Halifax RG440 damaged by flak, returned to Melbourne airfield?
On the night of 14th / 15th February 1945 the crew of this 10 Squadron aircraft undertook an operational flight to bomb Chemnitz. They took off from Melbourne airfield at 17.02hrs. The crew were over the target area at 21.11hrs and they released their bomb load from 19,000 feet on target markers because thick cloud obscured the visual identification of the target. On the return flight the Halifax was slightly damaged by flak near Frankfurt. They landed at 01.21hrs almost certainly at Melbourne airfield.
Pilot - F/Lt F Ballantine.
Navigator - Sgt R Ballard.
Bomb Aimer - F/O L or James Matheson RNZAF (NZ.427301)
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt C Buttery.
Air Gunner - Sgt J Kane.
Flight Engineer - Sgt J Ransome.
Air Gunner - Sgt J Abbott.