In Memoriam Ronald Douglas Hales
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RONALD DOUGLAS HALES,
born 20 September 1923, entered the School in September 1935, and left in
December 1937 to train as an Engineer at Slough, Bucks.
In 1942 he volunteered for Air Crew in the Royal Air
Force and served as a Rear Gunner in a Lancaster. He was killed during an
operational flight over France in June 1944. He was buried in the communal
grave of the cemetery at Bonnalles, near Paris.
He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. S. M. Hales, 14 Thrift
Street, Higham Ferrers.
'In Memoriam' book
Member of 15 Squadron and 3 Group
Without access to Ronald’s war
record we do not know when exactly Ronald joined. Whilst it is unlikely that
he took part in the first ‘thousand Bomber Raid, it is not
impossible, Dowding sent every plane even if they were manned by half trained crews:
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The first Thousand Bomber Raid:
Cologne on
30/31 May 1942
1,047 aircraft were dispatched, this number being made up as
follows:
1 Group - 156 Wellingtons.
3 Group - 134 Wellingtons,
88 Stirlings
= 222 aircraft
4 Group - 131 Halifaxes,
9 Wellingtons, 7 Whitleys = 147 aircraft,
5 Group - 73
Lancasters,
46 Manchesters, 34 Hampdens = 153 aircraft
91 (OTU) Group - 236
Wellingtons, 21 Whitleys = 257 aircraft
92 (OTU) Group - 63 Wellingtons,
45 Hampdens = 108 aircraft
Flying Training Command - 4 Wellingtons.
Aircraft totals: 602 Wellingtons,
131 Halifaxes, 88 Stirlings,
79 Hampdens, 73 Lancasters,
46 Manchesters, 28 Whitleys = 1,047 aircraft
However, if trained in time, then Ronald would certainly have been
involved in most of the raids his squadron was selected for in the autumn
months of 42 (Squadron 15 flew Stirlings). With virtually daily mass raids
squadron’s were continually being called upon. |
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For a more detailed account of the
Bomber Command raids Hales may have flown in
click here, or, better check the Bomber Command diary. Note:
simply change the month and date at the end of the following address:
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/jun44.html
Towards the end of 1942, bombing
raids on Germany were frequent.
3/4 September 1942
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Emden
11 aircraft - 7 Wellingtons, 3 Stirlings,
1 Halifax - dispatched
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4/5 September 1942
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Bremen
251 aircraft - 98 Wellingtons, 76 Lancasters,
41 Halifaxes, 36 Stirlings.
12 aircraft - 7 Wellingtons, 3 Lancasters,
1 Halifax, 1 Stirling
- lost, 4.8 per cent of the force.
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6/7 September 1942
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Duisburg
207 aircraft of 6 types. Lost 8 aircraft - 5 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 1
Stirling
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8/9 September 1942
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Frankfurt
249 aircraft of 5 types. 5 Wellingtons and 2 Halifaxes lost
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10/11 September 1942
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Düsseldorf
479 aircraft - 242 Wellingtons, 89
Lancasters, 59 Halifaxes, 47
Stirlings,
28 Hampdens, 14 Whitleys. Training aircraft of 91, 92 and 93 Groups took
part in this raid. 33 aircraft - 20 Wellingtons, 5
Lancasters,
4 Stirlings,
3 Halifaxes, 1 Hampden - lost
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Such raids continued throughout
1943.
25/26 October 1943
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23
Stirlings minelaying in the
Kattegat without loss
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10/11 November 1943 |
7
Stirlings minelaying in the River Gironde and off La Pallice, |
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18/19 November 1943 |
The ‘Battle of Berlin’
begins. Major diversionary raid on Mannheim and Ludwigshafen
by 395 aircraft - 248 Halifaxes, 114 Stirlings,
33 Lancasters - of Nos 3, 4, 6
and 8 Groups. |
19/20 November 1943
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Leverkusen
bombed by 266 aircraft - 170 Halifaxes, 86
Stirlings, 10 Mosquitos - of
Nos 3,4,6 and 8 Groups. Only 4 Halifaxes
and 1 Stirling - 1.9 per cent of the force – lost
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22/23 November 1943
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Berlin
attacked by 764 aircraft - 469 Lancasters,
234 Halifaxes, 50 Stirlings,
11 Mosquitos. This was the greatest force sent to Berlin so far but
it was also the last raid in which Stirlings
were sent to Germany.
