Date:	Saturday 6 February 1943
Time:
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk III
Owner/operator:	199 Sqn RAF
Registration:	BK367
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Aircraft missing
Location:	Missing off Britanny -   France
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Ingham
Destination airport:

Narrative:
During the night of 6-7 February 1943 the RAF Bomber Command only flew 77 sorties: 52 Wellingtons and 20 Halifaxes minelaying on the enemy coast between Saint-Nazaire and Texel, 2 Mosquitoes to Düsseldorf and 3 OTU sorties. Three Wellingtons did not return and were lost over the sea without survivor (17 KIA), while a fourth crashed and exploded on return but without casualty.

This evening the contribution of 1 Group to the minelaying operation was 12 Wellingtons (6 of 199 Sqn, 1 of 300 (Polish) Sqn, 3 of 301 (Polish) Sqn and 2 of 305 (Polish) Sqn) sent off Britanny. Four laid 8 mines off Lorient between 2047 and 2107 hrs, but another was lost. Six other aircraft laid 12 mines off Saint-Nazaire between 2045 hrs and 2120 hrs.

The Wellington III BK367 EX-U of 199 Sqn RAF had taken off from Ingham at 1810 hrs for a Gardening (mining) operation off Lorient. It was lost without trace with its whole crew, who is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Crew (all killed):
Sgt George Moses
Sgt Ronald Stevens Guy
Sgt Derek Wilfried Turner
Sgt Leonard James Sweitzer RCAF (wireless operator/air gunner, from Calgary)
Sgt Howard Jack Read

Sweitzer had the following service record:
Born 6 November 1921. Enlisted in Edmonton, 12 October 1940. Posted to No.2 Initial Training School, Regina, 21 December 1940. Promoted to Leading Aircraftman, 28 January 1941 and posted to No.16 Elementary Flying Training School, Edmonton; appears to have "washed out" as a pilot as he was then posted to No.2 Manning Depot, 12 March 1941, and then to No.2 Wireless School, Calgary, 27 April 1942. To No.8 Bombing and Gunnery School, 14 September 1941; promoted Sergeant, 13 October 1941; warned for embarcation, 14 October 1941; struck off strength of RCAF in Canada on posting to RCAF/RAF overseas, 2 November 1941. Missing, presumed dead, 6 February 1943.

"Raids aériens sur la Bretagne durant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale. Tome II : Les Ailes de l’Espérance, de la Souffrance et de la Liberté (1942-1944)", by Roland Bohn, ISBN 2.9507508-5-X
http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/00316.php
http://www.absa3945.com/Pertes%20Bretagne/Morbihan/pertes_raf_morbihan.html
"The Bomber Command War Diaries", by Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt, ISBN 1-85780-033-8
"Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, vol 4: Aircraft and Crew Losses 1943", by W R Chorley. ISBN 0-904597-90-3
https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Feb-2018 13:15	Laurent Rizzotti	Added
18-Apr-2022 06:51	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]