Code: P27183-16
Form 1767. Navigator's, Air Bomber's And Air Gunner's Flying log book. An interesting log book to Wireless Operator / Air Gunner, Sgt. Carter (1393952). The log starts at No.2 Radio School, Yatesbury, Wiltshire in May 1943 on Dominie and Proctor aircraft. He qualified as an 'above average' Air Gunner at No.10 Air Gunnery School, Walney Island (RAF Barrow) on 6th August 1943 and subsequently became an instructor there. During this period he was mainly flying in Ansons with occasional trips in a Blenheim. In August 1944 he was attached to 622 Squadron, part of 3 Group, based at Mildenhall. His first operational sortie was a daylight raid on flying bomb sites near Pont Remy in Northern France, which took place on 31st August when he flew as a Lancaster mid-under gunner. On the 5th September he flew in attacks on Le Havre and was posted to 115 Squadron at Witchford, Cambridgeshire. Ops with 115 commenced on 7th October with a daylght raid on Emmerich, followed by Duisburg on the 14th. The latter was part of Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris's Special Operation Hurricane, to demonstrate the overwhelming superiority of the Allied Air Forces over the Ruhr. In excess of 1000 RAF aircraft and 1200 USAAF bombers were involved, backed up with massive fighter support, and almost 9,000 tons of bombs were dropped over the city in under 48 hours. Further operational sorties include targets at Heinberg (1st & 9th American Army Support), Homberg oil refinery, Gelsenkirken oil plant, Merseberg, Osterfield railway yards & benzol plant, Witten steelworks, Seigen (re-called once and returned early from the same target the next day due to poor weather). Towards the end of December 1944 he flew on Ops to Trier, Cologne (marshalling yards), Koblenz & Vohwinkel. In January 1945 there were sorties to Neuss, Cologne and Krefeld, and February and March saw targets including Munchen Galdbach, Chemnitz, Wessel, Dortmund, Essen and the now notorious raid on Dresden, as part of Operation Thunderclap. 796 Lancasters and 9 Mosquitoes were sent on two separate raids creating a firestorm, burning out much of the city at the cost of more than 50,000 lives. Carter's final Op was to Kiel (U-boat works & harbour area) on April 9th, finishing his first operational tour with over 209 hours of combat flying completed. There are no further entries in the log from that date. Each month recorded has been signed off by the Squadron Commanding Officer and there are a few official stamps/marks. An interesting log to this air gunner who unusally flew most of his sorties as a 'mid under gunner'. Some Lancasters were fitted with a Frazer Nash FN.64 mid lower gun turret for defence below the aircraft. These were supplied with twin .303 Browning machine guns. The gunner sat above the guns that were sighted via a persicopic sight. The turret was comprised of a shallow drum containing the guns and operating mechanism suspended on a rotating ring protruding through the fuselage floor. A good log worthy of further research. Stock code P27183-16.
