Operations flown by Ellis Ware
102 Sqn, RAF Pocklington
13 Oct 42. Kiel. Second pilot to WO Towse. DT512. 1827-0012. Turned back short of target due to entanglement with defences various. Landed Topcliffe.
1. 24 Oct 42. Genoa. Ware does not appear in 102 Sqn ORB for this raid. Two 102 Sqn ac collided on their return to Pocklington, killing 2 crew.
2. 6 Nov 42. Minelaying off the Dutch coast. W7883. 1807-2216. Successful.
3. 9 Nov 42. Hamburg. W7884. 1749-2315. Attacked from 14000’, with fires seen below. Landed West Raynham. One of 213 ac, 15 of which were lost.
4. 28 Nov 42. Turin. W7925. 1803-0320. Bombed from 10000’. Landed Newmarket.
5. 6 Dec 42. Mannheim. W7934. 1709-0052. Bombed on PFF flares from 11000’. 10/10 cloud over target. One of twelve 102 Sqn ac, 2 of which did not return.
6. 10 Dec 42. Turin. W7918. 1651-0128. Attacked target from 13000’; landed West Malling.
7. 20 Dec 42. Duisburg. W7918. 1758-2237. Attacked primary target from 18000’; PFF flares. Slight flak holes in bomb doors. On the same night, 109 Sqn Mosquitos dropped the first Oboe-aimed bombs.
8. 9 Jan 43. Minelaying Kattegat. W7918. 1603-2214. One of eleven 102 Sqn ac, Ware crossed Denmark and dropped his mines from 650’. Solid cloud at 3000’.
17 Jan 43. Ops Berlin. W7918. 1649-2032. Ware’s Halifax suffered a coolant leak on the port outer engine; he returned early and jettisoned his bombs. One of four 102 Sqn ac from a total force of 170 Lancasters and 17 Halifaxes, of which 19 Lancasters and 3 Halifaxes were lost. This was the second raid on Berlin in succession, the previous night’s effort being the first raid on Berlin for 14 months. The high loss rate is explained by the fact that the bombers took the same route to the target as the previous night, giving the advantage to the defending night fighters. These raids were the first to use proper ‘Target Indicators’ and a force of only Lancasters and Halifaxes. The lack of damage caused to the target is explained by poor marking; on the first night, this was compounded by thick cloud and haze. Berlin was beyond the range of Gee and Oboe; after this raid experiments with a Lancaster / Halifax force using Target Indicators against Berlin were suspended until H2S became available.
9. 23 Jan 43. Lorient. W7912. 1726-2250. Bombed target from 9000’ and observed the centre of the town on fire.
35 Sqn RAF Graveley (Ware and his crew all posted on 28 Jan as a result of the formation of a third flight at 35 Sqn), whose role was to ‘Back Up’ markers placed by Oboe-equipped Mosquitoes with their own Target Indicators.
10. 3 Feb 43. Hamburg. W1231. 1854-0047. Attacked as part of main force. Hamburg identified by sky markers but Ware’s crew bombed on ETA from 14500’. One bomb hung up due to icing and was brought back. One of 263 ac, of which 16 were lost. Marking by H2S was disappointing for those ac which hadn’t already returned due to icing over the North Sea.
11. 4 Feb 43. Turin. W1231 ‘J’. 1812-0226. Target identified visually and by well-placed Target Indicators. Five 1000lb bombs dropped from 14000’. One ac of 188 ac, 12 of which were from 35 Sqn and of which 156 bombed Turin, causing serious and widespread damage.
12. 14 Feb 43. Cologne. W1165 ‘C’. 1843-2228. One of 243 Halifaxes, Wellingtons and Stirlings; 3 ac of each type lost. With total cloud cover, the target was identified solely by 3 marker flares. Eight 1000lb bombs dropped from 18000’ at 2027. During the return journey over eastern Belgium, the ac was attacked by a Ju88, with the rear gunner returning fire.
