcasted to the enemy." The German army units on shore close to the ditching location were known during the war to treat downed aircrew harshly and we cannot discount the possibility that the airman suffered a similar fate. Norwegian war researchers can find no record of the aircrews fates, but the currents in the waters of the area could easily have carried the dinghy well out to sea. The loss of such an 'old hand' in Coastal Command was a severe blow to the Squadron. Christison was on his second tour, had completed 31 missions and had been awarded the DFC and Bar for his gallant efforts against the enemy. Sadly, he had been recommended to be 'tour-expired', and was one of the Buffalo originals, having joined the unit as a pilot sergeant in May 1941.
 |
Another Buffalo aircraft, NE399 flown by F/O LR Aljoe and F/S CE Orser, was also forced down near the coast. The crew, "ditched so skillfully that (the crew) were seen safe in their dinghy and waving as our aircraft left." Later, Orser's body was recovered and interred at Sola, Norway. How this crew, who survived the ditch, were killed is not known.
F/Sgt CE Orser, navigator, and P/O LR Aljoe, pilot. Both were lost during the 24 March 1945 strike. (PL 42936)
A third 404 Beaufighter had a close call when it was struck by flak, which damaged the leading edge of the main plane and threw the aircraft over on its side. The pilot, F/O Jack Coyne, righted the Beau and continued his attack. He made a picture perfect landing upon return to the base. Coyne received the DFC for the bravery he displayed on this mission, as well as other attacks that he had participated in. F/O Pat Flynn was also decorated with the DFC for his part in this attack, when he attacked a vessel with his rockets. The vessel was destroyed.