F/L Francis T Hopps DFC RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Failed to Return – 2/3rd December 1943 – Avro Lancaster III – JB401 – Op Berlin
Francis Hopps ( pictured above ) and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds on the 4th June 1943 from 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit. Hopps and his outstanding crew were dreadfully unlucky to be lost right at the end of an extremely hard tour of operations. They were detailed for 34 operations but two of these were early returns and on two they did not take off. See below :-
11-Jun-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – W4827 – P/O FT Hopps
12-Jun-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – W4827 – P/O FT Hopps
14-Jun-43 – Oberhausen – Lancaster – W5012 – P/O FT Hopps
16-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – ED884 – P/O FT Hopps
21-Jun-43 – Krefeld – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps
22-Jun-43 – Mulheim – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps - Did not take off
24-Jun-43 – Wuppertal – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps – Did not take off
25-Jun-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps – Early return - Aircraft failed to climb above 18000 ft.
28-Jun-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps
08-Jul-43 – Cologne – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps
09-Jul-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps – Early return - Aircraft would not climb above 15000 ft.
09-Jul-43 – Gelsenkirchen – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps – Early return - Aircraft would not climb above 15,000ft.
12-Jul-43 – Turin – Lancaster – ED913 – P/O FT Hopps - Landed at Exeter
24-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps
27-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – W4337 – P/O FT Hopps
29-Jul-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – JA957 – P/O FT Hopps
02-Aug-43 – Hamburg – Lancaster – JA957 – P/O FT Hopps
07-Aug-43 – Turin – Lancaster – JA957 – P/O FT Hopps
09-Aug-43 – Mannheim – Lancaster – JA957 – P/O FT Hopps
17-Aug-43 – Peenemunde – Lancaster – JA957 – P/O FT Hopps
22-Aug-43 – Leverkusen – Lancaster – JA957 – P/O FT Hopps
23-Aug-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JA957 – P/O FT Hopps
27-Aug-43 – Nuremberg – Lancaster – JA957 – P/O FT Hopps
29-Aug-43 – Munchengladbach – Lancaster – JA957 – P/O FT Hopps
31-Aug-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JA957 – F/L FT Hopps
05-Sep-43 – Mannheim – Lancaster – JA957 – F/L FT Hopps - Landed at Binbrook.
27-Sep-43 – Hanover – Lancaster – JA957 – F/L FT Hopps
29-Sep-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – ED888 – F/L FT Hopps
01-Oct-43 – Hagen – Lancaster – JA957 – F/L FT Hopps
02-Oct-43 – Munich – Lancaster – JB350 – F/L FT Hopps
03-Nov-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – JB350 – F/L FT Hopps
10-Nov-43 – Modane – Lancaster – JB350 – F/L FT Hopps
18-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB350 – F/L FT Hopps
22-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB350 – F/L FT Hopps
02-Dec-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB401 – F/L FT Hopps – FTR - Crashed in the target area.
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F/L Francis Thomas Hopps DFC RAFVR – Pilot - 28 – 103 Sqn – Son of John and Alice Hopps; husband of Betty Georgina Hopps of Salisbury – Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Robert Stanton Imeson RAFVR – Flight Engineer - 23 – 103 Sqn - Adopted son of Joshua M. Imeson and Ethel Imeson, of Otley, Yorkshire – Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
P/O Frederick John Roberts DFM RCAF ( pictured below ) – Navigator - 103 Sqn - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Walter Leonard Sargent RAFVR – Air Bomber - 23 – 103 Sqn - Son of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Sargent of Rostrevor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland – Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Jack Bays Daniel RAFVR – Air Gunner - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Frederick Anthony and Nora Emily Daniel of Huntington, Yorkshire – Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Roy Thomas RAFVR – Air Gunner - 22 – 103 Sqn - Husband of Irene Phyllis Thomas, of North End, Portsmouth – Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
W/O Roland Edward Black RCAF ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of John Black, and of Georgina Black of Vancouver, British Columbia Canada – Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany
P/O Frederick John Roberts DFM RCAF
W/O Roland Edward Black RCAF
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02-Dec-43 – Berlin
103 Squadron detailed 14 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Berlin. A thin layer of very low cloud covered the target area but the pathfinder marking appeared to be accurate and ground markers were clearly seen. Fighter flares were in great evidence, but heavy flak only moderate. There was much light flak and many “ scarecrows “The bombing heights were between 20000 ft and 22000 ft. F/L Ready, F/L Hopps and W/O Bellamy and crews failed to return. F/S Rathbone returned early as his rear gunners hands were frost bitten. All others returned to base except P/O Young who landed at Wittering and F/O Eddy at Kirmington
For this attack on Berlin Bomber Command detailed a total of 458 aircraft - 425 Lancasters, 18 Mosquitos, 15 Halifaxes. There were no major diversions and the bombers took an absolutely direct route across the North Sea and Holland and then on to Berlin. The Germans identified Berlin as the target 19 minutes before Zero Hour and many fighters were waiting there. Incorrectly forecast winds scattered the bomber stream, particularly on the return flight, and German fighters scored further victories here. A total of 40 bombers - 37 Lancasters, 2 Halifaxes, 1 Mosquito - were lost, 8.7 per cent of the force. 460 (Australian) Squadron lost 5 of its 25 Lancasters on this raid, including the aircraft in which two newspaper reporters were flying. These were Captain Grieg of the Daily Mail and Norman Stockton of the Sydney Sun. The inaccurate wind forecast caused great difficulties for the Pathfinders, who were not able to establish their positions correctly. The bombing photographs of the Main Force suggested that the attack was scattered over a wide area of southern Berlin and the countryside south of the city. The Berlin report confirms this but adds that some useful damage was caused in industrial areas of the eastern and western districts, with two more of the Nazi Siemens factories, a ball-bearing factory and several railway installations being badly hit. Damage elsewhere was light, only 136 buildings being destroyed.
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Lancaster - JB401
18-Oct-43 – Hanover – Lancaster – JB401 – W/O JD Warren
20-Oct-43 – Leipzig – Lancaster – JB401 – W/O JD Warren
03-Nov-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – JB401 – F/O JD Johnston
10-Nov-43 – Modane – Lancaster – JB401 – W/O JD Warren
18-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB401 – W/O JD Warren
22-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB401 – W/O JD Warren
23-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB401 – F/S ET Jones RCAF
26-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB401 – F/S ET Jones RCAF - Diverted to Croft because of bad visibility at base
02-Dec-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB401 – F/L FT Hopps – FTR - Crashed in the target area.
Item compiled by David Fell with photos from my archive and the Canadian Virtual War Museum.
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