There follows below a list of the all of the operations flown by 550 Squadron and the aircraft involved on each. The information used to build this page was taken in the first instance from the lists provided on the original Squadron Association web-site, but has been augmented by new information gathered since that time (squadron operations logs, individual aircrew log books, and other sources).
This information is not yet complete: it has been build from the a number of sources (documentary and people) and compilation of complete lists is an ongoing task that is expected to take quite some time to complete. So please don't shout just yet if you spot an omission - work continues to build a more complete, and accurate, list.
Do however shout if you spot an error! Please email any corrections or information to the contact details in the link at the bottom of the page.
Operation Summary: The column headers should be fairly self-explanatory. The term "aborted" as used here covers a number of possibilities:
Aircraft Deployed: When a link to a particular aircraft is given, this indicates aircraft known to have taken part in this raid (in the records currently available to the web-site author). A record of whether the aircraft returned or failed to return (FTR) is also logged.
Servicemen Deployed: Names of the crew in the operation.
Station Summary: This section is the information from the RAF North Killingholme Station Record Book for the operational date (if available).
Definitions of the abbreviations used are available: here.
The amount of data in the database is growing and this is resulting in the "all operations/targets" list getting rapidly bigger and thus slower to generate. There are options to display shorter, more quickly generated, reports if you want to home in on something specific. For example, there are options to generate reports on operations to a single target, or by single aircraft (to all targets) or by single aircraft to a single target. There is, on the database-reports summary page, a short user guide (PDF format) on how to do this.
Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 2127hrs. 22,000 feet. Bombed green TIs lying on edge of large fire area. Fired on a TE enemy aircraft which broke away. |
F/O G A Morrison (P) Sgt P W Wise (F/Eng) F/O F W Bennett (Nav) F/O R Warren (A/B) Sgt H C Gilbert (W/Op) Sgt J M Cantor (MU/AG) Sgt J McKenzie (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 21,000 feet at 20.37. Three large fires seen spreading rapidly. Large column black smoke to 15000 feet. Landed Ludford. |
W/O T E Boyle (Nav) F/L J O Richard (P) Sgt A G Day (F/Eng) Sgt R W Scott (A/B) F/Sgt W G Rate (W/Op) Sgt W J Carthew (MU/AG) Sgt T J Connaghan (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Claimed probable destruction of ME110 that attacked south west of BRANDENBURG. MU/AG and R/AG counted two attacks. Enemy fire damaged hydraulics. Bomb doors would not open over target. All bombs brought back. |
W/O T E Boyle (Nav) F/L J O Richard (P) Sgt A G Day (F/Eng) Sgt R W Scott (A/B) F/Sgt W G Rate (W/Op) Sgt W J Carthew (MU/AG) Sgt T J Connaghan (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 21,000 ft at 20.04hrs. Several patches of glow on cloud spreading as aircraft left although looking back it seemed rather extended. |
F/O G A Morrison (P) Sgt P W Wise (F/Eng) F/O F W Bennett (Nav) F/O R Warren (A/B) Sgt H C Gilbert (W/Op) Sgt J M Cantor (MU/AG) Sgt J McKenzie (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 21,000 ft at 19.44. Bombed green TIs. Markings rather scattered, also fires were mostly incendiary. |
F/O J G Bryson (P) Sgt D F Fadden (F/Eng) Sgt T F M Roxby (Nav) F/Sgt P H Evans (A/B) Sgt J E Donnan (W/Op) Sgt J J Sawkins (MU/AG) Sgt W C Gundry (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 22,000 ft at 04.00hrs. Bombed centre of R/G R/P flares. Large explosion at 04.25hrs |
