Warrant Officer John B Firth
Flight Engineer 50 Squadron
His crew being:
F/lt R.S. Palandri, pilot.
Sgt J.B. Firth, F/E.
F/Sgt R.J. Owen.
F/O H.A. Manos, A/B.
Sgt A.D. Mellish, W/Op.
Sgt W. Johnson, M/U.
F/Sgt A.R. Meredith, RCAF, R/G
They flew together on 19 of the 20 ops listed.
Crew posted in from 5 LFS, on 11th June 44.
Ops 1944.......
19th June. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attack on Watten construction works.
21st June. Lancaster I LL922. Bombimg attack on Gelsenkirchen.
23rd June. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attack on Limoges marshalling yards.
24th June. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attack on Prouville.
27th June. Lancaster I ED455. Bombing attack on Vitry.
4th July. Lancaster I ME700. Bombing attack on St Leu de Esserrent.
7th July. Lancaster I ME700. Bombing attack on St Leu de Esserrent.
18th July. Lancaster I LM162. Bombing attack on Revigny railway junction.
19th July. Lancaster I LM222. Bombing attack on Thiverny. (Daylight).
23rd July. Lancaster I LM222. Bombing attack on Kiel.
24th July. Lancaster I LM222. Bombing attack on Stuttgart.
25th July. Lancaster I LM222. Bombing attack on St Cyr. (Daylight).
26th July. Lancaster III LM435. Bombing attack on Givors.
30th July. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attack on Cahagnes. (Daylight).
31st July. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attack on Joigny-Larouche. (Daylight).
2nd August. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attack on Bois de Cassan. (Daylight).
3rd August. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attack on Trossy St Maximim. (Daylight).
5th August. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attack on St Leu de Esserrent. (Daylight).
6th August. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attack on Bois de Cassan. (Daylight).
7th August. Lancaster I LL922. Bombing attck on Secqueville. (Aircraft Missing)
Shot down on 7th August 1944, his 20th operation
On the night of 7th August, F/O E.A. Hearn, the Bombing Leader of 50sqdn, took F/O Manos's place in the crew.
The aircraft, LL992, VN-T, crashed at La Frenaye, Palandri, Mellish, and Owen were killed, Firth, pow, Hearn, Johnson and Meredith
evaded
John was POW for rest of war. He recalls
On the 7th of August 1944 we were detailed to bomb a German troop concentration near Secqueville, France (Our troops being quite close).
By the time we arrived at the target the T.I.s had extinguished so we were ordered to return to base without bombing the target.
As we flew past Rouen on our return journey a German fighter attacked us spraying our wings from port to starboard. One cannon shell flew through the side near the Skipper and then smashed
through the windscreen.
What a draft that caused!!!.
With the aircraft now in a steep dive to port, and with the fire extinguishers unable to put out the raging fire, Skipper gave the order to bale out.
My exit from the aircraft was somewhat delayed, however, I did manage to successfully get out.
After parachuting down I landed fairly close to the crashed aircraft and was caught quite soon by the enemy. I spent the rest of the war in Stalag Luft V11 in Silesia.
Print 