Halifax LW194 damaged in the air, landed at Carnaby airfield.
During the afternoon of 27th February 1945 this 51 Squadron aircraft was flown on an operational flight to bomb Mainz. It took off from Snaith airfield at 13.37hrs and the crew released the bomb load at 17,000 feet at 16.39hrs. Around the time the crew were over the target the starboard rudder broke and they appear to have believed that flak damage was the cause. One of the rudder attachments broke causing the rudder to lean outwards. Despite this damage the crew flew the aircraft back to the UK and landed at Carnaby at 19.49hrs. The damage was not caused by flak but a sheared bolt thought to have broken through the vibration of the aircraft. The 51 Squadron records list Mainz as being targeted on 28th February 1945 but this does not appear correct.
Pilot - P/O Desmond Byrne RAFVR (184500).
F/Sgt K Taylor
F/Sgt D S Greenwood
Sgt A R Laverette
Sgt S Stevenson
Sgt R P Shephard
Sgt G Stevenson