13. 16 Feb 43. Lorient. W7821 ‘H’. 1909-2337. One of 377 ac to carry out the last large raid in this campaign against Lorient. One engine became unserviceable during the outward journey and was shut down, so two 1000lb bombs were jettisoned and the mission continued. Approaching the target, a second engine showed signs of overheating. Target identified visually; 32 white flares, 4 red Target Indicators and the remaining 1000lb bomb released from 11500’. In recognition of his skill and determination, Ware was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions during this mission.
14. 19 Feb 43. Wilhelmshaven. DT489 ‘F’. 1801-2241. One of 338 ac carrying out the second unsuccessful raid on the same target in successive nights; post raid analysis found that the Pathfinders had been issued with out-of-date maps of the town. Ware’s crew was a backup marker, but identified the target only by Target Indicators, into the midst of which it released six 1000lb bombs from 16500’. The crew observed Target Indicators to the North and North West of the aiming point and brought their own Target Indicators back, observing a flak ship shoot down an aircraft during the return journey.
15. 21 Feb 43. Bremen. W7804 ‘G’. 1826-0014. Total cloud; target identified by a concentration of Target Indicators. Four red TIs and five 1000lb bombs released from 18000’. One bomb hung up and could not be released. Heavy flak was encountered, the aircraft hit in the port outer engine, the underside of the tail and the starboard wing.
16. 26 Feb 43. Ops Nuremburg. W1231 ‘J’. One of 337 ac. Four Green TIs and two 1000lb bombs were dropped. The photo flash stuck in the chute and exploded in the ac, blinding the Captain and other members of the crew. Part of the fuselage and mid-upper hatch blown out. Despite reduced rudder control, Ware made a successful landing at Hunsdon, from where 4 crew members were taken to hospital with minor injuries.
17. 22 Mar 43. St Nazaire. W7825 ‘V’. 1915-2351. Backer Up. Seven 1000lb bombs and red TIs dropped on TIs from 15000’; one 1000lb bomb hung up and was brought back. One of 357 aircraft intended to attack, of which 283 carried out a concentrated attack on the port area due to accurate marking (one Lancaster lost).
18. 28 Mar 43. St Nazaire. W7825 ‘V’. 1946-0017. Backer Up. Seven 1000lb bombs (one with delay fuse) and 4 red Tis dropped from 14000’; one 1000lb bomb hung up and fell out of the bomb bay on return to dispersal. One of 323 aircraft in the raid.
19. 4 Apr 43. Kiel. W7808 ‘S’. 2027-0221. Backer Up. Ware captained a different crew. 10/10 cloud with tops at 4000’. Three 1000lb bombs and green TIs dropped into a red glow presumed to be from TIs. One 0f 577 aircraft on the raid, the largest so far to Kiel, of which 12 were lost. Difficulty in accurate marking limited the success of the raid.
20. 10 Apr 43. Frankfurt. BB320 ‘S’. 2357-0547. Backer Up. 10/10 cloud with tops at 8000’. Five 1000lb bombs (two with delay fuses) and 4 green TIs dropped on red & green TIs. One of 502 ac on the raid of which 21 were lost, one of which was one of the 18 ac sent by 35 Sqn. Another failure of a raid due to cloud cover.
29 Apr – 3 May – much ‘H2S Training’
21. 12 May 43. Duisburg. BB320 ‘S’ 2354-0410. Main Force. Three 1000lb bombs and eight 500lb bombs dropped on TIs from 18000’. One of 572 ac, of which 34 were lost. Near perfect marking and concentrated main force bombing caused substantial damage.
22. 13 May 43. Pilsen (Skoda armaments factory) . BB320 ‘S’. 2133-0508. Blind Illuminator. Flares and TIs dropped NW to SE across target in good weather both visually and using H2S. One of 168 aircraft on the raid, of which 9 were lost. Nearly all bombs fell in open country North of the Skoda works.
23. 23 May 43. Dortmund. BB320 ‘S’. 2249-0315. Main Force. Two 1000lb bombs and seven 500lb bombs dropped on red TIs from 17000’. Two 1000lb LD hung up over target and jettisoned live. 826 ac attacked, with the Pathfinders marking accurately in clear weather; sufficient damage was caused such that Dortmund was not subjected to another major attack until one year after this raid.
