Crew
F/S Vernon John Zinzan. Pilot
W/O James Sydney George Coote. Navigator
F/O Robert Douglas Sommerville. Air Bomber
Sgt. Miles Parr. Wireless Operator
Sgt. A. Ackroyd. Flight Engineer
Sgt. H. Hutchinson. Mid Upper Gunner
F/Sgt. James Henry Murphy. Rear Gunner
Aircraft
Lancaster Mk.I RF127
“W” for William
Remarks
Bomb Load 1 x 4,000 H.C., 10 x 500 ANM., 1 x 350 Munro.
Primary target – Heinrich Hutte.
About 4 seconds overshoot owing to this aircraft having to avoid bombing directly over another aircraft which had fallen back damaged.
Flight
Up 13.41 14th March
Down 18.51 14th March
Total Flight Time 5 hours 10 minutes
75 (NZ) Sqn RAF Operations Record Book (ORB)
14/3/45
Operations.
Twenty aircraft were detailed to attack the above target. Crews found the target covered with 10/10ths cloud. Formation was good though the target and bombs fell away together. Very accurate moderate H/F was met on the run in and over the target. F/Lt. E. Parsons in AA”E” failed to return. His aircraft was seen to be hit causing it to spiral into cloud. F/S McLernon landed at Woodbridge but returned to base the following day.
Page 146, 1945. Form 540/ 541 AIR27/ 647 75(NZ) Squadron RAF, Mepal. National Archives.
Lancaster Mk.I PB741 AA-E
This aircraft failed to return. It was seen to be hit in port inner engine at 16.35., on run into target dropped back with port outer also feathered. Port wing caught fire and broke off when just above cloud and was seen spiralling into cloud.
F/Lt. Eric George Parsons RAFVR 185301. Pilot. 5th December to 14th March 1945. Died Wednesday 14th March 1945, age 23. Buried Reichswald Forest Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt. William Phinn RAFVR 1684789. Nav. 5th December to 14th March 1945. Died Wednesday 14th March 1945, age 22. Buried Reichswald Forest Cemetery, Germany.
F/Sgt Francis Henry Ebbage RAF 1615600. AB. 5th Dec 1944 to 14th Mar 1945. Died Wednesday 14th March 1945, age 21, during a raid on Heinrich-Hutte. No known grave. Commemorated on Panel 270 Runnymede Memorial.
F/Sgt. Eric Ramsay RAFVR 2205987. WOAG. 5th December to 14th March 1945. Died Wednesday 14th March 1945, age 20. Buried Reichswald Forest Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt. Charles Albert Longstaff RAFVR 1595982. FE. 5th December to 14th March 1945. Died Wednesday 14th March 1945, age 31. Buried Reichswald Forest Cemetery, Germany.
Sgt. John Lawrence Beard RAFVR 3006185. AG. 5th December to 14th March 1945. Died Wednesday 14th March 1945, age 19. Buried Reichswald Forest Cemetery, Germany.
F/Sgt. John Nichol RAFVR 1670779. AG. 5th December to 14th March 1945. Died Wednesday 14th March 1945, age 28. Buried Reichswald Forest Cemetery, Germany.
Bomber Command War Diary
14 March 1945
169 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out G-H attacks through cloud on oil plants at Datteln and Hattingen (near Bochum). Both attacks appeared to be accurate but no results were seen. 1 Lancaster lost from the Hattingen raid.
32 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of No 5 Group, with 4 Oboe Mosquitos of No 8 Group, to attack the Bielefeld and Arnsberg viaducts. 28 Lancasters dropped Tallboy bombs and the No 617 Squadron Lancaster of Squadron Leader CC Calder dropped the first 22,000lb ‘Grand Slam’ bomb at Bielefeld. The Arnsberg viaduct, No 9 Squadron’s target, was later found to be undamaged but more than 100 yards of the Bielefeld viaduct collapsed through the ‘earthquake effect’ of the Grand Slam and ‘Tallboys’ of No 617 Squadron. No aircraft lost.
75(nz)squadron 
Thank you for making this page. My late grandfather was in the US 9th Air Force and became friends with F/Sgt. Eric Ramsay while stationed in Britain prior to the Normandy invasion. I have a letter from Eric to my great aunt from 1944. I also have a letter from Eric’s father to my great uncle asking him to relay to my grandfather (who by then was serving on the continent with an unknown address) that Eric had been killed in action. If you wish, I can send scans of the letters and two photos of Eric.
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Hello Lowell, I have just seen your message regarding Eric who was my late uncle. My grandparents and mother talked about your grandfather but I never had any details of your family. Is it possible to send me the scans and photos please?
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Hi Brian. I was hoping you find this and reach out to me. I also have several letters written by your mother to my grandparents shortly after the war which mention you as a young child, some of which I’ve digitized. Please contact me at lowellsilverman@yahoo.com
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