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Target - Cologne. The aiming point was the part of the city situated on the East bank of the River Rhine, which was an area occupied by much industry. Marking was to be carried out by Oboe equipped Mosquito aircraft and backers up. The total force committed to this attack was 653 aircraft - 293 Lancasters, 182 Halifaxes, 89 Wellingtons, 76 Stirlings and 13 Mosquitos. 23 Lancasters and crews were detailed by 103 Squadron for this operation Route - Elsham Wolds, Southwold, Knocke, 5028N/0632E, Target, turn right, 5047N/0723E, 5012N/0644E, 5020N/0132E, Dungeness, Elsham Wolds. Flying Officer Oldham and crew flew Avro Lancaster PM-O W5012 which carried a bomb load of 1 x 4000 HC, 540 x 4lb (inc 30 x type), 48 x 30lb inc, 1 x 500lb MCLD, 3 x 500lb MCTD. They took off from Elsham Wolds at 23:01 in good weather. On the outward flight the crew had to fly over Belgium near to two important German night fighter airfields, St Trond, which was the home of II/NJG 1 and Florennes, which was the home of I/NJG 4. In addition the crew had also to cross the German radar detection Himmelbett Line sectors Raum 6 and 7. During the outward flight W5012 was attacked by a Bf 110 night fighter flown by Oblt W Telge with his radio operator/gunner Fw Telsnig of II/NJG1 based at St Trond, Belgium. The Lancaster was seen on fire and flying very low towards the village of Gesves and lost a wing shortly before crashing in the fields close to the village at 01:42 Belgian time. Sadly there were no survivors. Six members of the crew were found in the wreckage of the Lancaster and one member of the crew was found in the wood nearby with his parachute partially open.
The Lancaster had crashed in an area called the Bois del Hez very near the village of Gesves. On the morning of the 4th July, a German Berungkommando unit arrived to remove the wreckage and the remains of the crew, which were buried at the cemetery of Florennes on the 6th July. The German authorities did not wish that the bodies be buried at Gesves because of the fact that the local people had placed flowers at the crash site and the Germans wanted no further gestures of sympathy or sorrow to the crew. The bodies of Flying Officer Oldham and his crew still rest today in the cemetery at Florennes, which is now one of many Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteries on mainland Europe. The city of Cologne was subjected to a heavy attack that night which destroyed 20 industrial premises and 2200 houses. 588 people were killed and 1000 injured with a further 72000 bombed out. 30 aircraft and crews were lost on the raid, 9 Halifaxes, 8 Lancasters, 8 Wellingtons and 5 Stirlings. Oblt Telge was promoted to Hauptmann and took over command of V/NJG 1 in mid August 1943. He was killed on the night of the 31st August/1st September 1943 when the wing of his aircraft was damaged in a collision with the tail of a bomber that he was attacking. At the time of his death he had shot down 14 bombers and had been awarded the Iron Cross First and Second Class and the Honour Cup for his operational service in the Luftwaffe. | ||
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