Page 14 - 576 Squadron History

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The winter weather in January 1945 was quite reasonable for the first 2 weeks. On the 2/3
January 18 Lancasters and crews from the Squadron were detailed for a raid on Nuremberg. The
Pathfinders were able to mark accurately and much damage was caused, in particular to the
industrial area where the important MAN and Siemens factories were situated. All aircraft returned
to base from this operation and there were several sightings of night fighters including jet aircraft.
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A successful raid took place on the 14/15 January on the synthetic oil plant at Leuna during
which the crews of Squadron Leader D. J. Masters and Flying Officer C. T. Dalziel were both
involved in combats and made claims for enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged. Two nights later
another in a series of attacks on synthetic oil plants took place, this time at Zeitz. Again much
damage was caused to the plant. Flying Officer C. F. Phripp R.C.A.F and crew, who were on the
last operation of their tour, claimed 2 enemy jet fighters as destroyed in combat.

The Lancaster of Flying Officer C. R. Pegg R.A.A.F and crew sustained serious damage on this
operation and the crew were forced to bail out over Belgium. They were soon returned to base
with the exception of Flight Sergeant R. Aizenstein who broke his ankle on landing.

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Bad weather in England curtailed operations at the end of the month. On the 22/23 January the
Squadron detailed 18 Lancasters and crews for a raid on the benzoyl plant in the Bruckhausen
district of Duisburg which was highly successful and heavy damage was also caused to the nearby
Thyssen steel works. Finally that month 18 Lancaster and crews from the Squadron were detailed
to attack targets in the Stuttgart area. The railway yards at Kornwestheim were hit and also the
important Bosch works in a nearby suburb. All the Squadron aircraft returned to base.

576 had operated on 7 nights during January detailing 117 sorties from which 2 failed to return, 1
crashing in Belgium. The main objectives of the month had been oil refineries and marshalling
yards. In addition an attack was undertaken at Royan in France at the request of the French
Forces of the Interior.

An improvement in the weather in the early part of February 1945 saw an increase in the number
of operations flown with varying degrees of success. On the 2/3 February the town of Wiesbaden
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in the banks of the Rhine received its only heavy attack of the war. The attack was not very
successful although the railway station was damaged.
The Lancaster Flight Lieutenant S. T. Boullier and crew was damaged in the raid and was
abandoned near Beauvais on the return. It is reported that all of the crew were safe. The
Lancaster of Flying Officer R. C. Sowerbutts and crew failed to return from this operation.

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Bottrop was targeted on the 3/4 February by 11 Lancasters and crews from the Squadron and
the Prosper benzol plant sustained severe damage. A similar raid on Politz was carried out on the
8/9 February, this time by 14 Lancasters and crews, which was extremely accurate and caused
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severe damage to the important synthetic oil plant which produced no further oil during the war.

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On the 13/14 February Dresden was targeted in what was to become the most controversial raid
undertaken by Bomber Command of the war and has been subject of fierce debate ever since.
The situation on the Eastern Front was very critical at this time with the Germans fighting very
hard inside their own borders against the advancing Russians. The Russians had asked for heavy
attacks to be made against large German cities in the east in the line of their advance. Dresden,
Chemnitz and Leipzig were the objectives. Churchill readily agreed to this plan, partly to help the
Russians and partly to deliver such heavy blows that the German war machine and civil
administration would break down and force a quick surrender. In addition it was felt that all these
cities were important communications Centre’s and their destruction would prevent the Germans
from reinforcing their hard pressed army in the east with additional troops from the west.