Lille
9 April 1944 — Lille
- Date
- 9 April 1944
- Target
- Lille, France
Narrative
The great railway complex at Lille-Délivrance, in the industrial north of France, was a priority Transportation Plan target attacked in April 1944. The yards were severely damaged, but as at other French rail towns the bombs also fell among nearby housing, killing several hundred French civilians — the recurring tragedy of attacking rail centres set in the midst of populous towns.
Sortie details (which aircraft from which squadron, which crew flew, the outcome) will populate this page once the TNA AIR 27 squadron-diary importer arrives.
The fallen
155 airmen in this archive died on 9 April 1944 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 Harry Abbott (19)
- Aircraftman 1st Class John Richard Archer
- Flight Sergeant Richard Benner Bamford (26)
- Flight Sergeant Joseph Bernard Bannan (24)
- Sergeant Sidney Basil Barber (35)
- Leading Aircraftman Alfred Gallagher Barrett (31)
- Pilot Officer Milton Harold Bender (20)
- Flight Sergeant Jack Bernaldo (27)
- Flying Officer David Louis Biggs (21)
- Flight Sergeant Clive Billett (25)
- Flying Officer Ronald John Bordiss (21)
- Flight Sergeant William George Boyce (25)
- Pilot Officer Thomas Wallace Bradley (21)
- Flight Sergeant James Lennox Brooks (20)
- Flying Officer Thomas William Brumwell (29)
- Pilot Officer Robert William Burke (22)
- Flight Lieutenant Peter Eric Cadman (23)
- Pilot Officer John Caldwell Cairns
- Sergeant Charles Patrick Cantlin (21)
- Flight Sergeant Denis Claude Capewell (22)
- Leading Aircraftman Albert Nelson Carr (37)
- Sergeant Joseph Arthur Chambers (30)
- Flight Sergeant Leslie Harold Chapman (20)
- Sergeant John Harold Cleminson-passey (23)
See all 155 who died on 9 April →
Source: Wikipedia — Transport Plan →