F/O G A Morrison (P) Sgt P W Wise (F/Eng) F/O F W Bennett (Nav) F/O R Warren (A/B) Sgt H C Gilbert (W/Op) Sgt J M Cantor (MU/AG) Sgt J McKenzie (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Abandoned at 18.06. Starboard engine overheated. |
W/O T E Boyle (Nav) F/L J O Richard (P) Sgt A G Day (F/Eng) Sgt R W Scott (A/B) F/Sgt W G Rate (W/Op) Sgt W J Carthew (MU/AG) Sgt T J Connaghan (R/AG) |
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Station Summary |
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This date had been tentatively arranged for arrival of 550 Squadron. The Squadron however, operated from WALTHAM on 1/2 Jan and no squadron personnel arrived ay North Killingholme. |
Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 20,000 ft at 03.18 hrs. Bombing appeared scattered during run up but when we bombed appeared more concentrated. Reddish yellow glow appeared through cloud. |
W/O T E Boyle (Nav) F/L J O Richard (P) Sgt A G Day (F/Eng) Sgt R W Scott (A/B) F/Sgt W G Rate (W/Op) Sgt W J Carthew (MU/AG) Sgt T J Connaghan (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 20,000 ft at 02.49 hrs. Diverted to Middleton St. George. Bombed flares and green stars. Well concentrated. |
W/O T E Boyle (Nav) F/L J O Richard (P) Sgt A G Day (F/Eng) Sgt R W Scott (A/B) F/Sgt W G Rate (W/Op) Sgt W J Carthew (MU/AG) Sgt T J Connaghan (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 21,500 ft at 19.18hrs. Incendiaries hung up over target. [Squadron CO W/Cdr Bennett pilot] |
W/Cdr J J Bennett (P) W/O T E Boyle (Nav) F/L J O Richard (P) Sgt A G Day (F/Eng) Sgt R W Scott (A/B) F/Sgt W G Rate (W/Op) Sgt W J Carthew (MU/AG) Sgt T J Connaghan (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 20,000 ft at 19.49hrs |
P/O C G H Kenyon (P) F/O P C Sharp (Nav) F/Sgt W R J Maroney (A/B) F/Sgt J N Ellis (F/Eng) F/Sgt G E Duncan (W/Op) Sgt G K Logan (MU/AG) Sgt L M Collicutt (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 20,000 ft at 23.11hrs |
P/O C G H Kenyon (P) F/O P C Sharp (Nav) F/Sgt W R J Maroney (A/B) F/Sgt J N Ellis (F/Eng) F/Sgt G E Duncan (W/Op) Sgt G K Logan (MU/AG) Sgt L M Collicutt (R/AG) |
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Station Summary |
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OPERATIONS Berlin operation again laid on. 14 aircraft of 550 Squadron were detailed. 10 claimed to atack Berlin. Remaining 4 were abortive sorties. |
Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 22,000 ft at 20.35 hrs |
F/O G A Morrison (P) Sgt P W Wise (F/Eng) F/O F W Bennett (Nav) F/O R Warren (A/B) Sgt H C Gilbert (W/Op) Sgt J M Cantor (MU/AG) Sgt J McKenzie (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Primary 20,000 ft at 03.38hrs |
F/O G A Morrison (P) Sgt P W Wise (F/Eng) F/O F W Bennett (Nav) F/O R Warren (A/B) Sgt H C Gilbert (W/Op) Sgt J M Cantor (MU/AG) Sgt J McKenzie (R/AG) |
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Aircraft Deployed | Servicemen Deployed | Aircraft Service Number | Returned or FTR |
Comments | Crew Details | DV305 | Returned | Landed Woodbridge. |
F/O G A Morrison (P) Sgt P W Wise (F/Eng) F/O F W Bennett (Nav) F/O R Warren (A/B) Sgt H C Gilbert (W/Op) Sgt J M Cantor (MU/AG) Sgt J McKenzie (R/AG) |
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Based on the data in the lists displayed above, and keeping in mind that data is still being updated and thus not yet complete, the following statistics are generated:
Aircraft deployments | 15 |
MAX Aircraft deployed in single operation |
1 (Berlin, 26 Nov 1943) |
These details were last updated: 23 October 2024
this list is still being built and will take some time to complete
what is currently displayed is believed accurate but much more is still to be added
This note describes the options currently available to produce a smaller, more manageable list and also describes planned future enhancements to the reporting facility.
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