P/O Archie T Little RAAF and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1942
Failed to Return – 2/3rd July 1942 – Vickers Wellington IC – DV611 – Op Bremen.
Above - L to R Joseph Chicoine, Tom Sadler, Thomas Elliott and Jack Edwards
Archie Little was posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds in October and was co-pilot in the crew of Canadian Johnnie Tett. This crew flew their first operation on the 22/23rd October 1941 to Le Havre and completed 12 trips with this excellent crew. He was then made captain of his own crew and completed another 9 before being lost on the 10th
04-May-42 - St Nazaire – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF
19-May-42 – Mannheim – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF
30-May-42 – Cologne – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF
01-Jun-42 – Essen – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF
02-Jun-42 – Essen – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF
05-Jun-42 – Essen – Wellington – L7819 – Sgt AT Little RAAF
06-Jun-42 – Emden – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF - Did not take off - Oil leak on starboard engine
08-Jun-42 – Essen – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF - Did not take off - Navigator taken ill
22-Jun-42 – Emden – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF
23-Jun-42 - Amelande/Dutch coast – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF - Unable to pin point drop area as could was down to below 1,000ft. Returned with mines
25-Jun-42 – Bremen – Wellington – DV596 – Sgt AT Little RAAF
02-Jul-42 – Bremen – Wellington – DV611 – P/O AT Little RAAF – FTR - Night fighter victim.
Claimed by Oblt Herbert Lutje 8/NJG1 – Crashed near Brookholt 3km North of Nordhorn (4A) at 01:40.
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P/O Archie Thomas Little RAAF – Pilot – 28 - 103 Sqn - Son of John Charles and Mary Elizabeth Little of Albury, New South Wales, Australia - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany
P/O David H Davidner RCAF – Observer – 103 Sqn - POW – Camp Marlag Ind Milag Nord Westertimke (Tarnstedt) - No 24974
See Note 1 at foot of the page for more info re P/O Davidner
Sgt Thomas Alfred Elliott RAFVR - Wireless Operator/Air Gunner - 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Tom and Constance Ellen Elliott, of Peasemore, Berkshire - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt John William Edwards RAFVR - Wireless Operator/Air Gunner – 22 - 103 Sqn - Son of John and May Edwards, of Maltby, Yorkshire - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
F/S Joseph Vincent Chicoine RCAF ( pictured below ) - Air Gunner – 30 - 103 Sqn - Son of Robert and Maria Chicoine - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany.
F/S Joseph Vincent Chicoine RCAF
Both Elliott and Chicoine were experienced aircrew having also flown regularly with Tett as was Edwards who has been a regular with several captains and had completed over 20 operations.
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02-Jul-42 – Bremen
103 Squadron detailed 5 aircraft to attack Bremen. The weather over the route was good with no cloud although there was some ground haze. Moderate heavy flak was encountered increasing in accuracy and intensity towards the end of the attack. There was also some slight light flak being aimed at searchlight cones around 9000 ft. 3 aircraft returned to base with 2 missing, those of Sgt Spooner and Sgt Little.
Bremen - 325 aircraft - 175 Wellingtons, 53 Lancasters, 35 Halifaxes, 34 Stirlings, 28 Hampdens. 13 aircraft - 8 Wellingtons, 2 Hampdens, 2 Stirlings, 1 Halifax – lost. 265 aircraft claimed to have bombed in good visibility but it is probable that much of the attack fell outside the southern borders of the town. A brief Bremen report says that more than 1,000 houses and 4 small industrial firms were damaged. 3 cranes and 7 ships in the port were also hit; 1 of the ships, the 1,736-ton steamer Marieborg sank and is recorded as having become a danger to navigation. Only 5 people were killed and 4 injured.
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Wellington DV611
This machine was lost on its 7th operation with the Squadron.
19-May-42 - St Nazaire – Wellington – DV611 – Sgt DW Spooner RAAF - Unable to find target and returned with bombs.
30-May-42 – Cologne – Wellington – DV611 – Sgt DW Spooner RAAF
01-Jun-42 – Essen – Wellington – DV611 – Sgt DW Spooner RAAF - Hit by flak
22-Jun-42 – Emden – Wellington – DV611 – Sgt DW Spooner RAAF
23-Jun-42 - Amelande/Dutch coast – Wellington – DV611 – Sgt DW Spooner RAAF
25-Jun-42 – Bremen – Wellington – DV611 – Sgt DW Spooner RAAF
02-Jul-42 – Bremen – Wellington – DV611 – P/O AT Little RAAF – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed near Brookholt 3km North of Nordhorn
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Note 1 - David Davidner RCAF - 103 Sqn
Some years ago a Canadian contact sent me copies of some correspondence he had with ex 103 Sqn Canadian Observer David Davidner.
David flew Wellingtons with 103 in 1942 and was shot down and taken prisoner on the 2/3 July 1942 Bremen. He was in the crew of P/O Archie Little RAAF. The aircraft concerned was Wellington DV611
The circumstances of this are quite remarkable and whilst possibly not unique are certainly worth a mention here. The aircraft was about 30 mins from the target when they were attacked by a night fighter. The rear gunner opened fire and the pilot commenced evasive action. There was an explosion near David's face and he reached for his parachute pack and tried unsuccessfully to hook it on to his harness. He felt the aircraft go into a turning dive and then followed a much larger explosion which shattered the aircraft and propelled David out into the night sky.
"I was somersaulting slowly through space and my eyes were shut. Needless to say the state of my mind at this point was not great. I could hear the remains of the aircraft burning and exploding either above or around me. On completion of the third somersault I opened my eyes and there above me was my parachute pack unopened. I was already on my fourth somersault and the parachute was still there. I was able to reach up and grab it which stopped my somersault and I managed to clip the parachute onto one side of my harness. I pulled the rip cord and landed at the edge of a wheat field with burning wreckage from the aircraft not far away. Physically I was unhurt but what my mental state was like I cannot answer.”
As he lay there trying to collect his wits an aircraft flew very low overhead and bombed the fires. It was probably an RAF intruder attracted by the blaze. David lay face down as two bombs exploded nearby. He then passed out. When he came to in the morning German soldiers were searching the area and he was soon found and taken to the nearby Luftwaffe airfield to begin nearly three years as a POW.
He was a very lucky man indeed to survive that. The rest of the crew were all killed and are buried at the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery. Pilot - P/O A T Little RAAF. Wireless Operator - Sgt J W Edwards RAFVR Front Gunner - Sgt T A Elliott RAFVR Rear Gunner - F/S J Chicoine RCAF The crew were on their 10th trip with Archie Little although several had flown with other pilots, P/O D M Jones being one.
Compiled by David Fell with photos from the late Derek Sadler and the Edwards family. Chicoine photo courtesy of the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
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