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| Date: | Tuesday 10 April 1945 |
| Time: | 18:02 |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 405 (Vancouver) Squadron, RCAF |
| Registration: | ME315 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 8 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Engelsdorf, Leipzig -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Grandson Lodge, Cambridgeshire, UK |
| RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK |
Avro Lancaster ME315 of 405 (RCAF) Squadron (squadron code: LQ-K) was a Pathfinder Bomber on a target indicator mission for a raid on the Engelsdorf and Mockau railway yards near Leipzig, Germany. As Luftwaffe activity had become sporadic, the decision was taken to attack the target in two waves; one in the early evening, and one during night time. ME315 acted as a pathfinder for the early evening raid, having taken off from RAF Grandson Lodge, Cambridgeshire, at 14:41.
Lancaster ME315 was over the target at 18:02 and released its target indicators. Immediately after this, ME315 was attacked by a Messerschmitt Me 163 'Komet'. Upon the Komet passing underneath ME315, the Lancaster was hit by an explosion which significantly damaged the aircraft's tail, damaging its rudders and elevators, ripping off its tail gunner turret, and damaging its upper turret and H2S radar. The explosion killed the tail-gunner and injured the mid-upper gunner.
Despite only having partial control over his aircraft, the pilot decided to try and return to an Allied air base, due to the upper gunner being injured and unable to bail out. He managed to fly back to the United Kingdom, where a diversion was made to RAF Woodbridge in Suffolk. Once over the airfield, the pilot ordered his crew, minus the upper gunner, to bail out of the aircraft. He then progressed to make a successful emergency landing despite the severe damage to the aircraft's control surfaces.
The Lancaster had been intercepted by Leutnant Friedrich 'Fritz' Kelb of I./JG400, who had taken off from Brandis near Leipzig. The Me 163B he was flying had been equipped with SG500 'Jagdfaust' recoilless projectiles, 5 cm grenades which were projected upwards and fired automatically by a photo-sensitive sensor triggered by the target's shadow. The incident was the first time the weapon was used in combat conditions, and would turn out to be the only time it was used in anger during the whole of World War II. Kelb's 'kill' of ME315 would also prove to be the last combat kill by the Messerschmitt Me 163, as well as the last one of any rocket-propelled fighter.
Leutnant Friedrich Kelb's Me 163B was damaged by the explosion of his own SG500 projectiles, the aircraft being hit by debris of the Lancaster. Despite this and being engaged by the gunner of another bomber in the formation, as well as being persued by RAF Mustangs that were escorting the bomber formation, Kelb managed to land his Komet at Brandis.
Pilot: Squadron Leader Campbell Haliburton Mussels C1639 RCAF (survived)
Flight Engineer: Pilot Officer Charles Rene George Ryan DFC 185424 RAFVR (survived)
Navigator: Pilot Officer Eric Leslie Tempest 188493 RAFVR (survived)
Navigator/Special Duty Operator: Pilot Officer Peter Young 188718 RAFVR (survived)
Bomb Aimer: Flying Officer John P. Dooley 154601 RAFVR (survived)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: Warrant Officer 2nd Class John Leeland Larrimore R178080 RCAF (survived)
Air Gunner (mid-upper): Flying Officer Robert T. Dale J86847 RCAF (wounded in action)
Air Gunner (rear): Flight Lieutenant Melborn Leslie Mellstrom J18414 RCAF (killed in action)
Sources:
https://aircrewremembered.com/mellstrom-melborn.html
https://www.keymilitary.com/article/tail-komet
https://issuu.com/mortons-digital/docs/spitfires-p/17
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-May-2025 06:09 | NY | Added |
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