No. 189 Squadron RAF
Encyclopedia
History
No. 189 Squadron was formed at RiponRipon
Ripon is a cathedral city, market town and successor parish in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, located at the confluence of two streams of the River Ure in the form of the Laver and Skell. The city is noted for its main feature the Ripon Cathedral which is architecturally...
on 20 December 1917 as a night-flying training unit, moving shortly afterwards to Sutton's Farm
RAF Hornchurch
RAF Hornchurch was an airfield in the south of Hornchurch in what is now the London Borough of Havering. Known as Sutton's Farm during the First World War, it occupied of the farm of the same name and was situated east north-east of Charing Cross...
to continue their work until the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. On 1 March 1919, the squadron was disbanded.
The squadron was re-formed as part of No. 5 Group RAF
No. 5 Group RAF
No. 5 Group was a Royal Air Force bomber group of the Second World War, led during the latter part by AVM Sir Ralph Cochrane.-History:The Group was formed on 1 September 1937 with headquarters at RAF Mildenhall....
on 15 October 1944 at RAF Bardney
RAF Bardney
RAF Bardney was a RAF station situated near Bardney, in Lincolnshire, England. It was built as a satellite to RAF Waddington in 1943.-Time line:* Opened on 13 April 1943 as home to No. 9 Squadron...
near the village of Bardney
Bardney
Bardney is a village and Civil Parish east of Lincoln, sitting on the north side of the River Witham in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-The village:...
in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
. They flew Lancaster bombers in raids over occupied Europe towards the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1944 and 1945.
The commanding officer was Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
J. S. Shorthouse
J. S. Shorthouse
J. S. Shorthouse, DFC was born in Portsmouth, England on the 11th April 1920. He joined the RNZAF in April 1939 and subsequently transferred to the RAF in January 1940 where he attained the rank of Wing Commander, he commanded No. 189 Squadron RAF in the period 1944–45.He transferred back to the...
DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
.
After RAF Bardney, the squadron was based at RAF Fulbeck
RAF Fulbeck
RAF Station Fulbeck is a former World War II airfield in Lincolnshire, England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Radcliffe on Trent; about north-northwest of London...
near the village of Fulbeck
Fulbeck
Fulbeck is a small village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies on the A607, north from Grantham and north-west from Sleaford. To the north is Leadenham, and to the south is Caythorpe.-Toponymy:...
, returning to Bardney in April 1945 and then on to RAF Metheringham
RAF Metheringham
RAF Metheringham was a Royal Air Force station situated between the villages of Metheringham and Martin and south east of the county town Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England....
near Metheringham
Metheringham
Metheringham is a medium sized village in Lincolnshire approximately ten miles south of the English city of Lincoln...
.
The unit was mixed, with many personnel from other parts of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
ns, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
ers and Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
No. 189 Squadron was among the 107 Lancasters and 12 Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
s of No 5 Group which attacked the oil refinery in Tonsberg
Tönsberg
The Tönsberg is a hill ridge in the Teutoburg Forest that reaches a height of and lies in the district of Lippe near Oerlinghausen. Hermann's Way runs over the Tönsberg for about 3.5 km.- Points of interest :...
in Southern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
on 25 April 1945 in the last raid of the war flown by heavy bombers of RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
.
After the war the unit was involved in dropping food to the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and repatriating POWs until it was disbanded on 20 November 1945.
Aircraft operated
- 1917 - Avro 504KAvro 504The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during...
- 1917 - Royal Aircraft Factory BE2e
- 1917 - Sopwith PupSopwith PupThe Sopwith Pup was a British single seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good maneuverability, the aircraft proved very...
- 1918 - Sopwith CamelSopwith CamelThe Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by Sopwith Aviation Company, it had a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine, and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult...
- 1944 - Avro Lancaster I and IIIAvro LancasterThe Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
Example of Operations
The following sortieSortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
details are taken from the operations record book for 189 sqdn.
| DATE | AIRCRAFT TYPE & NUMBER | CREW | DUTY | TIME UP | TIME DOWN | DETAILS OF SORTIE OR FLIGHT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 March 1945 | LANC.1 ME.374 | F/O WALTON.J.H.(AUS.417607) SGT HILLS.G.S. SGT HUDGELL.P.H. F/S ROBERTS.G.W. F/S THOMAS.R. SGT.BRIAN.E SGT JONES.J.F |
LADBERGEN Ladbergen Ladbergen is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the Dortmund-Ems Canal, approximately 25 km south-west of Osnabrück and 20 km north-east of Münster.-Geography:... |
1835 | 0035 | LADBERGEN. 2205 hrs. 8,800 ft. Target attacked on 3rd run, on 1st run attacked by fighter. R.T.I clearly seen in break in cloud. Flares seen well, N of A/P. Met. good. Red and green T.I.'s seen on 3rd run. Mod. amount of flak over target but not heavy. Considered successful sortie. |
| 7/8 March 1945 | LANC.1 PB.879 | F/O RICCIUTI.G.A(CAN.J90848) SGT HIGHMOOR.W. F/S JOHNSON.H.D.(CAN.R186407) F/S THOMPSON.G.H. F/S MAINPRIZE.R.L.(CAN.F.259968) F/S BECKTEL.E.H.(CAN.R208373) F/S JONES.W.J.(CAN.264956) |
HARBURG Harburg Harburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It takes its name from the town of Harburg upon Elbe, which used to be the capital of the district but is now part of Hamburg... |
1808 | 0101 | HARBURG. 2207 hrs. 11,000ft. Numerous explosions Orange, black smoke rising 4,500ft. Concentrated large fires over the whole area 2209 hrs. Target was identified visually and marking very good. A large number of fires were burning right on the target and it was a very good effort. Considered successful sortie. |
| 23 April 1945 | LANC.1 PB.732 | F/O WALTON.J.H.(Aus.417607) SGT HILLS.G.S F/SGT HUDGELL.P.H. F/SGT THOMAS.J.P.D. W/O ROBERTS.G.W. (Aus.43242) SGT JONES.J.F SGT.BRIAN.E |
FLENSBURG Flensburg Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig... |
1512 | 2033 | FLENSBURG. 10/10ths S/Cu, tops 6-8000'. A/C jettisoning from coast to Wash The Wash The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom... on way home. Sortie completed. |
| 25 April 1945 | LANC.1 PB.732 | F/O WALTON.J.H.(AUS.417607) F/LT SKILTON.J.A. F/SGT HUDGELL.P.H. F/SGT THOMAS.J.P.D. W/O ROBERTS.G.W. (Aus.43242) SGT JONES.J.F SGT.BRIAN.E |
TONSBERG | 2034 | 0321 | TONSBERG. 2347 hrs, 9,500'. Bombing appeared well concentrated, two large explosions seen before bombing and one very large one at 2347 with quantities of smoke. Marking thought to be good. Sortie completed. |
External links
- http://www.controltowers.co.uk/B/Bardney.htm
- http://airfieldarchaeology.fotopic.net/c937064.html
- http://raf-lincolnshire.info/fulbeck/fulbeck.htm
- http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s67.html