F/S A E Egan RAAF and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Failed to Return - 25th/26th June 1943 - Avro Lancaster III - ED528 – Op Gelsenkirken.
Alan Egan enlisted in the RAAF early in WW2 and completed his basic pilot training on Tiger Moths at Benalla, Tungamah and Corowa.
He was posted to Canada in 1942 for further training at No 3 SFTS at Calgary, Alberta flying Cessnas and Ansons.
Alan then embarked to England and No 14 AFU at Ossington, Notts and No 1581 Beam Approach School at Scampton by flying Oxfords.
He was posted to 27 OTU at Church Broughton, Devon and on to 1656 HCU at Lindholme in late 1942/early 1943
In March 1943 Alan and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at Elsham Wolds.
Alan Egan left and his WOP/AG James Brown.
His crew for their tour was as follows :-
F/S AE Egan RAAF
Sgt V A M Hedges RAFVR who flew 5 of the first 6 ops, Sgt Biggs RAFVR who flew second op then Sgt JS Johnston RAFVR who flew the remainder.
F/S SB Elliott RAAF
F/S W Miller RAFVR
Sgt James Brown RAFVR – Pictured above.
Sgt Harold Alfred Horrell RAFVR
Sgt Chales Alfred Britton RAFVR
The complete tour was as follows :-
28-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – ED417 – Sgt AE Egan - Lost an engine over the target and returned on 3 engines.
03-Apr-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED389 – Sgt AE Egan
04-Apr-43 – Kiel - Lancaster – ED767 - Sgt AE Egan - Landed at Kirmington.
10-Apr-43 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – ED767 – Sgt AE Egan - Landed at Stradishall
13-Apr-43 - La Spezia – Lancaster – ED767 – Sgt AE Egan - Landed at Westcott
16-Apr-43 – Pilsen – Lancaster – ED767 – Sgt AE Egan.
26-Apr-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED773 – Sgt AE Egan - Hit by flak. PI engine, rear mainplane and flaps, windscreen, rudders and bomb doors damaged
30-Apr-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan
04-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan
12-May-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan
13-May-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan
23-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan
25-May-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan
27-May-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan
29-May-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan
11-Jun-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED769 – F/S AE Egan
12-Jun-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan
14-Jun-43 – Oberhausen – Lancaster – ED879 – F/S AE Egan – ER - 2 U/S engines
16-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED922 – F/S – AE Egan
22-Jun-43 – Mulheim – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AE Egan
24-Jun-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AE Egan
25-Jun-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AE Egan – FTR- Crashed at Bechtrup, Germany.
Alan and 2 of his comrades survived to be taken POW. The full fates of the crew are shown below.
25/06/1943 – Gelsenkirchen – ED528 – F/S AE Egan RAAF - POW
25/06/1943 – Gelsenkirchen – ED528 – Sgt JS Johnston RAFVR – POW
25/06/1943 – Gelsenkirchen – ED528 – F/S SB Elliott RAAF – 31 - Cremome, New South Wales, Australia – K - Reichswald Forest WC
25/06/1943 – Gelsenkirchen – ED528 – F/S W Miller RAFVR - POW
25/06/1943 – Gelsenkirchen – ED528 – Sgt J Brown RAFVR - 28 - Son of James and Rachel Brown, of East Saltoun, East Lothian.- K - Reichswald Forest WC
25/06/1943 – Gelsenkirchen – ED528 – Sgt HA Horrell RAFVR – K - Reichswald Forest WC
25/06/1943 – Gelsenkirchen – ED528 – Sgt CA Britton RAFVR - K - Reichswald Forest WC
...................
F/S Alan E Egan RAAF – Pilot – 103 Sqn - POW - Camps 9C/L3 – POW no 42781
Sgt JS Johnston RAFVR – Flight Engineer – 103 Sqn - POW – Camps L6/357 – POW no 179
P/O Stanley Brown Elliott RAAF – 31 – 103 Sqn - Son of Samuel and Jane Elliott, of Cremome, New South Wales, Australia - Reichswald Forest Ware Cemetery, Germany
F/S W Miller RAFVR – 103 Sqn - POW – Camps L6/357 – POW no 413.
Sgt James Brown RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner – 28 – 103 Sqn - Son of James and Rachel Brown, of East Saltoun, East Lothian - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt Harold Alfred Horrell RAFVR – Air Gunner – 103 Sqn - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt Charles Alfred Britton RAFVR – Air Gunner – 103 Sqn - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
....................
On repatriation after VE Day Alan flew Dakotas and Lancasters at unknown units. Following that he seems to have left the RAAF.
An incident not recorded in his tour is a nasty prang which took place on take off for an Air Test at Elsham Wolds. This is described in Fred Mitchell's story the Drover's Tale in the Article Section.
25-Jun-43 - Gelsenkirchen
103 Squadron detailed 24 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Gelsenkirchen. There was 10/10ths cloud wqith tops to 23000ft over the target and at first the Pathfinders sky marking was late and scattered causing some confusion and bombing on ETA or approximate position. Later crews reported the glow of fires in the clouds and two big explosions. Bombing heights were between 19000 ft and 21000 ft. 4 aircraft returned early and two failed to return – those of F/O Langille and F/S Egan.
For this attack on Gelsenkirchen Bomber Command detailed a total of 473 aircraft - 214 Lancasters, 134 Halifaxes, 73 Stirlings, 40 Wellingtons, 12 Mosquitos. This was the first raid to the city since 1941, when it had been one of Bomber Command's regular 'oil targets', although, being in the middle of the Ruhr, this town had often been hit when other targets were attacked. 30 aircraft - 13 Lancasters, 7 Halifaxes, 6 Stirlings, 4 Wellingtons - were lost, 6.3 per cent of the force.
The raid was not a success. The target was obscured by cloud and the Oboe Mosquitos, for once, failed to produce regular and accurate marking since 5 of the 12 Oboe aircraft found that their equipment was unserviceable.
….......
Lancaster - ED528
This machine gave good service being lost on its 28th operations and having no early returns. It was the mostly flown by F/S A E Kemp and crew to good effect.
18-Feb-43 – Wilhelmshaven – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
21-Feb-43 – Bremen – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
25-Feb-43 – Nuremberg – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
26-Feb-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
01-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
03-Mar-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
05-Mar-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED528 – F/O WR Crich
09-Mar-43 – Munich – Lancaster – ED528 – F/O EC Lee-Brown
11-Mar-43 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
12-Mar-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
22-Mar-43 - St Nazaire – Lancaster – ED528 – S/L JA Temperley
26-Mar-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
27-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
29-Mar-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
03-Apr-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
08-Apr-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
09-Apr-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
16-Apr-43 – Pilsen – Lancaster – ED528 – Sgt WA Steel - Hit by flak over Stuttgart and holed 15 times, bombed Stuttgart.
18-Apr-43 - La Spezia – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
20-Apr-43 – Stettin – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp - Combat. Attacked by a twin engined night fighter which was lost by evasive action. Damaged by flak over the target.
26-Apr-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
30-Apr-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
04-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED528 – F/O FVP Van Rolleghem
25-May-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
27-May-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AD Kemp
22-Jun-43 – Mulheim – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AE Egan
24-Jun-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AE Egan
25-Jun-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED528 – F/S AE Egan – FTR - Crashed at Bechtrup, Germany.
Written by David Fell with thanks to the Brown/Egan families for background details and the photos and also the late Fred Mitchell who wrote such a splendid short story featuring this crew.
....................
|
