Wilhelmshaven

19 February 1943 — Wilhelmshaven

Date: 19 February 1943
Target: Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Force dispatched: 338 aircraft
Aircraft lost: 12

Narrative

On the night of 19/20 February 1943 Bomber Command sent 338 aircraft — 120 Wellingtons, 110 Halifaxes, 56 Stirlings and 52 Lancasters — against the North Sea port and naval base of Wilhelmshaven. The raid was a failure: the Pathfinder marking went down north of the town and the Main Force bombing fell largely in open country. The cause was later traced to out-of-date target maps issued to the Pathfinders, which did not show recent development of the town; a general updating of maps followed. Twelve aircraft — five Stirlings, four Lancasters and three Wellingtons — failed to return, 3.6 per cent of the force. Several of the losses on the bomber stream were claimed by night-fighters of IV./NJG1 over the Frisian coast and the Waddenzee.

Squadrons: No. 15 Squadron · No. 83 Squadron · No. 90 Squadron · No. 156 Squadron · No. 166 Squadron · No. 426 Squadron (Thunderbird) · No. 466 Squadron · No. 467 Squadron (RAAF)

Order of battle

12 aircraft. Each crew links to the men who flew it; each airman to their own record.

Aircraft	Type	Squadron	Pilot	Crew	Outcome
BJ973 AS-J	Vickers Wellington	No. 166 Squadron	Howard Anthony Bastick	5 aircrew →	Failed to return
ED485 GT	Avro Lancaster	No. 156 Squadron	Thomas Edward Case	7 aircrew →	Failed to return
HE531 HD	Vickers Wellington		R V Rosser	5 aircrew →	Crashed on return
BF411 LS-A	Short Stirling	No. 15 Squadron	John Charles Monteith	8 aircrew →	Failed to return
BF457 LS-B	Short Stirling	No. 15 Squadron	David Joseph Hopson	8 aircrew →	Failed to return
BF378 LS-T	Short Stirling	No. 15 Squadron	Bernard Verdun Crawford	7 aircrew →	Failed to return
R5743 OL-K	Avro Lancaster	No. 83 Squadron	John Alexander Bright	7 aircrew →	Failed to return
BJ919 OW	Vickers Wellington	No. 426 Squadron (Thunderbird)	Joseph Omer Romain Gauthier	6 aircrew →	Failed to return
ED525 PO	Avro Lancaster	No. 467 Squadron (RAAF)	James Barnett Michie	7 aircrew →	Failed to return
ED529 PO	Avro Lancaster	No. 467 Squadron (RAAF)	Henry Bookless Vine	7 aircrew →	Failed to return
R9276 WP-G	Short Stirling	No. 90 Squadron	Robert Langley Knowles	8 aircrew →	Failed to return
BK627 WP-P	Short Stirling	No. 90 Squadron	Albert Bloomer Scholey	7 aircrew →	Failed to return

The fallen

147 airmen in this archive died on 19 February 1943 or the day that followed. For a raid of this kind these are overwhelmingly the night's losses, though a death-date match is not by itself proof an individual flew this operation.

Leading Aircraftman James Adam (22)
Sergeant Robert Allan (21)
Sergeant Ernest Arthur Arnold
Sergeant Ivor William Arnold
Flight Sergeant Joseph Jean Charles Arpin (23)
Flight Sergeant Harry Russell Bailey (21)
Sergeant Ronald Bailey (26)
Sergeant Howard Anthony Bastick (22)
Sergeant Edward Percy George Bayliss (20)
Warrant Officer Class II George James Beresford
Sergeant Percy Blanch (28)
Sergeant Derek Arnold Booth (17)
Lieutenant Garth William Booysen (23)
Sergeant Arnold Harvey Borrett (25)
Sergeant David Orr Bowie (22)
Flight Lieutenant Patrick Brennan
Flight Lieutenant John Alexander Bright (24)
Flight Sergeant Harry Lyle Brown (20)
Warrant Officer Class II Carleton Ernest Caldwell (20)
Flying Officer Lawrence Bartlett Carson (29)
Pilot Officer Thomas Edward Case (20)
Leading Aircraftman Vincent Henry Cockman (20)
Sergeant Robert Charles Collins (19)
Sergeant Thomas Alfred Constable (21)

See all 147 who died on 19 February →

Source: Bomber Command campaign diary & squadron loss records — Wilhelmshaven raid, 19/20 February 1943