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In December 1943 Ronald’s squadron
was re-equipped with Lancasters. By March, Ronald he would have
been a rear gunner in some of the large raids over Germany.
24/25 March 1944
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Berlin
811 aircraft - 577 Lancasters,
216 Halifaxes, 18 Mosquitos - to Berlin. 72 aircraft - 44
Lancasters,
28 Halifaxes - lost, 8.9 per cent of the force. This was the last
major RAF raid on Berlin during the war
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25/26 March 1944
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192 aircraft - 92 Halifaxes, 47
Lancasters,
37 Stirlings,
16 Mosquitos - attacked railway yards at Aulnoye in France. No aircraft
lost. 22 Lancasters
of No 5 Group to an aero-engine factory at Lyons,
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26/27 March 1944
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Essen:
705 aircraft - 476 Lancasters,
207 Halifaxes, 22 Mosquitos.
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29/30 March
1944 |
19
Lancasters of No 5 Group to the
aero-engine factory at Lyons, which was bombed accurately. |
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30/31 March
1944 |
795 aircraft were
dispatched - 572 Lancasters, 214
Halifaxes and 9 Mosquitos. The German controller ignored all the diversions
and assembled his fighters at 2 radio beacons which happened to be astride
the route to Nuremberg. The first fighters appeared just before the
bombers reached the Belgian border and a fierce battle in the moonlight
lasted for the next hour. 82 bombers were lost on the outward route and near
the target.
95 bombers were
lost in all - 64 Lancasters and 31
Halifaxes, 11.9 per cent of the force dispatched.
It was the biggest Bomber Command loss of the war. |
Ronald’s plane was shot down
on the 7/8 June 1944 in support of the D
Day Invasion; if he had simply been
shot on board, his body would have been returned to the UK.
Ronald Hales is buried in Viroflay New Communal Cemetery in France.
337 aircraft - 195
Halifaxes, 122 Lancasters, 20 Mosquitos - attacked railway
targets at Achères, Juvisy, Massey Palaiseau and Versailles.
Bombing conditions were better than on the previous night. All targets were
accurately bombed and, although no details are available, it is probable that
fewer civilians were killed. The targets were mostly more distant from the
battle front than those recently attacked and German night fighters had more
time to intercept the bomber forces. 17 Lancasters and 11 Halifaxes were
lost, 8.3 per cent of the forces involved.
Bomber Command: http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/jun44.html
Sources used:
Squadron Information:
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/h15.html
Bomber Command
Diary eg: http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/jun44.html
Bomber Command Diary
Information culled from Bomber Command ‘Diary’ covering the end of May
and June 1942, when the first 1000 bomber raid was carried out, September and
October 1943 just before Stirlings were replaced by Lancasters. and January to
March 1944 after No 15 squadron had changed from
Stirlings to Lancasters. In
each month, the raids selected were those using the make of plane that No 15
squadron flew.
Ronald's squadron is flying Stirlings
30/31 May 1942
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The Thousand Bomber Raid,
Cologne 1,047 aircraft were dispatched, this number being made up as
follows: 1 Group - 156 Wellingtons
3 Group - 134 Wellingtons, 88 Stirlings
= 222 aircraft 4 Group - 131 Halifaxes,
9 Wellingtons, 7 Whitleys = 147 aircraft 5 Group - 73
Lancasters,
46 Manchesters, 34 Hampdens = 153 aircraft 91 (OTU) Group - 236
Wellingtons, 21 Whitleys = 257 aircraft 92 (OTU) Group - 63 Wellingtons,
45 Hampdens = 108 aircraft Flying Training Command - 4 Wellingtons.
Aircraft totals: 602 Wellingtons,
131 Halifaxes, 88 Stirlings,
79 Hampdens, 73 Lancasters,
46 Manchesters, 28 Whitleys = 1,047 aircraft
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1/2 June 1942
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Essen
This was the second raid carried out by
the 'Thousand Force' although the full 1,000 aircraft could not be provided
on this night. 956 aircraft were dispatched: 545 Wellingtons, 127 Halifaxes,
77 Stirlings,
74 Lancasters,
71 Hampdens, 33 Manchesters and 29 Whitleys. The plan was similar to the
recent raid on Cologne except that many more flares were dropped by the raid
leaders, Wellingtons of 3 Group. Crews experienced great difficulty in
finding the target; the ground was covered either by haze or a layer of low
cloud. Bombing was very scattered.
