Date:	Thursday 12 April 1945
Time:	night
Type:	Avro Lancaster Mk I
Owner/operator:	622 Sqn RAF
Registration:	PA285
MSN:	GI-O
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 7
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Burgweinting, SE of Regensburg (Bayern) -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B.Mk.I PA285/GI-O, 622 Sqaudron, RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. Lost on "ops" on 12-4-1945 (Target: Regensburg).

Victor Stanley Robbins and the six other members of the aircrew departed from RAF Mildenhall at 21:57 on Thursday, 19 April 1945. They were onboard an Avro Lancaster B.Mk.I (with serial PA285 and code GI-O), their target was an oil depot at Regensburg, Germany.

The aircraft was hit by flak and seen going out of control as five parachutes were observed to leave the Lancaster. It is reported that three of the bodies were found in the wreckage, whilst three had been electrocuted on an overhead electric cable, Victor being one of those. Six of the seven crew (four British, One New Zealander, and one Norwegian) were killed.

The aircraft crash landed in Burgweinting, which is a short distance SE of Regensburg. Only Flight Sergeant E. Parker survived to return to the UK on 12 May 1945. Out of 100 aircraft sent to that particular target that night, PA285 was the only one that did not return.

Crew of Lancaster PA285
Pilot - Flight Lieutenant Victor Stanley Robbins, RAFVR (Service Number: 136689, aged 28) (NCO:656701 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 26 January, 1943)
Air Bomber - Flying Officer Bruce Frederic Scott, RNZAF (Service Number: 421536, aged 22)
Mid Upper Gunner - Flight Sgt John Edward Hulland RAF (Service Number: 1410959, aged 22)
Flight Engineer - Sgt Richard Wallace Reid RAF (Service Number: 1826182, aged 21)
Wireless Operator - Flying Officer Hubert Abram Smith RAF (Service Number: 175274) (NCO:1295411 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 06 June, 1944)
Navigator - 2nd Lt Gustay Dietrichson, Royal Norwegian Air Force (Service Number RNoAF 5781, aged 23)
Rear Gunner - Flight Sgt E Parker, RAF - sole survivor, taken as PoW, repatriated 12-5-1945

All six crew were buried in a collective grave at Durnbach War Cemetery. Bayern, Germany. Plot 5. G. 21.

According to the following excerpt from the Squadron ORB (Operational Record Book):
"Operational Flying: BOMBING – REGENSBURG.
20 aircraft detailed, 20 aircraft took off, 19 aircraft attacked primary
target, dropping 293 x 500 ANM 64 and 8 blue smoke puffs between 13:55½ and 14:07 hours from 18500/19500 ft. One aircraft 514/J2 brought back 16 x 500 ANM 64 which hung up after every effort to release after orbiting. 10 aircraft detailed to bomb on GH. 6 bombed on GH and 3 on GH leaders. 10 aircraft bombed visually. Weather was clear over target and whole route. GH runs were good. Bombing concentrated, but appears to have overshot and undershot, in effect straddling target. Fires and smoke seen. Railway bridge seen hit.

Large fire and column of smoke 10-15 miles east of target, and another 10-15 miles south west. Flak was nil increasing to slight. No enemy fighters seen. One aircraft seen shot down at 1400hrs (Lancaster I PA285, GI-O of 622 Sqn was the only aircraft lost on this raid). All 514 Squadron aircraft landed".

1. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
2. Notes taken from Mrs Hazel Hunting (née Back), the cousin of John Edward Hulland. And compiled by her neighbour, Ian Johnson
3. 622 Squadron: Record of Events (Operational Record Book) for April 1945: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2139/8 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8417328
4. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/165318936/person/322151111073/facts
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._622_Squadron_RAF
6. https://www.bishopsteigntonheritage.co.uk/people/john-edward-hulland/#section2
7. https://en-gb.facebook.com/514SquadronRaf/posts/3844273938960741
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2103052/BRUCE%20FREDRIC%20SCOTT/
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2101954/JOHN%20EDWARD%20HULLAND/
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2102917/RICHARD%20WALLACE%20REID/
11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2103157/HUBERT%20ABRAM%20SMITH/
12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/7514831/GUSTAY%20DIETRICHSON/
13. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgweinting-Harting
14. 622 Sqn Operation Record Book
15. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

21 July 1944

LM595

622 Sqn RAF

7

Molenpolder, Oude-Tonge, Zuid-Holland

w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Aug-2013 03:11	JINX	Added
28-Oct-2014 15:58	Paix	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
28-Oct-2019 15:31	Uli Elch	Updated [Operator, Location]
01-Nov-2019 20:10	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Operator]
17-Jun-2021 22:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Time, Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
17-Jun-2021 22:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
05-Aug-2022 06:01	Shack832	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Country, Source, Narrative]