F/S Horton S Rathbone RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Failed to Return – 20/21st December 1943 – Avro Lancaster III – JB454 – Op Frankfurt
There is a very good article about this crew in the Articles and Misc Section of this website here.
This was taken from Fleigerblatt, the newsletter of the Aircrew Association of the German Armed Forces - No. 3/2010. and was kindly translated for me by Jane Nicoll.
Horton Rathbone and his crew were transferred to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds from 83 Pathfinder Squadron in mid September 1943
Rathbone's crew flew the following operations with 103 Squadron :-
18-Oct-43 – Hanover – Lancaster – JB319 – F/S HS Rathbone – ER - Compasses US
22-Oct-43 – Kassel – Lancaster – JB319 – F/S HS Rathbone
10-Nov-43 – Modane – Lancaster – JB527 – F/S HS Rathbone
18-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB527 – F/S HS Rathbone
22-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB527 – F/S HS Rathbone
23-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB527 – F/S HS Rathbone – Early return - Aircraft became dangerously difficult to handle.
02-Dec-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB487 – F/S HS Rathbone - Rear gunners hands frost bitten
16-Dec-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB487 – F/S HS Rathbone – Early return - Leak in oxygen supply
20-Dec-43 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – JB454 – F/S HS Rathbone – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Kalbach a township between Fulda and Steinau.
Shot down at 1945 hrs near Marjoss, southeast of Steinau auf der Strasse by Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Winn of the 1/NJG2. According to survivors of the English crew of this Lancaster their gunner, Roberts, had in turn shot down Winn in his JU 88 C-6. This was the case and the night fighter crew were able to parachute to safety without injury. The Radio Operator was Unteroffizier Heinz Kroger and the Gunner was Oberfeldwebel Josef Rothuser.
..........
F/S Horton Sherwin Rathbone RAFVR – Pilot – 103 Sqn – POW – 4B - 267469
Sgt RW Howells RAFVR – Flight Engineer – 103 Sqn – POW – Camp 4B – POW no 267454
Sgt Peter George Hancock RAFVR – Air Bomber - 22 – 103 Sqn - Son of Harry Edgar and Charlotte Marie Hancock of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex - Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany
F/S Walter Stewart Blake RAFVR – Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - 30 – 103 Sqn - Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt George Chapman RAFVR – Air Gunner - 103 Sqn - Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Robert William Roberts RAFVR – Air Gunner - 103 Sqn – Son of William and Myfanwy Roberts of Liverpool - Durnbach Ware Cemetery, Germany
W/O Geoffrey Edgar Turnbull RAFVR – 103 Sqn – Son of Robert and Lucy Turnbull of South Shields, Co. Durham - POW – Camp 4B - POW no N/K - Died in captivity - Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany.
Thought to have died of TB on the 7th April 1945 whilst still a POW.
..........
20-Dec-43 - Frankfurt
103 Squadron detailed 13 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Frankfurt. This target was bombed by 10 or the 13 aircraft detailed from between 20500 ft and 23000 ft. The Pathfinders used ground target marker method with spot fire indicators en route But these appear to have been hidden to a great extent by the half low cloud cover. There were a few sightings of enemy aircraft but fighter activity does not appear to have been great. Flak was nil to moderate and many searchlights were neutralised by the cloud. The raid appear to have produced great fires but to have been a bit scattered. A very big explosion was noted however. P/O Young with port inner engine and supercharger problems, P/O Jones with rear turret electrical failure and W/O Frost with electrical failure abandoned their missions and returned. F/S Rathbone and crew failed to return. All others landed at base except P/O Young who landed at Wittering
For this attack on Frankfurt Bomber Command detailed a total of 650 aircraft - 390 Lancasters, 257 Halifaxes, 3 Mosquitos. The German control rooms were able to plot the bomber force as soon as it left the English coast and were able to continue plotting it all the way to Frankfurt. There were many combats on the route to the target. The Mannheim diversion did not draw fighters away from the main attack until after the raid was over but the return flight was quieter. 41 aircraft - 27 Halifaxes, 14 Lancasters - lost, 6.3 per cent of the force. The bombing at Frankfurt did not go according to plan. The Pathfinders had prepared a ground-marking plan on the basis of a forecast giving clear weather but they found up to 8/10ths cloud. The Germans lit a decoy fire site 5 miles south-east of the city and also used dummy target indicators. Some of the bombing fell around the decoy but part of the creepback fell on Frankfurt causing more damage than Bomber Command realized at the time. Part of the bombing somehow fell on Mainz, 17 miles to the west, and many houses along the Rhine waterfront and in southern suburbs were hit.
..........
Lancaster – JB454
This machine was lost on its 9th operation two of which were early returns and one did not take off. See below :-
18-Oct-43 – Hanover – Lancaster – JB454 – P/O MP Floyd
20-Oct-43 – Leipzig – Lancaster – JB454 – F/S H Campbell RAAF
22-Oct-43 – Kassel – Lancaster – JB454 – F/S NE West – ER - Oxygen failure.
03-Nov-43 – Dusseldorf – Lancaster – JB454 – P/O MP Floyd
10-Nov-43 – Modane – Lancaster – JB454 – F/O JD Johnston
22-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB454 – P/O MP Floyd
23-Nov-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB454 – P/O MP Floyd – ER - Intercom failure.
16-Dec-43 – Berlin – Lancaster – JB454 – W/O NH Frost – Did not take off
20-Dec-43 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – JB454 – F/S HS Rathbone – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Kalbach a township between Fulda and Steinau.
Item compiled by David Fell
....................
|
