Date: 26/27th April 1944
Unit: No. 207 Squadron
Type: Lancaster III
Serial: LM526
Coded: EM-R
Location: Forbach
Pilot: Fl/Lt. James Findlay Muir 135095 R.A.F.V.R. Age 29. Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. David Arthur Loveday 1850343 R.A.F.V.R. Age 19. Killed
Nav: P/O. Gordon Buxton 148028 R.A.F.V.R Age 28 Killed
Air/Bmr: Sgt. David Norman Collins 1603108 R.A.F.V.R. Age 20. Killed
W/Op: Sgt. Selwyn Fawcett 1238637 R.A.F.V.R. Age ? Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Walter Upsall 1622713 R.A.F.V.R. Age 20. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Stanley Longmate 1815829 R.A.F.V.R. Age 20. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Took off from Spilsby, Lincolnshire at 21.25 hrs as part of a 206 Lancaster and 11 Mosquitoes from 5 group and 9 further Lancaster's from 1 group to bomb the ball bearing production plant. Another huge failure with very light damage done on the ground due to strong head winds making the markers inaccurate from the Mosquito pathfinder force. It is reported that only 2 people were killed on the ground in the target area but a total of 21 Lancaster's lost!
LM526 has been claimed to have been shot down by Uffz Bernhard Kratz 3./NJG6 at a height of 5,300 m at 01.48hrs. The combat took place over Gausbach - north of Forbach. Uffz Bernhard Kratz Became a nightfighter ace with a total of 6 kills but was wounded on the 25/26th March 1945 by ack ack during a strafing sortie near Oppenheimer bridge. It is now known that he survived the war.
P/O. Gordon Buxton (Courtesy Wendy White)
Sgt. Selwyn Fawcett 4th from the left - with his former crew mates after an emergency crash landing on 14/15th January 1944
Uffz Bernhard Kratz 3./NJG6 (Courtesy Susan Robinson Peters via Wendy White)
Burial Details:
James Findlay Muir Durnbach War Cemetery Grave. 1.B.14
Son of John Findlay Muir and Maude Louisa Muir, of Bombay, India
David Arthur Loveday Durnbach War Cemetery Grave. Collective grave 8. K. 18-21
Son of Alice E. Loveday, of Shrewton, Wiltshire
Gordon Buxton Durnbach War Cemetery Grave. Collective grave 8. K. 18-21
No further details
David Norman Collins Durnbach War Cemetery Grave. Collective grave 8. K. 18-21
Son of David and Edith Ellen Collins, of Brixton, London
Selwyn Fawcett Durnbach War Cemetery Grave. Collective grave 8. K. 18-21
Son of Walter and Agnes Fawcett, of Newstead, Yorkshire
Walter Upsall Durnbach War Cemetery Grave. Collective grave 8. K. 18-21
Son of W. H. Upsall and Susan Upsall, of Boston, Lincolnshire
George Stanley Longmate Durnbach War Cemetery Grave. Collective grave 8. K. 18-21
No further details
Research by Kelvin T. Youngs and David King (Aircrew Remembrance Society, March 2009) For Wendy White and all the relatives of the crew.
(With thanks to Wendy White - cousin of Gordon Buxton further information, Theo Bolton for the information supplied from the Nightfighter war diaries and of course to Bill Chorley) Also thanks to Norbert Vollman from Denmark for pointing out an error on this page. (Now rectified)