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2/3 June 1942
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Essen
195 aircraft - 97 Wellingtons, 38
Halifaxes, 27 Lancasters,
21 Stirlings,
12 Hampdens. 14 aircraft - 7 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 2
Lancasters,
2 Stirlings,
1 Hampden - lost.
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3/4 June 1942
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Bremen
170 aircraft of all standard types were
dispatched on the first large raid to Bremen since October 1941. 11 aircraft
- 4 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 2 Lancasters,
2 Stirlings,
1 Manchester - lost.
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5/6 June 1942
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Essen
180 aircraft - 98 Wellingtons, 33
Halifaxes, 25 Stirlings,
13 Lancasters,
11 Hampdens. 12 aircraft - 8 Wellingtons, 2
Stirlings, 1 Halifax, 1 Lancaster
-lost. This was another failure, with bombing being scattered over a wide
area. Essen suffered minor property damage, 10 people killed and 68 injured.
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6/7 June 1942
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Emden
233 aircraft - 124 Wellingtons, 40
Stirlings,
27 Halifaxes, 20 Lancasters,
15 Hampdens, 7 Manchesters - on the first large raid on this target since
November 1941. 9 aircraft - 3 Manchesters, 3 Wellingtons, 2
Stirlings,
1 Halifax - lost.
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8/9 June 1942
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Essen
170 aircraft - 92 Wellingtons, 42
Halifaxes, 14 Stirlings,
13 Lancasters,
9 Hampdens. 19 aircraft - 7 Wellingtons, 7 Halifaxes, 3
Lancasters,
1 Hampden, 1 Stirling - lost. Yet again, this target was not identified
accurately and bombing was scattered over a wide area. Essen suffered
further light housing damage, 13 people killed and 42 injured.
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9/10 June 1942
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Minelaying:
54 aircraft to the Frisian Islands and off Swinemünde in the Baltic.
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11/12 June 1942
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Minelaying:
91 aircraft to the Frisian Islands and off Swinemünde. 4 aircraft - 2
Lancasters,
1 Stirling, 1 Wellington - lost.
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16/17 June 1942
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Essen
106 aircraft - 40 Wellingtons, 39
Halifaxes, 15 Lancasters,
12 Stirlings.
8 aircraft - 4 Halifaxes, 3 Wellingtons, 1 Stirling- lost. Only 16 crews
reported that they had identified Essen; 56 bombed alternative targets, 45
of them attacking Bonn. Essen reports only 3 high-explosive and 400
incendiary bombs in the city with one person being wounded. This raid
concluded the series of 5 raids on Essen in 16 nights. 1,607 sorties had
been dispatched and 84 aircraft (5.2 per cent) lost. No industrial damage
was caused in Essen on any of these raids; a few houses were destroyed and
38 civilians were killed. Essen would not be visited in strength for 3
months.
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17/18 June 1942
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Minor Operations:
27 Stirlings
and Wellingtons to St Nazaire but only 6 aircraft bombed, in poor weather,
46 aircraft minelaying off St Nazaire and in the Frisians, 2
Stirlings
on leaflet flights. No losses.
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18/19 June 1942
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Minelaying:
65 aircraft to Lorient and the Frisian Islands. 1 Hampden lost.
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19/20 June 1942
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Emden
194 aircraft - 112 Wel1ingtons, 37
Halifaxes, 25 Stirlings,
11 Hampdens, 9 Lancasters.
9 aircraft - 6 Wel1ingtons, 2 Stirlings,
1 Halifax -lost. 131 crews claimed to have bombed Emden. Bombing
photographs showed that part of the flare force started a raid on Osnabrück,
80 miles from Emden, in which 29 aircraft eventual1y joined. Emden recorded
only 5 high-explosive bombs and 200-300 incendiaries with no damage or
casualties.
