550 Squadron and RAF North Killingholme Association

Squadron Operations: Summary Information

Overview

Listed below is the information available for operations to this target flown by 550 Squadron.

Operation Summary: The column headers should be fairly self-explanatory. The term "aborted" as used here covers a number of possibilities:

the operation was cancelled before crews were briefed
the crews have been briefed as to the target, and in some cases the planes may even have been bombed up and the crews on-board at their stations awaiting take-off, before the op has been stood-down
finally a number of cases where the op was already under way and the planes en-route but for whatever reason the operation was aborted (e.g. the master bomber orders the attack cancelled due to weather conditions at target adversely affecting targeting).

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.

Manageable Lists

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.

Operation/Target: Stuttgart (20 Feb 1944 - 21 Feb 1944)

Operation Summary
Target	Out	Back	Aborted (Y / N)	Comments
Stuttgart	20 Feb 1944	21 Feb 1944	N	Fourteen aircraft with crews were offered for operations and briefed to attack targets in STUTTGART. Two aircraft did not take-off owing to techincal troubles. Twelve aircraft successfully bombed the targets and returned safely, landing at BASE - NORTH KILLINGHOLME.

Station Summary
OPERATIONS 13 aircraft of 550 Squadron detailed for STUTTGART raid. 12 tool off and complete mission without loss. ORGANISATION 9550 Servicing Echelon personnel moved to the new office accommodation in No. 1 Flight building. Owing to the shortage of personnel at 13 Base HQ for Base Mainenance Unit, one mechanic has been attached from Station Signals Section at this station for temportary duty, leaving the Section with 4 mechanics below establishment. Modification incorporated in Lancaster ME582 whereby camera is operated by opening and closing of the bomb doors. The last few days have seen the equipment of the Station Navigation Officer's premises and his map store. To bring his supply of maps and charts up to requirements a further order has been dispatched. F/Lt. GARDINER has been replaced as Station Armament Officer by P/O Alderson during his temporary absence on leave. The Base Armament Officer today visited the station for a general inspection of roads and bomb stores.

Station Summary

OPERATIONS
13 aircraft of 550 Squadron detailed for STUTTGART raid. 12 tool off and complete mission without loss.
ORGANISATION
9550 Servicing Echelon personnel moved to the new office accommodation in No. 1 Flight building. Owing to the shortage of personnel at 13 Base HQ for Base Mainenance Unit, one mechanic has been attached from Station Signals Section at this station for temportary duty, leaving the Section with 4 mechanics below establishment.
Modification incorporated in Lancaster ME582 whereby camera is operated by opening and closing of the bomb doors.
The last few days have seen the equipment of the Station Navigation Officer's premises and his map store. To bring his supply of maps and charts up to requirements a further order has been dispatched.
F/Lt. GARDINER has been replaced as Station Armament Officer by P/O Alderson during his temporary absence on leave. The Base Armament Officer today visited the station for a general inspection of roads and bomb stores.

Aircraft Deployed			Servicemen Deployed
Aircraft Service Number	Returned or FTR	Comments	Crew Details
LM455	Returned	Bombed G/R Sky markers at 21,000 ft at 0402 hrs.	S/L G D Graham (P) F/O J R Harding (Nav) F/Sgt H Jennings (A/B) F/Sgt A B Frost (F/Eng) Sgt B G Winzar (W/Op) Sgt E J Brennan (MU/AG) Sgt J W Nash (R/AG)

Operation/Target: Stuttgart (01 Mar 1944 - 02 Mar 1944)

Operation Summary
Target	Out	Back	Aborted (Y / N)	Comments
Stuttgart	01 Mar 1944	02 Mar 1944	N	Thirteen aircraft with crews were offered for operations and briefed to attach targets in STUTTGART. One aircraft did not take off owing to insufficient brake pressures. Twelve aircraft successfully bombed their targets and returned safely to base. One aircraft landed at RAF Station, Manston and a second at RAF Station Grimsby. One aircraft and crew completed a night cross country.

Station Summary
OPERTAIONS 13 aircraft of 550 Squadron were detailed for a large-scale attack on STUTTGART. 1 machine was cancelled prior to take-off due to lack of brake pressure. ORGANIZATION

Aircraft Deployed			Servicemen Deployed
Aircraft Service Number	Returned or FTR	Comments	Crew Details
LM455	Returned	Primary 21,000 ft at 03.08 hrs. Bombed fire glow.	S/L G D Graham (P) F/O J R Harding (Nav) F/Sgt H Jennings (A/B) F/Sgt A B Frost (F/Eng) Sgt B G Winzar (W/Op) Sgt E J Brennan (MU/AG) Sgt J W Nash (R/AG)

Operation/Target: Stuttgart (24 Jul 1944 - 24 Jul 1944)

Operation Summary
Target	Out	Back	Aborted (Y / N)	Comments
Stuttgart	24 Jul 1944	24 Jul 1944	N	Fifteen aircraft were laid on to bomb STUTTGART, that take off being as usual without incident. All claimed to have bombed the target successfully although the city was covered by thin cloud the markers could be seen and several fires illuminated the cloud. Several vivid explosions brightened the proceedings. Flak at the target was repoted as being moderate. Several Night Fighters were seen but did not attack, two peeled off when the gunners of "F" (F/O Cann) and "T" (F/O Roche) opened fire.

Aircraft Deployed			Servicemen Deployed
Aircraft Service Number	Returned or FTR	Comments	Crew Details
LM455	Returned	Primary 18,000 feet at 01.47 hours. Red explosion at 01.50 hours.	F/O P M Roche (P) Sgt P A O Adams (F/Eng) F/O R W Archer (Nav) F/O D Rudd (A/B) F/O S G Spakowski (W/Op) F/O R F Calderhead (MU/AG) F/O E T Meaker (R/AG)

Operation/Target: Stuttgart (28 Jul 1944 - 28 Jul 1944)

Operation Summary
Target	Out	Back	Aborted (Y / N)	Comments
Stuttgart	28 Jul 1944	28 Jul 1944	N	Eighteen aircraft and crews were offered but only seventeen were accepted for operations. The crews were briefed to attack STUTTGART once again and all successfully took off without incident. All the aircraft claim to have bombed the target area and contrary to the previous raids experienced fairly heavy opposition from the ground defences, Two of our aircraft "O" P/O Jones and "T" F/O Roche failed to return from this mission, two other aircraft failed to reach Base and landed at Woodbridge and Bombrook. In the crew of "O" as Navigator was F/O Dinney who has for several weeks been acting as the Squadron Navigation Leader.

Aircraft Deployed			Servicemen Deployed
Aircraft Service Number	Returned or FTR	Comments	Crew Details
LM455	FTR	Missing, no news after take-off. [Ed. Photo of recovered wreckage of LM455/BQ-T, specifically the rear gun turrent on which the name "EDDIE" is visible.]	F/O P M Roche (P) Sgt P A O Adams (F/Eng) F/O R W Archer (Nav) F/O D Rudd (A/B) F/O S G Spakowski (W/Op) F/O R F Calderhead (MU/AG) F/O E T Meaker (R/AG)

Summary Statistics

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 Deployment Statistics

Aircraft deployments	4
MAX Aircraft deployed in single operation	1 (Stuttgart, 20 Feb 1944)

These details were last updated: 21 November 2024

Note

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.

Return to the top of the page.