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- No. 182 Squadron Royal Air Force during the Second World War -


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World War 2 Two II WW2 WWII 1939 1945

No. 182 Squadron Royal Air Force



   No. 182 Squadron was formed at RAF Martlesham Heath on 25th of August 1942, equipped with Typhoons. The Squadron trained in army cooperation operations in the ground attack role. It joined teh 2nd Tactical Airforce in summer 1943 and operated in the UK until mid 1944 when it proceeded to France to support the Allied advance across North Western Europe. 182 Squadron disbanded in Germany at the end of September 1945.

Airfields where 182 Squadron was based:

  • 25th August-December 1942: Martlesham Heath
  • 7th December 1942: Sawbridgworth
  • 30th December 1942-January 1943: Snailwell
  • 21st January 1943: Sawbridgworth
  • 31st January-March 1943: Martlesham Heath
  • 2nd March-April 1943: Middle Wallop
  • 5th April 1943: Fairlop
  • 29th April-June 1943: Lasham
  • 2nd June-July 1943: Appledram
  • 3rd July-October 1943: New Romney
  • 11th October-December 1943: Merston
  • 31st December 1943-April 1944: Merston
  • 1st April-June 1944: Hurn
  • 18th June 1944: B.6 Coulombs
  • 22nd June-July 1944: Hurn
  • 3rd July-August 1944: B.6 Coulombs
  • 30th August-September 1944: B.30 Creton
  • 3rd September 1944: B.48 Amiens/ Glisy
  • 22nd September 1944-January 1945: B.78 Eindhoven
  • 13th January-February 1945: B.86 Helmond
  • 3rd February 1945: Warmwell
  • 21st February-April 1945: B.86 Helmond
  • 11th April 1945: B.106 Enschede
  • 13th April 1945: B.108 Rheine
  • 17th April-May 1945: B.120 Langenhagen
  • 1st May 1945: B.156 Luneburg
  • May-July 1945: B.158 Lubeck


 

25th August 1942 New Squadron formed

1st Sep 1942 Posting

2nd Sep 1942 Personnel Arrive

4th Sep 1942 Postings

5th Sep 1942 Postings

6th Sep 1942 Postings

8th Sep 1942 Posting

9th Sep 1942 Posting

10th Sep 1942 Aircraft Arrives

11th Sep 1942 Commanding Officer

12th Sep 1942 Aircraft

13th Sep 1942 Discussion

14th Sep 1942 Postings

15th Sep 1942 Posting

16th Sep 1942 Postings

17th Sep 1942 Postings

18th Sep 1942 Aircraft

19th Sep 1942 Spares

20th Sep 1942 Interview

22nd Sep 1942 Visit

23rd Sep 1942 Postings

24th Sep 1942 Lecture

26th Sep 1942 Postings

28th Sep 1942 Training

29th Sep 1942 Co-operation Course

30th Sep 1942 Aircraft Lost

30th Sep 1942 Postings

1st October 1942 Pilots transfer to air-sea rescue

3rd October 1942 Pilots train with the army

4th October 1942 Army Officers fly with RAF

5th October 1942 Gunnery training

6th October 1942 Talk on Sabre engines

8th October 1942 RAF Training with Army and Navy

12th October 1942 Second hand aircraft collected

14th October 1942 Army cooperation training

18th October 1942 Typhoon pilots train on Hurricanes

22nd October 1942 Bomb-equipped Typhoons arrive

23rd October 1942 Test flight with bombs

26th October 1942 Bombing range training begins

3rd November 1942 Visit by Air Marshall

6th November 1942 Airfield unsuitable for ops

8th November 1942 Formation flying practice

9th November 1942 Aircraft demo to US Army

10th November 1942 Practice bombing resumes

13th November 1942 C/O survives accident on take-off

14th November 1942 Practice bombing rated 'excellent'