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20/21 June 1942
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Emden
185 aircraft of 5 types. 8 aircraft - 3
Wel1ingtons, 2 Stirlings,
1 Halifax, 1 Lancaster - lost. Only part of the bomber force identified the
target. Emden reports about 100 houses damaged and 1 person injured.
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22/23 June 1942
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Emden
227 aircraft - 144 Wellingtons, 38
Stirlings,
26 Halifaxes, 11 Lancasters,
8 Hampdens. 6 aircraft - 4 Wellingtons, 1 Lancaster, 1 Stirling - lost.
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23/24 June 1942
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Minor Operations:
14 Wellingtons and
Stirlings
to St Nazaire but only 3 crews found and bombed the target, 52 aircraft
minelaying off Lorient, Verdon and St Nazaire and in the Frisians,
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24/25 June 1942
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St Nazaire
1 aircraft. No losses.
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25/26 June 1942
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Bremen
The 'Thousand Force' was reassembled for
this raid, although only 960 aircraft became available for Bomber Command
use. Every type of aircraft in Bomber command was included, even the Bostons
and Mosquitos of 2 Group which, so far, had only been used for day
operations. The force was composed as follows: 472 Wellingtons, 124
Halifaxes, 96 Lancasters,
69 Stirlings,
51 Blenheims, 50 Hampdens, 50 Whitleys, 24 Bostons, 20 Manchesters and 4
Mosquitos.
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27/28 June 1942
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Bremen
144 aircraft - 55 Wellingtons, 39
Halifaxes, 26 Stirlings,
24 Lancasters.
9 aircraft - 4 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 2
Lancasters, 1 Stirling - lost.
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28/29 June 1942
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Minor
Operations 14 aircraft to St Nazaire, 4
Lancasters
minelaying in the River Gironde, 1 Stirling on leaflet flight. 1 Stirling on
the St Nazaire raid was lost.
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29 June 1942
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12 Bostons bombed railway yards at
Hazebrouck without loss. 1 of the Bostons was manned by Captain Kegelman and
his all-American crew, the first Americans of the Eighth Air Force to take
part in a bomber operation. Their hosts were 226 Squadron at Swanton Morley.
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29/30 June 1942
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Bremen
253 aircraft - 108 Wellingtons, 64
Lancasters,
47 Stirlings,
34 Halifaxes - dispatched, the first time that 4-engined bombers provided
more than half of the force on a major raid. 11 aircraft - 4
Stirlings,
4 Wellingtons, 3 Halifaxes - were lost. The Bremen report shows that 48
houses were destroyed and 934 damaged, mostly lightly. Extensive damage
occured in 5 important war industries, including the Focke-Wulf factory and
the A.G. Weser U-boat construction yard, and at the local gasworks, a museum
and a merchant-navy college. Most of this damage was caused by fire.
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Ronald's squadron is flying Stirlings
1/2 September 1942
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Saarbrücken
231 aircraft of 5 types. 4 aircraft - 1
Halifax, 1 Lancaster, 1 Stirling,
1 Wellington - lost
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2/3 September 1942
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Karlsruhe
200 aircraft of 5 types with 4 Group Halifaxes now back on major operations.
8 aircraft - 4 Wellingtons, 2 Lancasters,
1 Halifax, 1 Stirling
- lost
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3/4 September 1942
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Emden 11 aircraft - 7 Wellingtons, 3
Stirlings,
1 Halifax - dispatched
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4/5 September 1942
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Bremen
251 aircraft - 98 Wellingtons, 76 Lancasters,
41 Halifaxes, 36 Stirlings.
12 aircraft - 7 Wellingtons, 3 Lancasters,
1 Halifax, 1 Stirling
- lost, 4.8 per cent of the force.
