4/3/45 ATTACK AGAINST WANNE EICKEL – Oil Refinery

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 LM276
“S” for Sugar

Remarks
Bomb Load 1 x 4,000 H.C. 4 x 500 M.C. 12 x 500 ANM.,
Wanne Eickel
Good concentration of bombing.

Flight
Up 09.57 4th March
Down 14.56 4th March
Total Flight Time 4 hours 59 minutes

75 (NZ) Sqn RAF Operations Record Book (ORB)
4/3/45
Operations.
Eighteen aircraft were detailed to attack Wanne Eickel. JN”O” F/O D. Barr returned early through engine failiure. Crews bombed with the aid of special equipment in 10/10ths cloud. No results were seen but crews were satisfied that it was a good attack. Slight to moderate H/F was experienced.

Page 119, 1945. Form 540/ 541 AIR27/ 647  75(NZ) Squadron RAF, Mepal. National Archives.

Bomber Command War Diary
4 March 1945
128 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H attack through cloud on Wanne-Eickel. No results were seen.

Page 674, The Bomber Command War Diaries. 2011. Everitt Middlebrook. Midland publishing