Unidentified Lancaster damaged by enemy action, landed at Wombleton airfield.
During the late afternoon of 6th November 1944 a number of 619 Squadron aircraft were instructed to bomb the Mittelland Canal but well after setting out to locate the target an order to abandon the task (probably because of poor weather) and return to base was transmitted to all crews. This unidentified Lancaster received battle damage earlier in the flight and the crew became lost on the return to England after jettisoning the bomb load, they were about to abandon the aircraft when they spotted lighting at Wombleton airfield and eventually landed safely there. The 619 Squadron record book does not mention the aircraft landing at Wombleton so it is hard to identify it.
Crew - Names unknown. Uninjured.
I have gone through the AM Form 78's for all the aircraft that the 619 Squadron listed were used on Ops on this date to look for possible damage recorded on them. The only one that possible could fit is Lancaster ME787 -J that the AM Form 78 states received Cat.Ac/FB damage on 22nd October 1944 and after a repair on site was returned to 619 Squadron on 1st December 1944. I find it strange that it was listed as being used operationally on 6th November 1944 if this is correct. Perhaps a second damage incident at Wombleton immediately after it was repaired from the earlier incident saw it then not returned to 619 Squadron until 1st December 1944. -J does not feature again during November 1944 in the 619 Squadron operational records.