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6/7 September 1942
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Duisburg
207 aircraft of 6 types. Lost 8 aircraft - 5 Wellingtons, 2 Halifaxes, 1
Stirling
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8/9 September 1942
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Frankfurt
249 aircraft of 5 types. 5 Wellingtons and 2 Halifaxes lost
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10/11 September 1942
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Düsseldorf
479 aircraft - 242 Wellingtons, 89
Lancasters, 59 Halifaxes, 47
Stirlings,
28 Hampdens, 14 Whitleys. Training aircraft of 91, 92 and 93 Groups took
part in this raid. 33 aircraft - 20 Wellingtons, 5
Lancasters,
4 Stirlings,
3 Halifaxes, 1 Hampden - lost
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13/14 September 1942
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Bremen Training aircraft from 0.T.U.s were
again included in the 446 aircraft dispatched. 21 aircraft - 15 Wellingtons,
2 Lancasters,
1 Halifax, 1 Hampden, 1 Stirling,
1 Whitley - were lost, 41 per cent of the force.
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14/15 September 1942
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Wilhelmshaven 22 aircraft of 5 types. 2
Wellingtons were the only aircraft lost.
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15/16 September 1942
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Minelaying: 27 Wellingtons and 13
Stirlings
of 1 and 3 Groups were minelaying in the Frisian Islands and off Verdon
without loss.
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16/17 September 1942
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Essen 369 aircraft, including aircraft
from the training groups. 39 aircraft - 21 Wellingtons, 9
Lancasters,
5 Stirlings,
3 Halifaxes, 1 Whitley - lost, 10.6 per cent of the force.
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18/19 September 1942
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Minelaying: 115 aircraft to many locations
between Lorient and Danzig. 5 aircraft - 2
Lancasters, 2
Stirlings,
1 Wellington - lost.
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19/20 September 1942 |
Saarbrücken 118 aircraft
- 72 Wellingtons, 41 Halifaxes, 5 Stirlings.
3 Wellingtons and 2 Halifaxes lost, 4.2 per cent of the force. Munich
68 Lancasters and 21
Stirlings, 3
Lancasters and 3 Stirlings
lost, 6.7 per cent of the force. |
23/24 September 1942
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Vegesack
24 Stirlings
of 3 Group; 1 lost. 25 Wellingtons
and 8 Stirlings
of 1 and 3 Groups minelaying at
many places between Biscay and Denmark. 2 Wellingtons lost.
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26/27 September 1942
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52 Wellingtons and 19
Stirlings
minelaying in the Frisians and off Denmark. 1 Wellington lost.
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30 September/1 October 1942
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20 Wellingtons and 5
Stirlings
minelaying off Texel and in the Frisians.
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Ronald's squadron is flying Stirlings
3/4 October 1943
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Kassel: 547 aircraft - 223 Halifaxes, 204
Lancasters,
113 Stirlings,
7 Mosquitos.
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4/5 October 1943
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406 aircraft - 162
Lancasters,
170 Halifaxes, 70 Stirlings,
4 Mosquitos raided Frankfurt.
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8/9 October 1943 |
119 aircraft - 95
Stirlings, 17 Halifaxes, 7
Lancasters of 3 and No 8 Groups
to Bremen. |
17/18 October 1943
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8 Mosquitos to Berlin, 2 to Aachen, 2 to
Hamborn, 54 Stirlings
and Wellingtons minelaying in the Frisians and off Biscay ports
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25/26 October 1943
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23
Stirlings minelaying in the
Kattegat without loss
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10/11 November 1943 |
7
Stirlings minelaying in the River Gironde and off La Pallice, |
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18/19 November 1943 |
The ‘Battle of Berlin’
begins. Major diversionary raid on Mannheim and Ludwigshafen
by 395 aircraft - 248 Halifaxes, 114 Stirlings,
33 Lancasters - of Nos 3, 4, 6
and 8 Groups. |
19/20 November 1943
|
Leverkusen
bombed by 266 aircraft - 170 Halifaxes, 86
Stirlings, 10 Mosquitos - of
Nos 3,4,6 and 8 Groups. Only 4 Halifaxes
and 1 Stirling - 1.9 per cent of the force - lost
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22/23 November 1943
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Berlin
attacked by 764 aircraft - 469 Lancasters,
234 Halifaxes, 50 Stirlings,
11 Mosquitos. This was the greatest force sent to Berlin so far but
it was also the last raid in which Stirlings
were sent to Germany.
|
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26/27 November 1943 |
19
Stirlings and 14 Wellingtons minelaying off Texel and in the
Frisians, |
December – not shown because No 16 Squadron
was re-equipped with Lancasters and would have had to be retrained.