16th November 1942 Bombing practice

17th November 1942 Airfield still unsuitable

20th November 1942 Naval bombing exercise

24th November 1942 More naval bombing practice

25th November 1942 Engine failure

29th November 1942 New aircraft collected

2nd December 1942 Farewell Dance

4th December 1942 Airfield a sea of mud

5th December 1942 C.O. injured by horse-play

7th December 1942 Move into mud

9th December 1942 Flying impossible

11th December 1942 Flying resumes

12th December 1942 Training conference

14th December 1942 Army attack exercise

20th December 1942 Airfield unserviceable

24th December 1942 Training to be relocated

29th December 1942 Flight moves for training

30th December 1942 Move to Hunsdon

3rd January 1943 Squadron's first operation

4th January 1943 Practice flying

8th January 1943 Bad weather

12th January 1943 Operation cancelled

14th January 1943 Practice attack on aerodrome

15th January 1943 Relocated for Army Exercise

17th January 1943 Party

18th January 1943 Gunnery Exercise

19th January 1943 Cannon and bombing exercise

20th January 1943 Squadron re-united

21st January 1943 Flying training resumes

22nd January 1943 Flooding stops flying

23rd January 1943 Aerodrome unserviceable

25th January 1943 No flying

26th January 1943 Signals Exercise

27th January 1943 Move imperative

29th January 1943 Rifle practice

30th January 1943 Aerodrome abandoned

31st January 1943 Gale

17th February 1943 Naval attack practiced

19th February 1943 Pilots break into airfield

24th February 1943 Fog Lifts

25th February 1943 Inspection

27th February 1943 Preparations for Exercise Spartan

28th February 1943 Move to Exercise base

1st March 1943 Into position for Spartan

2nd March 1943 Spartan confusion

3rd March 1943 Exercise Spartan

3rd March 1943 Exercise Spartan briefing inadequate

4th March 1943 Exercise Spartan

5th March 1943 Exercise Spartan: Communications breakdown

6th March 1943 Exercise Spartan

7th March 1943 Exercise Spartan - weather stops ops

8th March 1943 Exercise Spartan

9th March 1943 Exercise Spartan ops

10th March 1943 Exercise Spartan

11th March 1943 Exercise Spartan

12th March 1943 Exercise Spartan ended

13th March 1943 On the move

14th March 1943 Leave granted

15th March 1943 Cross country flight

17th March 1943 Rumours

18th March 1943 Readiness

22nd March 1943 Settling in

1st April 1943 Successful Exercise

5th April 1943 Moved to new base

7th April 1943 Gales

10th April 1943 On ops at last

13th April 1943 182 Squadron's first raid over the Channel

15th April 1943 Rhubarb Attack

16th April 1943 Pilot lost over France

18th April 1943 Airfield and Trains attacked

23rd April 1943 Invasion hopes damped

25th April 1943 Pilot lost attacking railway targets

28th April 1943 Railway targets attacked

29th April 1943 Inadequate accommodation

7th May 1943 Back to Exercises

7th May 1943 Exercise Thunder

7th May 1943 Postings

10th May 1943 Dentist and medicals

13th May 1943 Attack on Abbeville aerodrome

17th May 1943 Attack on aerodrome

30th May 1943 Attack Made

2nd June 1943 Move

10th June 1943 Fence to keep cows out

12th June 1943 2nd Tactical Air Force

13th June 1943 Attack on aerodrome

19th June 1943 Trains attacked

21st June 1943 Trains attacked

25th June 1943 Attack on Caen aerodrome

30th June 1943 Pilot seriouslty injured by flak

1st July 1943 Abortive sortie

2nd July 1943 Another abortive sortie

8th July 1943 Exercise Smush

10th July 1943 Abortive sortie and new postings

12th July 1943 Party at The Ship

14th July 1943 Inspection

15th July 1943 Pilot taken PoW

18th July 1943 Airfield attacked

19th July 1943 Complaint of slack discipline

24th July 1943 Rhubarb Operations

25th July 1943 Dutch airfield attacked

26th July 1943 Attack on Poix Aerodrome

27th July 1943 Attack on Dutch aerodrome

28th July 1943 Attack on Merville Aerodrome

31st July 1943 Crashed into trees

2nd August 1943 Squadron commander killed

5th August 1943 Army cooperation exercises

6th August 1943 Attacks on railway targets

9th August 1943 Operations aborted

10th August 1943 48 hour release

11th August 1943 Night intruder ops

12th August 1943 Ops and exercises

13th August 1943 Leave to be stopped

15th August 1943 Nine cows killed

16th August 1943 Poor coordination from Group

17th August 1943 Pilot missing over France

19th August 1943 Three pilots missing over Amiens

20th August 1943 New C/O.

