W/O Felix F O'Hanlon RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Failed to Return – 24/25 July 1943 – Avro Lancaster I – ED878 – Op Hamburg
Above - L to R - Alfred Broadmore and Felix O’Hanlon
Felix O'Hanlon ( pictured above ) and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds early May 1943 and were lost on their 13th operation. This was another experienced 103 Squadron crew lost on the same night. One of three.
23-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED646 – Sgt FF O'Hanlon
25-May-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED646 – Sgt FF O'Hanlon
27-May-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED646 – Sgt FF O'Hanlon
29-May-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED646 – Sgt FF O'Hanlon
16-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED646 – Sgt FF O'Hanlon
21-Jun-43 – Krefeld – Lancaster – ED646 – Sgt FF O'Hanlon
22-Jun-43 – Mulheim – Lancaster – ED646 – Sgt FF O'Hanlon
24-Jun-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED646 – Sgt FF O'Hanlon
25-Jun-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED646 – Sgt FF O'Hanlon
28-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED646 – W/O FF O'Hanlon
08-Jul-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED646 – W/O FF O'Hanlon
09-Jul-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O FF O'Hanlon - Hit by flak which caused numerous holes and made one engine uhnserviceable.
24-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O FF O'Hanlon – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed in sea West of the Frisian Islands, Holland.
It is believed that this aircraft was attacked by Leutnant Gotthard Sachsenberg of 5/ NJG3 while flying at 5800 metres and crashed into the North Sea 15 kilometres north west of St. Peter Ording killing all onboard.
The O’Hanlon crew taken at OTU
L to R - Broadmore, O’Hanlon, Kilner, Bailey, Perry
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W/O Felix Francis O'Hanlon RAF – 23 – 103 Sqn - Son of Francis and Sarah Ann O'Hanlon of Mill Hill, Middlesex - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Thomas Edward Witts RAFVR ( pictured below ) – Flight Engineer - 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Frank and Annie Witts of Aston, Birmingham - Hamburg War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt George Irvine Bailey RAFVR - 19 – 103 Sqn - Son of George Thomas Bailey and Margaret Bailey of Orrell, Bootle, Lancashire - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Charles Frederick Kilner RAFVR - 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Bruce and Doris Adelaide Ada Kilner, of Little Bookham, Surrey - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Robert Leonard Perry RAFVR ( pictured below ) - 21 – 103Sqn - Son of Robert Charles and Hilda Dorothy Perry of Blandford, Dorsetshire - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt James Crane Hamilton RAFVR ( pictured below ) - 29 – 103 Sqn - Son of Peter and Mary Hamilton, of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire - Runnymede Memorial
Sgt Alfred George Broadmore RAFVR ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Alfred and Victoria Dorothy Kate Broadmore, of Smethwick, Staffordshire - Kirkeby Cemetery, Denmark
Sgt Alfred G. Broadmore was found washed ashore on the island of Romo on 2nd September and was laid to rest in Kirkeby cemetery on 3/9 1943.
Sgt Thomas Edward Witts RAFVR
Sgt Robert Leonard Perry RAFVR
Sgt James Crane Hamilton RAFVR
Sgt Alfred George Broadmore RAFVR
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24-Jul-43 – Hamburg
103 Squadron detailed 27 aircraft for this attack on the German port of Hamburg for its first big blitzing and this was a great success with the target a mass of flames. Bombing heights varied from 20000 ft to 22000 ft. The defences were disorganised by our new defensive measure, the scattering of metal strips, which upset the Nazi RDF system. There were a couple of approaches by enemy aircraft but tehse were easily avoided. One aircraft returned early and three failed to return – those of W/O Hardman. W/O O'Hanlon and F/S Moore and crews. All other aircraft returned to base.
For this attack on Hamburg Bomber Command detailed a total of 791 aircraft - 347 Lancasters, 246 Halifaxes, 125 Stirlings, 73 Wellingtons involved in the first raid of the 'Battle of Hamburg'. 12 aircraft - 4 Halifaxes, 4 Lancasters, 3 Stirlings, 1 Wellington - lost, 1.5 per cent of the force. 'Window' was used for the first time on this night. Conditions over Hamburg were clear with only a gentle wind. The marking - a mixture of H2S and visual - was a little scattered but most of the target indicators fell near enough to the centre of Hamburg for a concentrated raid to develop quickly. 728 aircraft dropped the bombs bombs in 50 minutes. Bombing photographs showed that less than half of the force bombed within 3 miles of the centre of Hamburg and a creepback 6 miles long developed. But, because Hamburg was such a large city, severe damage was caused in the central and north-western districts, particularly in Altona, Eimsbüttel and Hoheluft. The Rathaus, the Nikolaikirche, the main police station, the main telephone exchange and the Hagenbeck Zoo (where 140 animals died) were among the well-known Hamburg landmarks to be hit. Approximately 1,500 people were killed. This was the greatest number of people killed so far in a raid outside the area in which Oboe could be used.
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Lancaster - ED878
This machine flew 22 operations through the Battle of the Ruhr, mostly with George Denwood and crew, with no early returns.
28-Apr-43 - Gulf of Danzig – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
30-Apr-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
04-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
12-May-43 – Duisburg – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
13-May-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
23-May-43 – Dortmund – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
25-May-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED878 – Sgt R Dash
27-May-43 – Essen – Lancaster – ED878 – Sgt – R Dash
29-May-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED878 – Sgt R Dash
11-Jun-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
12-Jun-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
14-Jun-43 – Oberhausen – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
16-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
21-Jun-43 – Krefeld – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
22-Jun-43 – Mulheim – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
24-Jun-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O JH Ratcliffe
25-Jun-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
28-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O G Denwood
03-Jul-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O JH Ratcliffe
08-Jul-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O R Dash
09-Jul-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O FF O'Hanlon
24-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – ED878 – W/O FF O'Hanlon - FTR
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Sgt Alfred George Broadmore RAFVR and rear turret
Alfred Broadmore
Compiled by David Fell with reference to the Air War over Denmark website. With thanks to the following. The top photo was courtesy of the Broadmore family I seem to recall and also John Grice for his excellent research and photos and the Hamilton family.
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