Ronald's squadron is flying Lancasters
1/2 January 1944
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421
Lancasters despatched to Berlin.
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4/5 January 1944
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80 aircraft - 57
Stirlings,
12 Mosquitos, 11 Lancasters
- to two flying bomb sites
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5/6 January 1944
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348
Lancasters and 10 Halifaxes in the
first large raid on Stettin since September 1941.
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14/15 January 1944
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496
Lancasters and 2 Halifaxes on the
first major raid to Brunswick of the war. 38
Lancasters
lost, 7.6 per cent of the force. The German running commentary was heard
following the progress of the bomber force from a position only 40 miles
from the English coast and many German fighters entered the bomber stream
soon after the German frontier was crossed near Bremen. The German fighters
scored steadily until the Dutch coast was crossed on the return flight
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20/21 January 1944
|
769 aircraft - 495
Lancasters,
264 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos - to Berlin. 35 aircraft - 22 Halifaxes, 13
Lancasters
- lost, 4.6 per cent of the force.
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21/22 January 1944
|
648 aircraft - 421
Lancasters,
224 Halifaxes, 3 Mosquitos - on the first major raid to Magdeburg. The
German controller again followed the progress of the bomber stream across
the North Sea and many night fighters were in the stream before it crossed
the German coast.
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25/26 January 1944
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76 aircraft - 56
Stirlings,
12 Lancasters,
8 Mosquitos - attacked flying bomb sites in the Pas de Calais and near
Cherbourg without loss.
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27/28 January 1944
|
515
Lancasters and 15 Mosquitos
despatched to Berlin.
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28/29 January 1944
|
Berlin: 677 aircraft - 432
Lancasters,
241 Halifaxes, 4 Mosquitos.
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30/31 January 1944
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534 aircraft - 440
Lancasters,
82 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos - to Berlin.
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8/9 February 1944
|
12
Lancasters of No 617 Squadron, led
by its new commanding officer Wing Commander Leonard Cheshire, attacked the
Gnome & Rhone aero-engine factory at Limoges in France.
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12/13 February 1944
|
10
Lancasters of No 617 Squadron
attempted to bomb the Anthéor Viaduct, an important railway link between
France and Italy but, as on two earlier raids, were not successful despite
low-level runs by Wing Commander Cheshire and Squadron Leader Martin.
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15/16 February 1944
|
After a rest of more than 2 weeks for the
regular bomber squadrons, 891 aircraft - 561
Lancasters,
314 Halifaxes, 16 Mosquitos - were dispatched to Berlin. This was the
largest force sent to Berlin and the largest non-1,000 bomber force sent to
any target, exceeding the previous record
of 826 aircraft (which included Stirlings
and Wellingtons) sent to Dortmund on the night of 23/24 May 1943
|
19/20 February 1944
|
Leipzig:
823 aircraft - 561 Lancasters,
255 Halifaxes, 7 Mosquitos. 78 aircraft - 44
Lancasters
and 34 Halifaxes - lost, 9.5 per cent of the force. The Halifax loss rate
was 13.3 per cent of those dispatched and 14.9 per cent of those Halifaxes
which reached the enemy coast after ‘early returns’ had turned back.
The Halifax IIs and Vs were permanently withdrawn from operations to
Germany after this raid.
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20/21 February 1944
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598 aircraft - 460
Lancasters,
126 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos - to Stuttgart.
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24/25 February 1944
|
734 aircraft - 554
Lancasters,
169 Halifaxes, 11 Mosquitos - carried out the first Bomber Command raid on
Schweinfurt, home of Germany's main
ball-bearing factories.
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25/26 February 1944
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594 aircraft - 461
Lancasters,
123 Halifaxes, 10 Mosquitos - on the first large raid to Augsburg.
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1/2 March 1944
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Stuttgart:
557 aircraft - 415 Lancasters,
129 Halifaxes, 13 Mosquitos.
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7/8 March 1944
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304 aircraft - 242 Halifaxes, 56
Lancasters,
6 Mosquitos - of Nos 3, 4, 6 and 8
Groups to Le Mans.