22nd August 1943 New role as fighter squadron planned

24th August 1943 Airfield defence force formed

25th August 1943 Mobile cinema show

30th August 1943 Fighter Training

31st August 1943 Operation abandoned

2nd September 1943 Mine sweeping patrols

3rd September 1943 National Day of Prayer

5th September 1943 Patrol

6th September 1943 Bombers land at fighter airfield

7th September 1943 Dive bombing once again

8th September 1943 Readiness

9th September 1943 Big Show - damp squib

11th September 1943 Squadron claims first enemy aircraft in combat

15th September 1943 Anniversary parade and party

17th September 1943 Airfield defence tested

18th September 1943 To Wigtown for exercise

19th September 1943 ATC visit

21st September 1943 Rocket firing demonstration

22nd September 1943 Return from exercise

23rd September 1943 New pilots on first op

24th September 1943 Typhoon destroyed in crash landing

27th September 1943 Exercises and training

29th September 1943 Training and posting

1st October 1943 Long range patrol

3rd October 1943 Target missed

4th October 1943 New C.O.

6th October 1943 Poor weather

11th October 1943 Bad weather

12th October 1943 Sticky Trip

15th October 1943 Better facilities appreciated

17th October 1943 Engine failure at 9,000ft

20th October 1943 German airfield bombed

25th October 1943 Rocket attack on power station

31st October 1943 Flights given to ATC Cadets

4th November 1943 Promotions

7th November 1943 German airfield bombed

10th November 1943 Two bombing operations

11th November 1943 Construction works bombed

13th November 1943 Rhubarb operations

17th November 1943 Lectures

18th November 1943 Low level bombing practice and ops

19th November 1943 Tame FW190 shown off

20th November 1943 'Missing' pilot returns to squadron

23rd November 1943 Bad weather

24th November 1943 Stand-by

25th November 1943 Bombing ops

26th November 1943 Ice stops show

3rd December 1943 Lecture on invasion plans

7th December 1943 Evasion practice

December 1943 V1 launch sites attacked

14th December 1943 First op of December

15th December 1943 Unexplained loss of pilot over Normandy

20th December 1943 Typhoons collide over Normandy

21st December 1943 Weather disrupts operations

22nd December 1943 Clouds hide targets

25th December 1943 Aerodrome unserviceable

31st December 1943 Squadron relocated

1st January 1945 Airfield atatcked by German fighters

2nd January 1944 Rhubarb Ops

4th January 1944 Move delayed

5th January 1944 Move completed

7th January 1944 Training proceeded

8th January 1944 Rocket training begun

11th January 1944 Swimming and cinema

18th January 1944 Move prevented by bad weather

21st January 1944 Delayed move completed

22nd January 1944 Repairs and cleaning

24th January 1944 Squadron's first op with rockets

25th January 1944 V1 launch sites attacked

26th January 1944 V1 site launch attacked

29th January 1944 Bad weather disrupts ops

3rd February 1944 V1 site in Normandy attacked

4th February 1944 Two attacks on V1 sites

5th February 1944 Two ops

6th February 1944 Heavy flak defences

8th February 1944 3 Ops in one day

9th February 1944 Same target hit twice

12th February 1944 Support for army exercise

13th February 1944 Fighter sweep

14th February 1944 Long range sweep to the Loire

15th February 1944 Long range sweep

21st February 1944 Pilot crashed on German airfield

22nd February 1944 Practice for new pilots

24th February 1944 German aerodromes attacked

25th February 1944 Two ops against V1 rocket launch sites

27th February 1944 Manhunt

28th February 1944 Attack on ship

29th February 1944 Aborted raid

2nd March 1944 V1 launch site bombed

3rd March 1944 Fighter patrol

4th March 1944 Patrol disrupted by poor visibility

6th March 1944 Thick cloud

7th March 1944 Night flying training

15th March 1944 Bomber escort sortie

16th March 1944 Variety of duties

21st March 1944 Released from ops for (more) training

27th March 1944 No flying but more training

