RAF 619 Squadron info and imagery - great Uncle was a Sergeant and lost in 1943

[Guest]

Thanks for all the help - here's a picture of my Great Uncle with his family.

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[stona]

Great photo. Some more info from Middlebrook's book,I sent daughter number two up the ladder for it.

619 Sqn dispatched 12 Lancasters, 11 bombed,3 were lost,22 men killed.

Your great uncle's was the 26th RAF loss of the night. It was shot down,almost certainly by a night fighter, on the homeward leg having bombed the target. It came down in the sea between Lubmin and Stralsund.

Middlebrook doesn't link the RAF losses with Luftwaffe claims and I can see why. I've had a look at the various units opposing the raid and reckon there were at least 17 and maybe as many as 30 night fighters involved. So many bombers were shot down in the immediate vicinity of the target (28 including your great uncle's) that it is a virtually impossible task now to assign a particular loss to a particular fighter.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Cheers Steve,

I ordered the book from Amazon and received it the other day...great read, particularly the air battle part...really puts it into perspective what these guys went through.