19/2/45 ATTACK AGAINST WESEL

Crew
F/S Vernon John Zinzan. Pilot
P/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. Herbert Steele. Rear Gunner

Aircraft
Lancaster Mk.I ME450
“W” for William

Remarks
Bomb Load 1 x 4,000 H.C., 10 x 500 ANM., 2 x 250 G.P. 1 Munroe.
Primary target Wesel
Quite a good attack.

Flight
Up 13.29 19th February
Down 18.46 19th February
Total Flight Time 5 hours 15 minutes

75 (NZ) Sqn RAF Operations Record Book (ORB)
19/2/45
Operations. 
Twenty one aitcraft were again detailed to attack Wesel. AA”J”, captained by F/S Lukins, B.L., returned early through engine trouble. Cloud was 1-10/10ths with some haze. A few crews were able to identify the river bend. Bombing appeared to be accurate. Very slight H/F was the only opposition.

Page 80, 1945. Form 540/ 541 AIR27/ 647  75(NZ) Squadron RAF, Mepal. National Archives.

Bomber Command War Diary
19 February 1945
Wesel: 168 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a good attack with the best concentration of bombs being in the railway area. 1 Lancaster lost.
1 Halifax flew an RCM sortie.

Page 666, The Bomber Command War Diaries. 2011. Everitt Middlebrook. Midland publishing.