28th March 1944 R.P. practice and postings

31st March 1944 R.P. practice

1st April 1944 Move back under canvas

4th April 1944 Scramble practice

6th April 1944 Flying practice

11th April 1944 Preparation for exercise

17th April 1944 Exercises

12th April 1944 Exercise at Slapton

14th April 1944 Shortage of pilots

18th April 1944 Night flying practice

19th April 1944 Operations at last

24th April 1944 German guns in Normandy attacked

25th April 1944 Railway bridge attacked

26th April 1944 Operations and new baby boy

27th April 1944 V1 launch site attacked

28th April 1944 Pilot killed

29th April 1944 Beached ship bombed

2nd May 1944 Ramrod sortie

3rd May 1944 Evening attack on railway bridge

5th May 1944 Ops at dawn and dusk

7th May 1944 Two sorties over France

9th May 1944 W/Cdr baled out but rescued

10th May 1944 Intruder scrambles

11th May 1944 Long range armed recce

13th May 1944 Railway target hit

20th May 1944 Railway targets hit

22nd May 1944 Two ops

23rd May 1944 Joint op with 143 Wing

25th May 1944 Parade and lecture

26th May 1944 New Squadron C.O.

27th May 1944 Radio communications sites bombed

30th May 1944 German HQ bombed

2nd June 1944 Bofors Gun silenced

3rd June 1944 Two sorties over Normandy

5th June 1944 Continuous patrols over the Channel

6th June 1944 Uneventful patrols over Normandy

7th June 1944 Three patrols over Normandy

8th June 1944 Tanks bombed in Normandy

10th June 1944 Ground attack

12th June 1944 Attacks on boats and trains

13th June 1944 Caen airfield attacked

14th June 1944 Operating from airfield in Normandy

15th June 1944 Tanks and M.T. attacked

15th July 1944 Tank concentration attacked with rockets

16th June 1944 Poor weather disrupts operations

17th June 1944 Targets marked by the Army

18th June 1944 Pilot under experimental Army command

19th June 1944 Gales

20th June 1944 Move to Normandy

21st June 1944 Bad weather stops flying

22nd June 1944 Airfield in Normandy abandoned

24th June 1944 German Oil store destroyed

3rd July 1944 Move to Normandy at second attempt

4th July 1944 Attacks in Normandy

5th July 1944 Attack on field guns

6th July 1944 Roads in Normandy attacked

7th July 1944 Airfield bombed again

8th July 1944 Three sorties in Normandy

9th July 1944 Two armed recce patrols

10th July 1944 At Readiness but not called

11th July 1944 Pilot survived crash landing

12th July 1944 Guns along the railway attacked

14th July 1944 Low cloud - no flying

16th July 1944 Attacks on gun positions

17th July 1944 Abortive sortie

18th July 1944 Two Typhoon pilots lost

19th July 1944 Cloud affects Ops

20th July 1944 Attacks on infantry

21st - 24th July 1944 Rain and mud

25th July 1944 C.O. lost on cab-rank ops

26th July 1944 Attacks on guns and tanks

27th July 1944 Tanks attacked

28th July 1944 Three sorties

30th July 1944 Column of arms attacked

31st July 1944 Cab-rank ops

2nd August 1944 Transport and tanks attacked

3rd August 1944 Rocket attacks

3rd August 1944 Tanks attacked

4th August 1944 Friendly target attacked in error?

5th August 1944 Sports Day

7th August 1944 Tanks and MT attacked

8th August 1944 No movement seen

9th August 1944 Typhoon pilot killed

10th August 1944 Cab-rank operations

11th August 1944 Busy day

11th August 1944 Army support operations

12th August 1944 Mystery unmarked aircraft

13th August 1944 Tanks attacked

14th August 1944 Enemy transport depot attacked

15th August 1944 Armed reconnaissance reveals few targets

16th August 1944 Weather stops flying

17th August 1944 Attack on German armour at Falaise

18th August 1944 Typhoon attacks on tanks and transport

19th August 1944 6 sorties against German armour

20th August 1944 No action

21st August 1944 Rain stops activity

25th August 1944 Tanks not located; barges attacked

26th August 1944 Missing pilot returns

29th August 1944 Move postponed

30th August 1944 Move completed

31st August 1944 New airbase is 'delightful'