24. 25 May 43. Dusseldorf. BB320 ‘S’. 2322-0323. Groundmarker. Ware made a timed run from a yellow target marker seen 5 mins from target. Dropped 7 x 500 lb MC and 4 x 1000lb (2 with delay fuses) from 17000’ in thick haze and poor visibility. 759 aircraft tasked for this raid which was a failure; the Pathfinders had difficulty and the Germans may have operated decoy markers and fires. Hence main force bombing was not concentrated.
25. 29 May 43. Wuppertal (Barmen). BB320 ‘S’. 2221-0308. Fire Raiser. Dropped 1164 4lb incendiaries on red TIs from 15500’. A 719 ac raid of which 33 were lost, including 4 of the 15 ac from 35 Sqn; all 4 aircraft were claimed by night fighters based in Belgium and the Netherlands, although one aircraft was seriously damaged by AAA before encountering the night fighter. Each of the 4 crews had members both Killed in Action and those who survived as PoWs, with one ‘second Dickey’ evading successfully for some time before being captured. This raid was the “outstanding success of the Battle of the Ruhr”. Up to 80% of Barmen’s built up area was destroyed by fire, including 5 of the town’s 6 largest factories. It was a Saturday night and many of the town’s fire and air raid officials had gone to their country homes for the weekend; the fire services could not control the fires in their first raid.
26. 21 Jun 43. Krefeld. BB320 ‘S’. 2308-0317. Marker. Dropped ten 500lb MC and three 1000lb GP LD bombs between two red Target Indicators. Yellow Target Indicators brought home as not required. 705 aircraft raid, of which 44 were lost. Accurate marking and concentrated bombing caused a large fire to burn out of control for several hours; the centre of the City was burnt out. 19 ac from 35 Sqn, 5 did not return (at least 4 of these can be attributed to night fighters) and one ditched in the North Sea, having its starboard outer engine damaged by flak 40 miles inland from the Dutch coast, it continued to target, losing its port inner crossing the coast outbound on the return journey. All the crew of this aircraft were rescued by Walrus ASR aircraft.
27. 15 Jul 43. Montbeliard (Peugeot Motor Factory). HR861 ‘T’. 2215-0526. Blind Illuminator. Dropped 3 x 1000lb MC, 2 x 500lb MC on a red TI with visual confirmation. 35 Sqn crews reported good marking and accurate bombing, but post-raid analysis showed the markers were 700 yards beyond the target; most bombs fell in the town with little damage to the Peugeot works.
28. 2 Aug 43. Hamburg. HR861 ‘T’. 2304-0422. Blind Marker. 740 ac raid, of which 30 were lost. Ware’s crew was one of many who returned early due to icing over Germany. Very few bombs landed on Hamburg, but many other towns in Northern Germany received bombs. The small town of Elmshorn, 12 miles from Hamburg, received a sizeable raid, possibly due to a flash of lightning setting a house on fire, with crews bombing the fire.
29. 9 Aug 43. Mannheim. HR861 ‘T’. 2308-0432. Backer Up. Ware’s crew dropped Target Indicators and ten 500lb MC bombs from 17000’. They reported the raid as appearing very concentrated with glow seen from 100 miles away on return. 457 ac raid, of which 9 were lost. The target area was cloud covered, marking did not work well and bombing was scattered. Nonetheless, German reports state that considerable damage was caused.
30. 10 Aug 43. Nuremburg. HR861 ‘T’. Blind Marker. A 653 ac attack, Ware’s was one of 16 ac which did not return. En route to the target, the aircraft was attacked by a night fighter flown . by Major Frederich Karl Muller. The aircraft caught fire and Ware gave the order to bale out. 3 bodies were found in the wreckage.
Crew – Flt Lt Ellis Ware (Pilot) PoW
Fg Off Gordon Hogg (Bomb Aimer) PoW
Fg Off Charles Russell (Navigator) PoW
Fg Off Glenburne Galvin (Wireless Operator) PoW
Sgt Reginald Hamblin (Gunner) KIA
Sgt William Jackett (Gunner) KIA
Sgt Jack Fiddler (Flight Engineer) KIA
