P/O Leonard J Hinton RAAF and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1943
Failed to Return – 18/19th October 1943 – Avro Lancaster III – JB279 – Op Hanover
Leonard Hinton and crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds about late September 1943 and were lost on their 4th operation. See below :-
03-Oct-43 – Kassel – Lancaster – JB147 – F/S LJ Hinton RAAF - Coned three times. Attacked by twin engined night fighter. Gunners engaged. Claimed as probable.
04-Oct-43 – Ludwigshafen/Diversion – Lancaster – JB277 – F/S LJ Hinton RAAF – ER - Intercom and generator trouble.
08-Oct-43 – Hanover – Lancaster – JB276 – F/S LJ Hinton RAAF
18-Oct-43 – Hanover – Lancaster – JB279 – P/O LJ Hinton RAAF – FTR - Collision with another Lancaster. Crashed near Neinburg, Germany. Collided with Lancaster JB220 of 97 (Pathfinder) Squadron
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P/O Leonard John Hinton RAAF – Pilot - 23 – 103 Sqn - Son of Mr. and Mrs. L. Hinton, of Greenslopes, Queensland, Australia – Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt Thomas Frederick Stott RAFVR – 21 - 103 Sqn - Son of Herbert Reginald and Laura Stott of Leeds, Yorkshire – Runnymede War Memorial
Sgt Charles Henry Leech RAFVR – 20 - 103 Sqn - Son of Edwin and Daisy May Leech, of Clerkenwell, London – Runnymede War Memorial
Sgt Kenneth James Offer RAFVR – Air Bomber - 29 - 103 Sqn - Son of John James Offer and Gladys Rhoda Offer; husband of Doris Offer of May Bank, Staffordshire – Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Thomas Henry Davies RAFVR – 23 - 103 Sqn - Son of David and Mary Ann Davies, of Carmarthen - Runnymede War Memorial
Sgt Victor Barnett Hawkins RAFVR – Air Gunner - 24 - 103 Sqn - Son of Arthur B. S. and Louisa A. Hawkins; husband of Ethel Rose Hawkins of Shoreditch, London - Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany
Sgt Tom Bell RAFVR – Air Gunner – 103 Sqn - Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany
Edited version of the account of this incident form Oliver Clutton Brock's book - Footprints in the Sands of Time
“Hanover was the target for the heavy bombers of Bomber Command on the night of 18/19 October 1943. One of the eighteen Lancasters lost, JB220, 97 (Pathfinder) Squadron, was scheduled to be the first of the marker aircraft to arrive at the target after the visual markers had dropped their flares. The bombing run was going smoothly when the rear gunner told the pilot that he could see an aircraft coming up behind. A few seconds later there was a tremendous bang as Lancaster JB279, 103 Squadron, smashed into JB220. As the two aircraft fell to earth the bomb aimer of JB220, Flight Sergeant H.V.N. Clausen DFM, was thrown backwards and saw flames engulfing the aircraft behind me. “I grabbed for my parachute hanging on the side of the aircraft and then passed out. I came to and pulled the ripcord of my 'chute which was only fastened on one clip and hit the ground only seconds after the parachute opened.”
Soon after he had landed Norman Clausen heard gunshots and quickly disappeared into the woods minus his flying helmet and, more importantly, his boots. Despite his dishevelled appearance he managed to evade capture until 31 October, when he was found in a corn stack in a farmyard by a farmhand poking a pitchfork into it. It was only after the war that the significance of the shots that Norman had heard was understood.
Mr H R Stott, father of Sergeant T F Stott, wanted to know what had happened to his son who had no known grave. Agents employed to make enquiries on his behalf discovered that two others of Tom Stott's crew, Sergeants C.H. Leech and T:H. Davies, survived the collision but soon after capture were shot and flung into the blazing Lancaster wreckage. Neither has a known grave. It was was probably their murder that Norman Clausen had heard taking place. As for Sergeant Tom Stott it was reported that, after he had been helped by a young woman on the night of the crash, he left her next day and joined some Poles who were on a prison working party. 'They gave him food and for some reason he followed them back into their camp where he helped organise an escape:" The Germans had been tipped of about the break-out and were waiting for the escapers, one of whom was Tom. Badly beaten up he was taken to hospital but managed to escape. Nothing more was heard about him until two nurses were found who had met him on the Russian side. They said that he was dying from tuberculosis. Tom Stott has no known grave.
Years ago someone sent me a book written by Norman Clauson and published privately in Canada. It is a long time ago but I seem to recall him saying actually he saw the murder of Sgts Leech and Davies by German soldiers and them throw the bodies into the burning wreckage. Clauson was hiding in the woods nearby but was able to see quite clearly by the light from the burning aircraft.
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18-Oct-43 - Hanover
103 Squadron detailed 19 aircraft for this attack on the German city of Hanover.5 aircraft were fitted with special navigation equipment and carried a reduced incendiary load. The target was cloud covered which affected the marking and made bombing difficult. Much of it was down to the glow or deducted glow of markers. Bombing heights were between 16000 ft and 21500 ft. The raid was considered unsatisfactory. However several very large explosions were noted in the vicinity of the markers. Sgt Bellamy's gunners fired at a Ju88 attacking another Lancaster but did not observe any results. Sgt Jones was attacked by an Me110 from the port quarter which damaged his port outer engine but gunners replied and the attack was beaten off. There were several other sightings of fighters. F/S Rathbone returned early. F/S Campbell failed to take off due to last minute engine fault. W/O Loop, W/O Stevens and F/S Hinton failed to return. All others returned to base.
For this attack on Hanover Bomber Command detailed a total of 360 Lancasters. 18 Lancasters lost, 5.0 per cent of the force. The target area was covered by cloud and the Pathfinders were not successful in marking the position of Hanover. The raid was scattered, with most bombs falling in open country north and north-west of the city. This raid concluded the current series of raids on Hanover. Bomber Command had dispatched 2,253 sorties in 4 raids and 10 American B-17 sorties had also been flown. 1,976 aircraft claimed to have bombed in the target area. Only 1 raid had been completely successful but that had caused severe damage. 110 bombers were lost on the raids, 4.9 per cent of those dispatched.
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Lancaster – JB279
This machine had a short career and was mostly flown by F/O C P Ready and crew. It was lost on its 8th operation.
27-Sep-43 – Hanover – Lancaster – JB279 – F/O CP Ready
29-Sep-43 – Bochum – Lancaster – JB279 – F/O CP Ready
01-Oct-43 – Hagen – Lancaster – JB279 – F/O CP Ready
02-Oct-43 – Munich – Lancaster – JB279 – F/O CP Ready
04-Oct-43 – Ludwigshafen/Diversion – Lancaster – JB279 – F/O CP Ready
07-Oct-43 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – JB279 – Sgt JI Miller
08-Oct-43 – Hanover – Lancaster – JB279 – F/O CP Ready
18-Oct-43 – Hanover – Lancaster – JB279 – P/O LJ Hinton RAAF – FTR - Collision with another Lancaster. Crashed near Neinburg, Germany. Collided with Lancaster JB220 of 97 (Pathfinder) Squadron.
Compiled by David Fell. Photo courtesy of the Canadian Virtual War Museum
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