On the night of 17th / 18th August 1943 this 10 Squadron aircraft left Melbourne airfield at 21.10hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb the rocket facility at Peenemunde.
Outbound the aircraft received flak damage to both the starboard engines so opted to release their bomb load short of the target area and return to base. They released their bombs over an island north of Rostock from 10,000 feet at 00.06hrs and landed safely at base of Melbourne at 04.25hrs.
Pilot - Sgt Benjamin Holdsworth RAFVR (1015613).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Desmond Terence Hand RAFVR (1456811).
Navigator - Sgt Clive Telfer RAFVR (1390942).
Bomb Aimer - F/O Eddy Leonard Richard Pottier RAFVR (127007).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Vernon Downs RAFVR (1119224).
Air Gunner - Sgt Charles Edward Smith RAFVR (1338514).
Air Gunner - Sgt John Harper RAAF (421975).
On 27th September 1943 Sgt Desmond Hand was killed flying Ops to Hanover in Halifax HR922 with 10 Squadron, he is buried in Hanover War Cemetery.
On the night of 19th / 20th November 1943 Holdsworth, Telfer, Downs, Harper and Smith were flying together in Halifax HX181 on Ops to Leverkusen when the aircraft crashed into a hanger at Tangmere airfield on the return to England. All on board the aircraft were killed and a number of aircraft were destroyed.
Eddy Pottier received a commission on 22nd August 1942 and rose to F/O six months later. He was made a PoW on 11th April 1944 as a result of Halifax LV858 being shot down on an operational flight to attack targets in France. Most of his then crew survived and a number managed to evade capture. The "www.aircrewremembered.com" gives a good account of the events surrounding the loss of Halifax LV858.
Halifax DT786 was built to contract B.982938/39 by English Electric Co.Ltd. at Samlesbury and was taken on charge as new by 10 Squadron at Melbourne on 4th February 1943. The aircraft sustained battle minor damage on 28th May 1943 that saw a Cat.A/FB damage assessment. On 12th June 1943 it sustained Cat.A/FB when the nose perspex was broken following a bird strike on Ops to Dusseldorf. On 25th June 1943 it sustained Cat.A/FB damage on Ops to Wuppertal when the port inner engine caught fire resulting in minor damage. On 18th August 1943 it sustained Cat.A/FB battle damage on Ops to Peenemunde. After each of these incidents repairs on site were carried out. The aircraft was transferred to 1652 Heavy Conversion Unit at Marston Moor on 29th January 1944 and then to 1669 Heavy Conversion Unit at Langer on 4th October 1944. During November 1944 1669 H.C.U. ceased operating this aircraft variant. On 20th February 1945 this aircraft was flown to Pilkington Bros. Ltd., at Doncaster for a major repair but was subsequently struck off charge on 6th March 1945.
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