No. 640 Squadron RAF

Last updated

No. 640 Squadron RAF
Active7 January 1944 – 7 May 1945
Country Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Branch Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg Royal Air Force
RoleBomber Squadron
Part of No. 4 Group, RAF Bomber Command [1]
Base RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire
Insignia
Squadron CodesC8 (Jan 1944 – May 1945) [2] [3]
Aircraft flown
Bomber Handley-Page Halifax

No. 640 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

Contents

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 R.Thomas; Rear Gunner F/Sgt E.G. Humphries. 640 Squadron RAF Leconfield Dec 1944.JPG
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 R.Thomas; Rear Gunner F/Sgt E.G. Humphries.
Listed below are further operational highlights for the Wakeman crew (see photograph right) [7]
PositionName crew memberKnown as
CaptainF/O R.Wakeman, DFC Jimmy
NavigatorP/O Reginald William Parr, DFCReg
Bomb AimerF/O C.B.Morrison, RCAF, DFCCliff
W/OpF/Sgt. H.BearymanHarry
Flt.Eng.F/Sgt. P.McPhiePeter
Mid-upper GunnerF/S R.ThomasTommy
Rear GunnerF/Sgt. E.G.HumphriesEric
Individual missions for the above named crew, data from [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Date (all dates are in 1944)OffBackTargetMission DetailBomb Load (lbs)Individual Aircraft CodeAircraft Serial No.
6 August11:1214:27Forêt de Nieppe V-Weapon Sites.16×500X
7 August20:5301:48 May-sur-Orne Army Support – Five aiming points in front of Allied ground troops in Normandy.9×1000HNA573
9 August11:5315:28 Le Châtellier Chemical works.4×500X
10 August20:5003:50 Dijon A railway junction and the railway yards.4×500J
11 August18:2222:07 Étaples Railway bridge.4×500Z
15 August09:4013:45 Eindhoven Airfield 4×500BMZ561
16 August21:4001:45 Kiel 4×500BMZ561
18 August22:2003:00 Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr. Ruhrchemie AG synthetic oil plant
(SBC = small bomb container)		1×2000, 4×SBCBMZ561
9 September06:4411:09 Le Havre Abandoned – cloud.16×500G
11 September05:1909:49 Cadillac 7×1000, 6×500K
12 September16:1520:50 Münster 1×2000 & IncendiaryPMZ678
17 September06:5210:43 Boulogne German positions in preparation for an attack by Allied troops.9×1000, 4×500JNP631
25 September06:3510:36 Calais German defensive positions.9×1000, 4×500JNP931
27 September09:2913:03CalaisGerman defensive positions.9×1000, 4×500DLW554
30 September09:4514:22 Bottrop, Ruhr.Oil plant.16×500HMZ344
6 October14:2819:04Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant.16×500JNP931
7 October11:4516:03 Kleve Army support – Approach routes by which German units could threaten the vulnerable Allied right flank near Nijmegen.9×1000, 4×500JNP931
15 October00:1605:53 Duisburg 8×1000, 5×500KMZ930
15 October17:4821:41 Wilhelmshaven 8×1000, 5×500KMZ930
25 October12:0917:51 Essen Industrial concerns, particularly to the Krupps steelworks.9×1000, 4×500JNP931
28 October09:4513:05 Walcheren Gun positions at 5 places on the rim of the island.1×2000, 7×1000, 4×500LNP931
31 October18:0323:10 Cologne 1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500GMZ404
2 November16:0522:00 Düsseldorf 1×2000 & IncendiaryJNP931
4 November17:3422:34 Bochum Industrial areas, particularly the steelworks.1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500JNP931
6 November11:4216:42 Gelsenkirchen Nordstern synthetic-oil plant.1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500JNP931
16 November12:4317:30 Jülich Army support – cut communications behind the German lines.1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500JNP931
21 November17:2523:55Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant.16×500JNP931
29 November02:2608:22EssenIndustrial areas, including the Krupps works.1×2000, 16×500JNP931
2 December17:3500:07 Hagen Industrial areas – unknown at the time this included a factory making U-boat accumulator batteries.1×2000 & IncendiaryJNP931
12 December16:2421:58EssenIndustrial areas, including the Krupps works.1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500JNP931
22 December15:0521:33 Bingen am Rhein Railway yards.1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500JNP931
24 December11:1716:42Essen/Mülheim Airfields.5×1000, 8×250JNP931

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 640 Squadron RAF, data from [4] [5] [6]
FromToAircraftVersion
January 1944March 1945 Handley-Page Halifax Mk.III
March 1945May 1945Handley-Page HalifaxMk.VI

Squadron bases

Base operated by no. 640 Squadron RAF, data from [4] [5] [6]
FromToName
7 January 19447 May 1945 RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire

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References

Notes

  1. ↑ Delve 1994, p. 69.
  2. ↑ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 27.
  3. ↑ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 65.
  4. 1 2 3 Halley 1988 , p. 443.
  5. 1 2 3 Jefford 2001 , p. 102.
  6. 1 2 3 Moyes 1976 , p. 290.
  7. 1 2 Reginald William Parr Flight Log 1944
  8. ↑ "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  9. ↑ "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2008.
  10. ↑ "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ↑ "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2011.

Bibliography

  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN   0-85059-364-6.
  • Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN   1-85310-451-5.
  • Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN   1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN   0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN   1-85310-053-6.
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN   0-354-01027-1.
  • Norman, Bill (2005). Halifax Squadron: the Wartime Bombing Operations of No. 640 Squadron, Leconfield. Preston, Lancashire: Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications. ISBN   0-9547325-1-0.
  • Norman, Bill (1999). No. 640 (Halifax) Squadron, RAF Leconfield: a Diary of Wartime Bombing Operations. Warrington: Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications. ISBN   1-900604-08-6.
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