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9/10 March 1944
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44
Lancasters of No 5 Group attacked
an aircraft factory at Marignane
near Marseilles
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10/11 March 1944
|
102
Lancasters of No 5 Group carried
out moonlight raids on 4 factories in France
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15/16 March 1944
|
863 aircraft - 617
Lancasters,
230 Halifaxes, 16 Mosquitos - ordered to attack Stuttgart. 22 Lancasters
of No 5 Group to an aero-engine factory at Woippy,
near Metz.
|
|
16/17 March 1944 |
21
Lancasters of No 5 Group, mostly from 617 Squadron, carried out a
successful precision attack on the Michelin tyre factory at Clermont-Ferrand.
No aircraft lost. |
18/19 March 1944
|
846 aircraft - 620
Lancasters,
209 Halifaxes, 17 Mosquitos - to Frankfurt.
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20/21 March 1944
|
20
Lancasters of No 5 Group - 14 from
No 617 Squadron
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22/23 March 1944
|
Frankfurt:
816 aircraft - 620 Lancasters,
184 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos.
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23/24 March 1944
|
20
Lancasters of No 5 Group, including
No 617 Squadron, bombed an aero-engine factory near Lyons
without loss.
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24/25 March 1944
|
Berlin
811 aircraft - 577 Lancasters,
216 Halifaxes, 18 Mosquitos - to Berlin. 72 aircraft - 44
Lancasters,
28 Halifaxes - lost, 8.9 per cent of the force. This was the last
major RAF raid on Berlin during the war
|
25/26 March 1944
|
192 aircraft - 92 Halifaxes, 47
Lancasters,
37 Stirlings,
16 Mosquitos - attacked railway yards at Aulnoye in France. No aircraft
lost. 22 Lancasters
of No 5 Group to an aero-engine factory at Lyons,
|
26/27 March 1944
|
Essen:
705 aircraft - 476 Lancasters,
207 Halifaxes, 22 Mosquitos.
|
|
29/30 March 1944 |
19
Lancasters of No 5 Group to the aero-engine factory at Lyons,
which was bombed accurately. |
|
30/31 March 1944 |
795 aircraft were dispatched -
572 Lancasters, 214 Halifaxes and 9
Mosquitos. The German controller ignored all the diversions and assembled
his fighters at 2 radio beacons which happened to be astride the route to
Nuremberg. The first fighters appeared just before the bombers reached
the Belgian border and a fierce battle in the moonlight lasted for the next
hour. 82 bombers were lost on the outward route and near the target.
95 bombers were lost in all - 64
Lancasters and 31 Halifaxes, 11.9
per cent of the force dispatched. It was the biggest Bomber Command loss of
the war. |
No.
15 Squadron
Motto: "Aim Sure"
Badge: A hind's head affrontée erased at the neck between wings
elevated and conjoined in base. The badge was based on a design previously used
by the squadron. The squadron was equipped with Hind aircraft in 1936.
Authority: King Edward VIII, May 1936.
In 1937 the squadron was re-equipped
with Fairey Battles.
On 2nd September 1939, the day before
the outbreak of war, the squadron's 16 Battles flew to France as part of No.71
Wing of the Advanced Air Striking Force. Subsequently the Battles made many
valuable reconnaissance flights, first from Bétheniville and, later, from Vraux.
Bad weather curtailed operations and early in December 1939, No. 15 returned to
England to re-equip with Blenheim IVs at Wyton.
On 14th April 1940, the squadron left
Wyton for the satellite airfield at Alconbury and from there, in the afternoon
of 10th May, the day that the Germans invaded Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg,
it flew its first wartime bombing mission: eight Blenheims bombed Waalhaven
airport near Rotterdam, which had been captured by German paratroops. From this
attack all the Blenheims returned safely, although some were seriously
damaged. When the squadron flew its next mission, a raid on the Albert Canal at
Maastricht, on 12 May, it took a severe knock: only six aircraft and crews (half
the total force) returned - and those aircraft that did come back were badly
damaged.
