No. 640 Squadron RAF

No. 640 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

No. 640 Squadron RAF
Active7 January 1944 – 7 May 1945
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
RoleBomber Squadron
Part ofNo. 4 Group, RAF Bomber Command[1]
BaseRAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire
Insignia
Squadron CodesC8 (Jan 1944 – May 1945)[2][3]
Aircraft flown
BomberHandley-Page Halifax

History

No. 640 Squadron was first formed at RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire on 7 January 1944,[4] from 'C' Flight of No. 158 Squadron RAF. It was equipped with Halifax Mk.III bombers, and operated as part of No. 4 Group in Bomber Command. It re-equipped with Halifax VI bombers in March 1945, and was disbanded at RAF Leconfield on 7 May of that year.[5]

Operational Highlights
A crew from No. 640 Squadron at Leconfield taken in December 1944, with a Halifax III in the background. Photograph features: Captain F/O R.Wakeman, DFC; Navigator P/O Reginald William Parr, DFC; Bomb Aimer F/O C.B.Morrison, RCAF, DFC; W/Op. F/Sgt H. Bearyman; Flt.Eng F/Sgt P/McPhie; Mid-upper Gunner F/S R.Thomas; Rear Gunner F/Sgt E.G. Humphries.
  • First Operational Mission 5 Halifaxes bombed Berlin while 3 others aborted on the night from 20 to 21 January 1944
  • Last Operational Mission 18 Halifaxes bombed gun batteries on the island of Wangerooge on 25 April 1945[6]
Listed below are further operational highlights for the Wakeman crew (see photograph right)[7]
PositionName crew memberKnown as
CaptainF/O R.Wakeman, DFCJimmy
NavigatorP/O Reginald William Parr, DFCReg
Bomb AimerF/O C.B.Morrison, RCAF, DFCCliff
W/OpF/Sgt. H.BearymanHarry
Flt.Eng.F/Sgt. P.McPhiePeter
Mid-upper GunnerF/S R.ThomasTommy
Rear GunnerF/Sgt. E.G.HumphriesEric
Individual missions for the above named crew, data from[7][8][9][10][11][12]
Date (all dates are in 1944)OffBackTargetMission DetailBomb Load (lbs)Individual Aircraft CodeAircraft Serial No.
6 August11:1214:27Forêt de NieppeV-Weapon Sites.16×500X
7 August20:5301:48May-sur-OrneArmy Support – Five aiming points in front of Allied ground troops in Normandy.9×1000HNA573
9 August11:5315:28Le ChâtellierChemical works.4×500X
10 August20:5003:50DijonA railway junction and the railway yards.4×500J
11 August18:2222:07ÉtaplesRailway bridge.4×500Z
15 August09:4013:45EindhovenAirfield4×500BMZ561
16 August21:4001:45Kiel4×500BMZ561
18 August22:2003:00Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.Ruhrchemie AG synthetic oil plant
(SBC = small bomb container)		1×2000, 4×SBCBMZ561
9 September06:4411:09Le HavreAbandoned – cloud.16×500G
11 September05:1909:49Cadillac7×1000, 6×500K
12 September16:1520:50Münster1×2000 & IncendiaryPMZ678
17 September06:5210:43BoulogneGerman positions in preparation for an attack by Allied troops.9×1000, 4×500JNP631
25 September06:3510:36CalaisGerman defensive positions.9×1000, 4×500JNP931
27 September09:2913:03CalaisGerman defensive positions.9×1000, 4×500DLW554
30 September09:4514:22Bottrop, Ruhr.Oil plant.16×500HMZ344
6 October14:2819:04Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant.16×500JNP931
7 October11:4516:03KleveArmy support – Approach routes by which German units could threaten the vulnerable Allied right flank near Nijmegen.9×1000, 4×500JNP931
15 October00:1605:53Duisburg8×1000, 5×500KMZ930
15 October17:4821:41Wilhelmshaven8×1000, 5×500KMZ930
25 October12:0917:51EssenIndustrial concerns, particularly to the Krupps steelworks.9×1000, 4×500JNP931
28 October09:4513:05WalcherenGun positions at 5 places on the rim of the island.1×2000, 7×1000, 4×500LNP931
31 October18:0323:10Cologne1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500GMZ404
2 November16:0522:00Düsseldorf1×2000 & IncendiaryJNP931
4 November17:3422:34BochumIndustrial areas, particularly the steelworks.1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500JNP931
6 November11:4216:42GelsenkirchenNordstern synthetic-oil plant.1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500JNP931
16 November12:4317:30JülichArmy support – cut communications behind the German lines.1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500JNP931
21 November17:2523:55Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant.16×500JNP931
29 November02:2608:22EssenIndustrial areas, including the Krupps works.1×2000, 16×500JNP931
2 December17:3500:07HagenIndustrial areas – unknown at the time this included a factory making U-boat accumulator batteries.1×2000 & IncendiaryJNP931
12 December16:2421:58EssenIndustrial areas, including the Krupps works.1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500JNP931
22 December15:0521:33Bingen am RheinRailway yards.1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500JNP931
24 December11:1716:42Essen/MülheimAirfields.5×1000, 8×250JNP931

Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 640 Squadron RAF, data from[4][5][6]
FromToAircraftVersion
January 1944March 1945Handley-Page HalifaxMk.III
March 1945May 1945Handley-Page HalifaxMk.VI

Squadron Bases
Base operated by no. 640 Squadron RAF, data from[4][5][6]
FromToName
7 January 19447 May 1945RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire

References

Notes
  1. Delve 1994, p. 69.
  2. Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 27.
  3. Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 65.
  4. Halley 1988, p. 443.
  5. Jefford 2001, p. 102.
  6. Moyes 1976, p. 290.
  7. Reginald William Parr Flight Log 1944
  8. "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  9. "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2008.
  10. "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2011.

Bibliography
  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
  • Norman, Bill (2005). Halifax Squadron: the Wartime Bombing Operations of No. 640 Squadron, Leconfield. Preston, Lancashire: Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications. ISBN 0-9547325-1-0.
  • Norman, Bill (1999). No. 640 (Halifax) Squadron, RAF Leconfield: a Diary of Wartime Bombing Operations. Warrington: Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications. ISBN 1-900604-08-6.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to No. 640 Squadron RAF.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.