3rd September 1944  On the move

6th September 1944 Triumphal drive through Brussels

8th September 1944 Attacks on barges, transport and infantry

11th September 1944 Pilot missing after attack on barges

17th September 1944 Attack on Arnhem

18th September 1944 Weather stops attacks

20th September 1944 Weather stops ops

21st September 1944 Attacked by mosquitos

22nd September 1944 Move to Eindhoven

23rd September 1944 Night landings

25th September 1944 Typhoons in dog fight

26th September 1944 Troops surrender after rocket attack

27th September 1944 Trains attacked

28th September 1944 Trains and tanks attacked

28th September 1944 Railways attacked

29th September 1944 Pilot missing after attack on ferries

2nd October 1944 S.S. HQ destroyed with rockets

4th October 1944 Attacks in support of the army

5th October 1944 Targets attacked

6th October 1944 Trains destroyed

7th October 1944 Trains destroyed in Germany

11th October 1944 H.M. The King arrives in Belgium

12th October 1944 Trains attacked - pilot missing

13th October 1944 Trains, cars and boats attacked

14th Oct 1944 Air Attacks

14th October 1944 Observation Post in church steeple attacked

15th October 1944 Villages attacked

18th October 1944 Typhoon shot down over Holland

21st October 1944 Trains attacked

22nd October 1944 DFC's awarded

24th October 1944 Quiet Day

28th October 1944 Typhoon shot down

29th October 1944 Attack on canal locks

2nd November 1944 Flight Commander killed

4th November 1944 Missing pilot returned

6th November 1944 Bad weather impedes missions

8th November 1944 Abortive sorties

9th November 1944 Abortive raid

10th November 1944 Instructor killed in flying accident

10th November 1944 Train attacked

18th November 1944 Two ops

19th November 1944 Four sorties

20th November 1944 Promotion and posting

21st November 1944 Train attacked

25th November 1944 Village attacked

26th November 1944 Vetterath destroyed at the second attempt

28th November 1944 Trains attacked

29th November 1944 Two Typhoon pilots lost

3rd December 1944 Gun positions attacked with rockets

4th December 1944 Armed Reconnaissance

5th December 1944 Long range armed recce

8th December 1944 Transport attacked

11th December 1944 Long range attack

12th December 1944 Bad weather restricts ops

13th December 1944 Hazardous landings

14th December 1944 Attack on railway

15th December 1944 Factory destroyed; pilot shot down

18th December 1944 Sortie

23rd December 1944 Transport attacked

25th December 1944 Busy Christmas Day

26th December 1944 Wing Commander taken PoW

27th December 1944 Combat with German fighters

29th December 1944 Armed recce

31st December 1944 Two pilots killed

1st January 1945 Operation Bodenplatte

2nd January 1945 Pilot killed and aircraft wrecked in landing accident

3rd January 1945 Missing pilot returns

4th January 1945 Back on Ops

5th January 1945 Attacks on trains and barges

6th January 1945 ENSA Show

10th January 1945 Bitterly cold

13th January 1945 Children assist Squadron move

14th January 1945 Railways attacked

15th January 1945 Ice and mist stops flying

18th January 1945 Spare aircraft collected

20th January 1945 Sorties aborted

21st January 1945 Gun position attacked

22nd January 1945 Two sorties

23rd January 1945 Long range sorties successful

24th January 1945 More long range success

25th January 1945 Move into a monastery

26th January 1945 Theatre show

27th January 1945 Return to UK postponed in bad weather

28th January 1945 Poor flying conditions

29th January 1945 Ops hampered by weather

30th January 1945 Pointless Readiness

31st January 1945 No flying again

1st February 1945 Pilot killed in unexplained crash

3rd February 1945 Move back to England

7th February 1945 Rocket firing practice

13th February 1945 Airfield unserviceable

19th February 1945 Frustration

20th February 1945 Final practice

21st February 1945 Return to The Netherlands

22nd February 1945 Four sorties

23rd February 1945 Pilot killed attacking train

24th February 1945 Two sorties against railway traffic

25th February 1945 Long range sorties over Germany

26th February 1945 Gang Show

28th February 1945 Pilots lured into trap and killed

2nd March 1945 Armed recce attacked by Luftwaffe

3rd March 1945 Shortage of serviceable aircraft

5th March 1945 Practice flying and trains attacked

7th March 1945 Pilot shortage

9th March 1945 Practice for new pilots

13th March 1945 More flying practice

14th March 1945 

15th March 1945 More training exercises

