Canadian Military History Guide - Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia 164 Ops On! The sound of 1650 horsepower Bristol Hercules engines roaring to life announced that “ops were on” this night in this corner of Yorkshire. Thirteen Halifax’s from the RCAF’s 426 Squadron stationed at Linton-on-Ouse were part of a 321 aircraft Bomber Command raid on a synthetic oil and chemical plant located at Sterkrade in the Ruhr. Inside each aircraft, seven aircrew readied themselves for the night’s work. One of those crews was piloted by twentyyear-old Flying Officer John Tabor. Sitting at the controls of Halifax LK879, Tabor was a long way from his hometown of Ottawa. Just two years before, the apprenticed printer joined the RCAF; now he would lead his crew on just their second operation into some of the most hostile airspace over Germany’s industrial heartland. Tabor’s was a new or “sprog crew” in RAF slang and the range in ages among the seven aircrew was rather unusual. The Navigator, Flying Officer George Shannon from London Ontario was an old man by aircrew standards at age 31. While the Bomb Aimer, Sergeant Robert Niles was just 19. From Dawson Creek BC, Robert was my cousin. The other aircrew were Air Gunner’s Pilot Officer William Carson and Pilot Officer Leonard Hill fromWindsor and Hamilton respectively. Hill was another, an “old man” at age 30. The other crewmembers included Sergeant HarryDoggett, theWireless Air Gunner from Galt, and the Engineer, Sergeant Francis McQueen of Hamilton. Tabor and his crew had only just arrived at 426 Squadron two weeks before on 3 June 1944 after completing their Heavy Conversion training to four engine “heavies.”As was the practice with new squadron pilots, Tabor flew a couple of operations with more experienced pilots and crews as a second pilot or “second dickie” to gain operational experience. Tabor’s first second dickie flight came on the night of 5/6 June 1944. It was rather notable because the squadron’s task was to bomb a German coastal battery near Deauville in Normandy in support of the D-Day landings that would follow later that morning. He set out again that night as second pilot on an attack on key road, rail, and bridges near Counstances in the Contentin Peninsula. Their first “Op” as an entire crew came the following week on the night of 14/15 June as one of thirteen aircraft from 426 ordered to bomb rail facilities at St. Pol, near Arras, France. Flying in Halifax LK384 they dropped their bombload on target at 0327 hours and returned to Lintonwithout incident two hours later. Tabor described their first operation as a “good trip.” The intensity of Bomber Command’s air operations during this period of the war is evident when just the next night,16/17 June, Tabor’s crew awaited the signal to take off again, this time in LK879. Their second trip would be more challenging than their first. This night would take them 370 miles from base, over occupied Europe to Germany’s industrial centre, the Ruhr. Earlier that day, the crew attended a briefing about the night’s operation. Detailed information about weather conditions andwinds as well as information about anticipated German defenses - night fighters, searchlights, and FLAK, as well as target information was shared with the crews. Afterwards, the waiting began. The time after briefing was typically the worst part for many aircrew - seemingly endless anxious hours before actual take off. For aircrew on operations a meal was served - real eggs and bacon, a wartime luxury, was an operational aircrew standard. By John Goheen
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