Operation Wreckage
4 July 1941 — Bremen
- Date
- 4 July 1941
- Target
- Bremen, Germany
- Force dispatched
- 15 aircraft
- Aircraft lost
- 4
Narrative
Operation Wreckage was a daring low-level daylight attack on the heavily defended port of Bremen. Fifteen Bristol Blenheims of Nos. 105 and 107 Squadrons, led by Wing Commander Hughie Edwards, ran in at rooftop height through balloon cables and a wall of flak to bomb the docks. Edwards brought the formation over the target and home again though his own aircraft was hit more than twenty times; four Blenheims were lost. For his leadership Edwards was awarded the Victoria Cross, and survived the war to become an air vice-marshal.
Order of battle
1 aircraft. Each crew links to the men who flew it; each airman to their own record.
| Aircraft | Type | Squadron | Pilot | Crew | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V6028 GB-D |
Bristol Blenheim | Returned |
The fallen
263 airmen in this archive died on 4 July 1941 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.
- Sergeant Frederick Coulson Adams (24)
- Aircraftman 2nd Class Angus Ronald Matheson Anderson
- Corporal Edward Astley (36)
- Aircraftman 1st Class Joseph Arthur Auckland (23)
- Aircraftman 2nd Class Leslie James Austin
- Aircraftman 2nd Class John Richard Avery (18)
- Corporal Walter George Aveson (23)
- Aircraftman 2nd Class Cyril Frank Bailey (26)
- Flight Lieutenant Raymond Arthur Bailey (24)
- Leading Aircraftman Arthur John Ballinger
- Sergeant William Archibald Bartleman (20)
- Aircraftman 2nd Class John Herbert Bateman
- Sergeant Bernard William Frederick Bates (20)
- Aircraftman 2nd Class William Harold Beament (34)
- Aircraftman 2nd Class Thomas Bowes Black (24)
- Aircraftman 1st Class Frederick James Boswell (21)
- Pilot Officer Gerald Evelyn Botham (29)
- Flight Sergeant Norman Edward Bowering (26)
- Aircraftman 1st Class John Richard Brand (31)
- Corporal Henry Broadhurst (25)
- Flying Officer Cyril Stanley Brocklebank (22)
- Corporal Joseph Brown (23)
- Aircraftman 2nd Class Ronald Oscar Brown (27)
- Sergeant Albert Edward Brownbill
See all 263 who died on 4 July →
Source: Wikipedia — Hughie Edwards →