Whitley Z6935 hit by flak, returned to Topcliffe airfield.
On the night of 7th / 8th September 1941 this 102 Squadron crew were tasked with flying an operational flight to Berlin, they took off at 20.02hrs and bombed the
Huckenwalde area from 13,000ft. Before they could reach the coast on the return the aircraft was hit by flak but the crew were able to make a return to
base of Topcliffe where they landed without further incident at 06.13hrs.
Pilot - P/O Vannio Max Albrecht RAFVR (63437).
? - Sgt F W Anderson.
? - Sgt J R Wood.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald Charles Perriam RAFVR (1155037).
Air Gunner - Sgt R G Williams.
Prior to the war Vannio Albrecht was a civilian pilot and had gained his Royal Aero Club Aviator's Certificate in 1938. After joining the RAF he
received his commission on 3rd April 1941 to the rank of P/O on probation. P/O Albrecht was lost on 1st November 1941 flying in Whitley Z6749 on Ops
to Kiel which crashed off the Dutch coast. He is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial and was twenty eight years old.
Sgt Perriam was killed on 17th June 1942 flying with 102 Squadron in Halifax R9530 which was shot down on Ops to Essen. The aircraft crashed into
the sea off the Dutch coast and Sgt Perriam's body was never found. He too is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, he was twenty one years old.
It is likely that Anderson was later posted to 76 Squadron. On 20th May 1942 he was the pilot of Halifax W7660 on Ops to Mannheim when the aircraft
was shot down and he became a PoW.(1257266)
Whitley Z6935 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was awaiting collection on 19th July 1941 to be taken on
charge by 102 Squadron at Topcliffe later the same month (though older "modern" records suggest it also was on charge with 51 Squadron which if true
was only brief). The history of the aircraft in the Air Britain serial number history books is not correct. It does not list the flak damage in
September 1941 as recorded above but possibly as it was so minor that they repaired it without logging it. As a result of the flak damage on 8th
September 1941 Cat.A/FB must have been as bad as the damage got and must have been repaired on site. On 9th September 1941 it was being flown on an operational flight when it was again damaged by enemy action, unfortunately the rear gunner was killed in the aircraft and despite the crew landing in the south of England he was already dead.
The aircraft was written off on 30th September 1941 but
the incident is not listed in Bill Chorley's Bomber Command Losses book (which it should be). Former 102 Squadron member Mr Ed. Cooke recounted
his memory of the raid on the RAF Commands forum website and stated that he recalled the crew ditched it off East Anglia but when day broke they were
so close to land that they waded ashore. This I have confirmed with the squadron ORB and it was lost on this date. The then crew escaped injury and
Cat.E damage would have been the assessment.