18th March 1945 Railway targets

19th March 1945 R.P. firing practice

20th March 1945 Top cover

21st March 1945 Two ops and more new pilots arrive

22nd March 1945 Ops and training

23rd March 1945 Three ops

24th March 1945 In action all day

25th March 1945 Operation Varsity

26th March 1945 Enemy tanks and guns destroyed

28th March 1945 Four ops

29th March 1945 Rain, filmshow and postings

30th March 1945 Two aircraft lost - pilots safe

31st March 1945 Four ops

1st April 1945 Poor weather limits ops

2nd April 1945 Films and party

3rd April 1945 Transport attacked

5th April 1945 Deteriorating weather

7th April 1945 Attacks on transport and trains

10th April 1945 Guns, trains and motor vehicles attacked

11th April 1945 Comfortable billets

12th April 1945 Confused instructions

13th April 1945 On the move again

14th April 1945 Aircraft destroyed on the ground

15th April 1945 Long move to the east

16th April 1945 Abandoned car sequestered

17th April 1945 Move to Hanover

18th April 1945 Quiet day in Hanover

19th April 1945 Pilot killed attacking shipping

24th April 1945 Return to ops after rain stops

25th April 1945 Three sorties

26th April 1945 Four sorties

28th April 1945 Enemy fighter lands at RAF base

29th April 1945 German army HQ attacked

30th April 1945 Transport attacked

1st May 1945 Last move

20th April 1945 Aircraft and tanks destroyed


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Those known to have served with

No. 182 Squadron Royal Air Force

during the Second World War 1939-1945.

  • Cuthbertson Frederick William. W/O. (d.28th February 1945)
  • Taylor Jack Hardy. Flt.Lt. (d.28th February 1945)

The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of No. 182 Squadron Royal Air Force from other sources.



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Want to know more about No. 182 Squadron Royal Air Force?


There are:2504 items tagged No. 182 Squadron Royal Air Force available in our Library

  These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War.


Flt.Lt. Jack Hardy Taylor 182 Squadron (d.28th February 1945)

On 28th of February 1945 at 08.45 am Squadron Leader Slug Murray left from Airfield B78 Eindhoven with six Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers for an armed reconnaissance flight to the Bremen-Osnabruck area.

Flight Lieutenant Jack Taylor led the Blue section. His number 2 was Warrant Officer Bill Cuthbertson. During this reconnaissance flight they saw a freight train in the vicinity of Bahnhof Drohne. Two aircraft from the Typhoons group carried out an attack on this train. It was Bill Cuthbertson and Jack Taylor, while the rest of the group gave top cover. Suddenly there was a call from Jack "I've been hit". - Bill circled around Jack's plane to see how his emergency landing would take place, but he too was hit by flak. Both made a successful emergency landing on the Bohmter Heide and climbed unharmed from their cockpits. Their mates up in the sky also saw from there that the train that had stopped along the main railway line, was equipped with anti-aircraft weapons and that anti-aircraft guns were hidden in the woods around. The unfortunate Bill Cuthbertson and Jack Taylor were captured quite quickly after the crash and disarmed by members of the Volkssturm. They were then taken to Polizeiposten Bohmte, where Volkssturmfuhrer F. Konig decided to kill both pilots. He and Volkssturm member August Bohning, his brother Friedrich and yet another involved took the two British pilots to a forest near Bohmte and by noon they were murdered with 8 to 12 pistol shots. The bodies of both pilots were thrown into a hastily dug pit and covered with branches. They told the Gendarmeriemeister later that they had shot both pilots during a flight attempt. Jack Taylor and Bill Cuthbertson were later reburied at Neuer Friedhof Lingen. In 1947 they found their permanent resting place at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Kleve.

The actual perpetrators, Volkssturmfuhrer Konig and August Bohning were sentenced to death by the British Army Court on 19 December 1945. The judgment for Konig and for August Bohning was death by hanging for both. For Ortsgruppenleiter Friedrich Bohning and the other accomplice, the earlier death sentence was later converted into a life sentence and finally in 1959 to acquittal.

Flight Lieutenant (Pilot) Jack Hardy Taylor, age 21 was the son of Tom Lowe Taylor and Doris Taylor, of Marple, Cheshire. He is buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve.

