February 2018 FLYPAST 45Trip Date (1944) Objective
1 Feb 25 Augsburg
2 Mar 10 Chateauroux
3 Mar 15 Stuttgart
4 Mar 18 Frankfurt
5 Mar 22 Frankfurt
6 Mar 24 Berlin
7 Mar 26 Essen
8 Apr 9 Danzig Bay
9 Apr 10 Tours
10 Apr 18 Stettin Bay
11 Apr 20 Paris, La Chapelle district
12 Apr 22 Brunswick
13 Apr 24 Munich
14 Apr 26 Schweinfurt
15 May 9 Gennevilliers
16 May 11 Bourg, Leopold Barracks
17 May 19 Tours
18 May 21 Kiel Bay
19 May 22 Brunswick
20 May 31 Maisy
21 Jun 6 St Pierre du Mont
22 Jun 8 Rennes
23 Jun 10 Orleans
24 Jun 12 Poitiers
25 Jun 27 Vitry-le-Francois
26 Jul 4 St Leu d’Esserent
27 Jul 7 St Leu d’EsserentTHE CLEMENT CREW’S 27 TRIPSfuel. They did and made it home.
More than 700 aircraft were sent
to Essen on the 26th; including
22 Mosquitos, which marked
the target effectively despite
almost complete cloud cover. The
inbound route changed abruptly
from an easterly track south
towards the Ruhr, fooling German
fighter controllers. All 17 of 106
Squadron’s aircraft returned safely.
TRANSPORT PLAN
As April arrived, priority was to be
given to the transport network of
northwest Europe. In the lead up
to D-Day, important supply lines
such as railways, roads and canals
became primary targets to disrupt
and deny supplies and
reinforcements to the defending
German forces.
As part of this, 106 was dispatched
to Danzig on the Baltic on a
‘Gardening’ sortie. This was the
codename given to dropping sea
mines (‘vegetables’) in harbour
approaches, estuaries and sea-lanes.
Wilkinson recorded: “Our group
only on Danzig gardening. 56
aircraft, 2 missing. Most of German
battle fleet in bay. Mines dropped
from 15,000 feet in brilliant
moonlight. Routed by Norway and
Sweden.” The port of Stettin was
similarly treated on April 18.
The La Chapelle district of
Paris was 106’s objective two days
later. Wilkinson reported: “Our
group only on Paris. Bombed
from 10,000ft. Very concentrated
‘prang’.”RETURN TO THE REICH
After weeks of focusing on the
occupied territories, Bomber
Command resumed raids on
Germany on April 22 with an
attack on Brunswick. Two days
later, a stream of nearly 270
Lancasters – including 106 – and
Mosquitos flew to the south of
Switzerland and then northeast to
Munich. Six Lancasters from 617
Squadron dropped green decoy
target-markers on Milan, fooling
the German air defences for a short
while that the Italian city was the
objective.Below
Formal gathering of 106
Squadron aircrew, March- COURTESY MOYA
RUDDICK