No. 640 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
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 H.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 following crew (see photograph right)[7]
Position |
Name crew member |
Known as |
Captain |
F/O R.Wakeman, DFC |
Jimmy |
Navigator |
P/O Reginald William Parr, DFC |
Reg |
Bomb Aimer |
F/O C.B.Morrison, RCAF, DFC |
Cliff |
W/Op |
F/Sgt. H.Bearyman |
Harry |
Flt.Eng. |
F/Sgt. P.McPhie |
Peter |
Mid-upper Gunner |
F/S H.Thomas |
Tommy |
Rear Gunner |
F/Sgt. E.G.Humphries |
Eric |
Individual missions for the above named crew, data from[7][8][9][10][11][12]
Date (all dates are in 1944) |
Off |
Back |
Target |
Mission Detail |
Bomb Load (lbs) |
Individual Aircraft Code |
Aircraft Serial No. |
6 August |
11:12 |
14:27 |
Forêt de Nieppe |
V-Weapon Sites. |
16×500 |
X |
|
7 August |
20:53 |
01:48 |
May-sur-Orne |
Army Support – Five aiming points in front of Allied ground troops in Normandy. |
9×1000 |
H |
NA573 |
9 August |
11:53 |
15:28 |
Le Châtellier |
Chemical works. |
4×500 |
X |
|
10 August |
20:50 |
03:50 |
Dijon |
A railway junction and the railway yards. |
4×500 |
J |
|
11 August |
18:22 |
22:07 |
Étaples |
Railway bridge. |
4×500 |
Z |
|
15 August |
09:40 |
13:45 |
Eindhoven |
Airfield |
4×500 |
B |
MZ561 |
16 August |
21:40 |
01:45 |
Kiel |
|
4×500 |
B |
MZ561 |
18 August |
22:20 |
03:00 |
Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr. |
Ruhrchemie AG synthetic oil plant
(SBC = small bomb container) |
1×2000, 4×SBC |
B |
MZ561 |
9 September |
06:44 |
11:09 |
Le Havre |
Abandoned – cloud. |
16×500 |
G |
|
11 September |
05:19 |
09:49 |
Cadillac |
|
7×1000, 6×500 |
K |
|
12 September |
16:15 |
20:50 |
Münster |
|
1×2000 & Incendiary |
P |
MZ678 |
17 September |
06:52 |
10:43 |
Boulogne |
German positions in preparation for an attack by Allied troops. |
9×1000, 4×500 |
J |
NP631 |
25 September |
06:35 |
10:36 |
Calais |
German defensive positions. |
9×1000, 4×500 |
J |
NP931 |
27 September |
09:29 |
13:03 |
Calais |
German defensive positions. |
9×1000, 4×500 |
D |
LW554 |
30 September |
09:45 |
14:22 |
Bottrop, Ruhr. |
Oil plant. |
16×500 |
H |
MZ344 |
6 October |
14:28 |
19:04 |
Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr. |
Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant. |
16×500 |
J |
NP931 |
7 October |
11:45 |
16:03 |
Kleve |
Army support – Approach routes by which German units could threaten the vulnerable Allied right flank near Nijmegen. |
9×1000, 4×500 |
J |
NP931 |
15 October |
00:16 |
05:53 |
Duisburg |
|
8×1000, 5×500 |
K |
MZ930 |
15 October |
17:48 |
21:41 |
Wilhelmshaven |
|
8×1000, 5×500 |
K |
MZ930 |
25 October |
12:09 |
17:51 |
Essen |
Industrial concerns, particularly to the Krupps steelworks. |
9×1000, 4×500 |
J |
NP931 |
28 October |
09:45 |
13:05 |
Walcheren |
Gun positions at 5 places on the rim of the island. |
1×2000, 7×1000, 4×500 |
L |
NP931 |
31 October |
18:03 |
23:10 |
Cologne |
|
1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500 |
G |
MZ404 |
2 November |
16:05 |
22:00 |
Düsseldorf |
|
1×2000 & Incendiary |
J |
NP931 |
4 November |
17:34 |
22:34 |
Bochum |
Industrial areas, particularly the steelworks. |
1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500 |
J |
NP931 |
6 November |
11:42 |
16:42 |
Gelsenkirchen |
Nordstern synthetic-oil plant. |
1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500 |
J |
NP931 |
16 November |
12:43 |
17:30 |
Jülich |
Army support – cut communications behind the German lines. |
1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500 |
J |
NP931 |
21 November |
17:25 |
23:55 |
Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr. |
Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant. |
16×500 |
J |
NP931 |
29 November |
02:26 |
08:22 |
Essen |
Industrial areas, including the Krupps works. |
1×2000, 16×500 |
J |
NP931 |
2 December |
17:35 |
00:07 |
Hagen |
Industrial areas – unknown at the time this included a factory making U-boat accumulator batteries. |
1×2000 & Incendiary |
J |
NP931 |
12 December |
16:24 |
21:58 |
Essen |
Industrial areas, including the Krupps works. |
1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500 |
J |
NP931 |
22 December |
15:05 |
21:33 |
Bingen am Rhein |
Railway yards. |
1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500 |
J |
NP931 |
24 December |
11:17 |
16:42 |
Essen/Mülheim |
Airfields. |
5×1000, 8×250 |
J |
NP931 |
Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 640 Squadron RAF, data from[4][5][6]
From |
To |
Aircraft |
Version |
January 1944 |
March 1945 |
Handley-Page Halifax |
Mk.III |
March 1945 |
May 1945 |
Handley-Page Halifax |
Mk.VI |
Squadron Bases
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Bowyer, Michael J.F. and John D.R. Rawlings. Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
- Delve, Ken. The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1994. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
- Flintham, Vic and Andrew Thomas. Combat Codes: A full explanation and listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied air force unit codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
- Halley, James J. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–88. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1988. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
- Jefford, Wing Commander C.G., MBE, BA, RAF(Retd.). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1988 (second edition 2001). ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
- Moyes, Philip J.R. Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd., 2nd edition,1976. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
- Norman, Bill. Halifax Squadron: the Wartime Bombing Operations of No. 640 Squadron, Leconfield. Preston, Lancashire: Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications, 2005. ISBN 0-9547325-1-0.
- Norman, Bill. No. 640 (Halifax) Squadron, RAF Leconfield: a Diary of Wartime Bombing Operations. Warrington, Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications, 1999. ISBN 1-900604-08-6.
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