Cause of Death: |
Killed in action, Halifax W7883, on the night of 29/30 July 1943 on their first operational sortie. They were part of a force of 777 aircraft - 340 Lancasters, 244 Halifaxes, 119 Stirlings, 70 Wellingtons, 4 Mosquitos being dispatched to Hamburg. The intention was to approach Hamburg from almost due north and bomb those northern and north-eastern districts which had so far not been bombed. At 22.39 they were airborne from Pockington, shot down at 00:57 by a night- fighter (Lt Gotthard Sachsenberg, 11./NJG3 flying a Dornier 217) from 18,000 feet, crashing at Todesfelde, 6 miles of Bad Segeberg killing all the seven man crew |