Towards the end of 1940 No. 15
Squadron converted to Wellingtons and on the night of 2lst/22nd December
used them for the first time-for a raid on the dockyards at Bremen. The squadron
continued to operate with Wellingtons until the following April, when it
became the second squadron to receive Stirlings. Its first mission with
Stirlings was an attack on Berlin on the night of 30th April/1st May. The
Stirling 'MacRobert's Reply' (N6086 "F-Freddie"), given by Lady MacRobert in
memory of her three sons killed flying, was used by the squadron during the
period October 1941 - January 1942. From the squadron Operations Record Book it
seems that this aircraft made only twelve operational sorties - the first one on
12/13th October 1941, and the last on 29th January 1942, when, as part of a No.
15 Squadron detachment operating from Lossiemouth, it attempted (and, like the
other aircraft, failed) to bomb the Tirpitz in Trondheim fjord. It was
subsequently damaged in an accident at Lossiemouth and after being repaired was
allotted to No. 101 Conversion Flight and thence to No. 1651 Conversion Unit.
Early in 1943 it was written off.
In August 1942, the squadron moved to
Bourn, and in December 1943, re-equipped with Lancasters at Mildenhall.
During the period May 1944 to April 1945, No. 15 Squadron's Lancaster I, LL806
"J-Jig", one of the most famous Lancasters in Bomber Command, flew 134
operational sorties and was in the air for 765 hours.
In the autumn of 1944 No. 15 became
one of the few specialised squadrons to undertake daylight precision bombing
through cloud with the aid of the airborne radar equipment known as G-H.
The squadron flew its last wartime
bombing mission on 22nd April 1945, when it attacked Bremen, but before the
Germans finally surrendered it dropped food supplies over Holland. In seven days
prior to VE Day it dropped sufficient rations for 26,000 people. In one sense
this was a "repeat performance", for in March 1941, aircraft of the squadron en
route to targets in Germany had dropped over populous areas of Holland small
packets of tea sent from Batavia, Dutch East Indies, containing messages of hope
for the Dutch people.
Personnel of the squadron earned one
OBE, three DSOs, 124 DFCs, six bars to DFCs, one AFM, one CGM and 77 DFMs.
Bomber Command WWII Bases:
-
Abingdon : Jun
1934-Sep 1939
-
Bétheniville,
France : Sep 1939
-
Conde Vraux,
France : Sep 1939-Dec 1939
-
Wyton : Dec
1939-Apr 1940
-
Alconbury : Apr
1940-May 1940
-
Wyton : May
1940-Aug 1942
-
Detachment at
Lossiemouth Jan/Feb 1942 for ops against the Tirpitz in Trondheim area of
Norway.
-
Bourn : Aug
1942-Apr 1943
-
Mildenhall : Apr
1943 onwards
Bomber Command WWII Aircraft:
-
Fairey Battle :
Jun 1938-Dec 1939
-
Bristol Blenheim
IV : Dec 1939-Nov 1940
-
Vickers
Wellington IC : Nov 1940-May 1941
-
Short Stirling I
and III : Apr 1941-Dec 1943
-
Avro Lancaster
B.I, B.III and B.I(Special) : Dec 1943 onwards
Code Letters:
CWGC
|
Name:
|
HALES, RONALD DOUGLAS |
|
Initials:
|
R D |
|
Nationality:
|
United Kingdom |
|
Rank:
|
Sergeant (Air Gnr.) |
|
Regiment/Service:
|
Royal Air Force
Volunteer Reserve |
|
Unit Text:
|
15 Sqdn. |
|
Age:
|
20 |
|
Date of Death:
|
08/06/1944 |
|
Service No:
|
1895806 |
|
Additional
information: |
Son of Sydney Morris
Hales and Elsie Hales, of Slough, Buckinghamshire. |
|
Casualty Type:
|
Commonwealth War Dead |
|
Grave/Memorial
Reference: |
Row A. Grave 36. |
|
Cemetery:
|
VIROFLAY NEW COMMUNAL
CEMETERY |
|
Cemetery:
|
VIROFLAY NEW COMMUNAL
CEMETERY |
|
Country:
|
France |
|
Locality:
|
unspecified |
|
Location Information:
|
Viroflay is a small
town 4 kilometres east of Versailles. The cemetery is situated in the wood,
south of the town, and about 880 metres from the church and town hall. |
|
Historical
Information: |
There are now over
70, 1939-45 war casualties commemorated in this site. |
|
No. of Identified
Casualties: |
74 |