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| Date: | Monday 6 September 1943 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  Handley Page Halifax Mk II |
| Owner/operator: | 78 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | JB872 |
| MSN: | EY-Q |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 8 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand, Marne, Grand Est -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Breighton |
Hit by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Lenz Finster of the 2./NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Gilze-Rijen airfield, the Netherlands. The aircraft went into a spin and crashed.
Takeoff time: 19:33
Crew:-
Pilot : Pilot Officer Frederick Clive Ebeling RAAF Aus/414129 [Killed]
2nd Pilot : Pilot Officer Vernon Reginald Baker RAFVR 156698 (NCO:1331129 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 26 October, 1943) [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant William Sheffield RAFVR 1147315 [Killed]
Navigator : Pilot Officer Henry William Milligan RAFVR 156006 (NCO:1318808 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 12 October, 1943) [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Sergeant H Salter RAF 1318641 [Evaded]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Philip Groom RAFVR 1222829 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant Walter Roy Huntley RAFVR 1300534 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Flight Sergeant Henry John Pratt RAFVR 1390630 [Killed]
The seven casualties lie at the Choloy War Cemetery, France (48.666702 / 5.850773)
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part two
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=JB872
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/raf_bc
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Sep-2018 16:59 | TigerTimon | Added |
| 07-Nov-2018 19:58 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Operator, ] |
| 30-Jul-2025 06:52 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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