Piet Snellen



W/O. Frederick William Cuthbertson 182 Squadron (d.28th February 1945)

British Warrant Officer Frederick Cuthbertson was assigned to 182 Squadron and stationed at Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B.78, the present Eindhoven Airport. The Allies used these codes for airports mainly to deceive the Germans. 182 Squadron flew with bombers of the Hawker Typhoon type.

To support the ground troops in the battle for Sevenum and Horst, the Squadron carried out attacks on ground targets. On 12 October all bridges, vehicles and also German troops had to be bombed in the area. As a result, the Maas villages were heavily bombed.

During the afternoon attack on Horst, Bill Cuthbertson in Typhoon PD477 was hit by anti-aircraft (Flak) at Oostrum. The bullets not only damaged the engine but the landing gear was also hit and it became clear to the pilot that he could no longer reach his base in Eindhoven. He also flew too low to jump. Along the railway line, he tried to reach the English lines. That seemed to be impossible and the aircraft went lower and lower, to a potato field at the Bertrams farm. Here Bill Cuthbertson made a successful belly landing. The pilot jumped out of the plane immediately after landing and spoke to two spectators; Mrs. Bertrams and her daughter. Through sign language, they were able to tell him that he should hide from the Germans as quickly as possible. Half an hour later, a German guard came from the Messerschmidt B-17, which had made an emergency landing five days earlier at the Heierhoeve to asses the situation. He expelled the curious crowd, but pilot Cuthbertson had disappeared by then. Local residents hid him in Hegelsom. A short time later he was back with his unit in Eindhoven. When a German recovery team cleaned up the wreck, local residents had already removed parts from the aircraft. The propeller was thus preserved and is now part of the war memorial in Sevenum. (from the book Mayday Mayday Mayday by Hub Groeneveld.)

But unfortunately Bill Cuthbertson's luck ended on 28th of February 1945 at 08.45 am Squadron Leader Slug Murray left from Airfield B78 Eindhoven with six Hawker Typhoon fighter-bombers for an armed reconnaissance flight to the Bremen-Osnabruck area.

Flight Lieutenant Jack Taylor led the Blue section. His number 2 was Warrant Officer Bill Cuthbertson. During this reconnaissance flight they saw a freight train in the vicinity of Bahnhof Drohne. Two aircraft from the Typhoons group carried out an attack on this train. It was Bill Cuthbertson and Jack Taylor, while the rest of the group gave top cover. Suddenly there was a call from Jack "I've been hit". - Bill circled around Jack's plane to see how his emergency landing would take place, but he too was hit by flak. Both made a successful emergency landing on the Bohmter Heide and climbed unharmed from their cockpits. Their mates up in the sky also saw from there that the train that had stopped along the main railway line, was equipped with anti-aircraft weapons and that anti-aircraft guns were hidden in the woods around. The unfortunate Bill Cuthbertson and Jack Taylor were captured quite quickly after the crash and disarmed by members of the Volkssturm. They were then taken to Polizeiposten Bohmte, where Volkssturmfuhrer F. Konig decided to kill both pilots. He and Volkssturm member August Bohning, his brother Friedrich and yet another involved took the two British pilots to a forest near Bohmte and by noon they were murdered with 8 to 12 pistol shots. The bodies of both pilots were thrown into a hastily dug pit and covered with branches. They told the Gendarmeriemeister later that they had shot both pilots during a flight attempt. Jack Taylor and Bill Cuthbertson were later reburied at Neuer Friedhof Lingen. In 1947 they found their permanent resting place at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Kleve (D).

The actual perpetrators, Volkssturmfuhrer Konig and August Bohning were sentenced to death by the British Army Court on 19th December 1945. The judgment for Konig and for August Bohning was death by hanging for both. For Ortsgruppenleiter Friedrich Bohning and the other accomplice, the earlier death sentence was later converted into a life sentence and finally in 1959 to acquittal.

Warrant Officer Frederick William (Bill) Cuthbertson. RAF Volunteer Reserve. Age 22. Son of William and Gertrude Cuthbertson, is buried in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve.

Sources:

  • Book - Mayday Mayday Mayday from Hub Groeneveld.
  • Book - Typhoon Attack by Norman L.R. Franks.
  • Book - Typhoons Wings by Chris Thomas.
  • Book - Der Landkreis Wittlage 1933-1972.
  • 182 Squadron.
  • R.A.F. Fighter Command.
  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
  • SGLO.

Piet Snellen







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