Halifax LK765 damaged by flak, returned to East Moor airfield.
During the afternoon of 12th September 1944 this 415 Squadron aircraft was flown on an operational flight to bomb a target at Wanna Eickel and took off from East Moor airfield at 11.16hrs. The crew released their bomb load onto the target area from 16,500 feet at 14.02hrs and while over the target the aircraft sustained flak damage to the starboard wing, bomb doors, port outer engine nacelle and the fuselage perspex. Despite the damage the crew returned to East Moor and landed at 16.26hrs. The previous day this aircraft had been slightly damaged by flak on Ops but had been swiftly repaired.
Pilot - P/O Clarence Amos Chartier RCAF (J/87460).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Robert J Antrobus RAF (534816).
Navigator - Sgt James H Harrison RCAF (R/189264).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt J H B Veals RCAF (R/183576).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - W/O F Morrison RCAF (R/106329).
Air Gunner - Sgt Donald E Hunt RCAF (R/219685).
Air Gunner - Sgt J F Beharriell RCAF (R/268536).
Air Gunner - W/O C K Rowe RCAF (R/92187).
Clarence "Jim" Chartier was born in Toronto in 1919. He was still a student when he enlisted in Montreal in April 1941 and he had been serving in the Royal Canadian Artillery. He was Commissioned in 1944. He was recommended for the DFC on 22nd November 1944 after he had flown eighteen operational flights. The award was effective from 5th July 1945 and was not presented until November 1949 in Montreal. No prope citation has been found but the recommendation reads.. "This officer has completed very many sorties involving attacks on a wide range of targets in Germany and Northern France. He has also completed numerous minelaying operations. He is an outstanding captain whose skill, determination and devotion to duty have a fine example."
Donald Hunt was born in Kingston, Ontario in December 1923 and enlisted into the RCAF in 1943. He complete a Tour with 415 Squadron. He later returned to Canada but re-enlisted into the RCAF as an aero engine mechanic and served until 1957. These details were taken from "www.415sqn.com" which includes a photograph of this crew and at the time them creating their page on him he was still living in London, Ontario. He recounted a number of close calls to their researcher during his operational flying. One aircraft Halifax LL575 "6U-A" "Archie the Archer" was their regular aircraft and collided with an enemy fighter sustaining slight damage (as yet the date for this is not known to add it to this website if it returned to Yorkshire). He also refers to further flak incidents to which the incident to LK765 detailed above must be one. On one occasion their aircraft sustained eighty holes and is probably the one involving LK765. Other incidents were perhaps less serious to the aircraft but has lucky near-misses to crew members.
Halifax LK765 was built to contract ACFT/891 by Fairey Aviation Co.Ltd. at Stockport and was taken on charge as new by 432 Squadron at East Moor on 16th February 1944. On 24th February 1944 the tail wheel assembly broke on landing at East Moor which saw a Cat.Ac/FB damage assessment. The aircraft was repaired on site and it was returned to 432 Squadron on 15th March 1944. 432 Squadron used the aircraft until July 1944 when it appears to have been loaned to 415 Squadron, also at East Moor. Following a flak incident on 5th August 1944 it then appears to have had a Cat.A/FB damage assessment which required a repair on site by a team from Handley Page. Had it received an more serious damage the damage assessment would probably have been logged on the AM Form 78 and it is not. The aircraft was servicable on 18th August 1944 and two days later was officially transferred to 415 Squadron. It was then twice slightly damaged by flak on 11th September 1944 and on 12th September 1944, each incident it only suffered very minor Cat.A/FB damage and neither was recorded on the AM Form 78. On 1st October 1944 it's Form AM78 records it as having sustained minor Cat.Ac/FB damage which was downgraded to Re-Cat.A the following day and also returned to 415 Squadron that day. Unfortunately the 415 Squadron orb scribe omits to list any aircraft used operationally during September 1944 by serial number so whether the damage was battle damage related it is not yet known. The aircraft was transferred to 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit at Wombleton on 3rd November 1944 and then to 1664 Heavy Conversion Unit at Dishforth on 29th November 1944. This unit disbanded on 6th April 1945 and the aircraft was flown into long term storage at 45 M.U. on 21st April 1945 where it remained until being struck off charge on 21st December 1946 when it was scrapped.