Avro 679 Manchester

The airplane departed RAF Woolfox Lodge at 1910LT on a mine laying operation. Approaching the Dutch coast, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed into the sea off Terschelling. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Frederick Stanley Partridge, pilot,
F/Sgt Peter Henry George Webster, pilot,
F/Sgt Kenneth Ashurst, navigator,
F/Sgt Anthony Lionel Ely Johnston, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Wendell Wilburn Fairbrother, wireless operator,
Sgt Arthur George Edward Pearce, air gunner,
Sgt Gordon Frederick George Rackstraw, air gunner.

The crew was performing a local training flight at RAF Finningley. On final approach, one of the engine lost power. The airplane stalled and crashed in Bawtry, about 1,5 mile south of the airfield. The air gunner was killed, the pilot was injured and four other crew members were unhurt.
Crew (25th ATU):
P/O Elwood Raymond Seibold, pilot,
Sgt Frederick King, air gunner. †

The airplane departed RAF Woolfox Lodge at 0220LT on an operation to Brest. It was hit by the German Flak over the target area, resulting in a loss of power on the starboard engine. The crew was returning to base when the port engine stopped through lack of petrol and the bomber crash landed near RAF Horsham St Faith in Norwich. All seven crew members escaped uninjured.
Crew:
F/Sgt J. B. Underwood, pilot,
Sgt B. Usher, copilot,
W/O Scott, observer,
F/Sgt R. G. Fawkes, wireless operator,
F/O P. F. B. Bluett, air gunner,
F/Sgt J. D. Patey, air gunner,
Sgt Graham, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Woolfox Lodge at 1845LT on January 31 on an operation to Brest. While returning to base on the following night, the bomber was shot down by the German Flak. A crew member bailed out but his parachute failed to deploy and he was killed. Later, the airplane crash landed in the sea off Morgat and was lost. A second crew member drowned while six others became PoW.
Crew (61st Squadron):
F/Sgt Stephen Joseph MacLean, †
Sgt Geoffrey Herbert Marshall, †
F/Lt Ronald Duncan Fraser,
Sgt Albert William Hadley,
F/Lt William Hugh Hannigan,
Sgt Brian Henderson Mullen,
F/Sgt William Hugh Shorrock,
F/Sgt Thomas William Walsh.

The airplane departed RAF Woolfox Lodge at 1805LT on an operation to Brest. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Blérès. Four crew members were killed and three others became PoW.
Crew:
F/O John Robert Bruno Parsons, pilot, †
Sgt William Thomas Holmes, observer, †
Sgt Kenneth William McCaskill, wireless operator, †
Sgt Thomas Arthur Butterworth, air gunner, †
Sgt Robert Victor Griffiths,
Sgt Leonard Wright,
Sgt Reginald Thomas Kindred.

The airplane departed RAF Woolfox Lodge at 1850LT on an operation to Brest. While returning to base in the evening and cruising over The Channel about 80 km south of Plymouth, the crew sent a short mayday message then the airplane crashed into the sea. SAR operations failed to find any trace of the airplane and one body was found few days later on a beach on the Scilly Islands.
Crew (61st Squadron):
F/Lt Harry Charles Shaw Page, pilot,
P/O Denys Lowe Atkinson,
P/O Alan Gladstone Burt,
Sgt Thomas Alfred Evans,
Sgt Leonard William Dann,
F/Sgt Harry Edward Turner,
Sgt Ronald Sidney Jones,
S/L Thomas Noel Challoner Burrough.

The airplane departed RAF Woolfox Lodge at 1730LT on January 15 on an operation to Hamburg. While returning to base the following night, it ran out of fuel and the crew attempted to divert to RAF Bottesford. Due to poor weather conditions, the crew was unable to localize the airfield. All seven crew members bailed out and abandoned the airplane that entered a dive and crashed in a field. The entire crew escaped uninjured.
Crew (61st Squadron):
F/O J. Beard,
Sgt Haynes,
F/Sgt Asson,
Sgt O. W. J. Pearce,
Sgt Sheppard,
F/Sgt Underwood,
Sgt Holmes.

The airplane departed RAF Bottesford at 1709LT on an operation to Hamburg. While approaching the German coast, it was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter. The captain reduced his altitude and attempted an emergency landing in a field. The aircraft crash landed near Jever AFB and was damaged beyond repair. Five crew members were injured and a sixth was killed.
Crew (207th Squadron):
Sgt James Wilfred Cadman, wireless operator, †
Sgt Geoffrey Ernest Allen,
Sgt Emmanuel George Robert Bestel,
F/O Gerald Bryan Dawkins,
F/Lt Patrick James Edwards,
Sgt John Mercer.

The airplane departed RAF Bottesford at 1735LT on an operation to Hamburg. While approaching the target area, it was hit by the German Flak. The crew decided to return to base but while approaching the coast of Yorkshire, the engine caught fire, probably due to bullets impact. The airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in Mill Hill, near Holmpton. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew (207th Squadron):
F/Sgt Basil Courtney Wescombe, pilot,
F/Sgt Frederick Edward Thomas, pilot,
Sgt Eric Ronald Harper, observer,
F/Sgt Leonard Sieve, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Claude Raymond Westbury, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt John Thomas Howe, air gunner,
Sgt Maurice Robert Walker, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham in the early morning on an operation to Cherbourg. While outbound, the starboard engine caught fire and the heavily laden aircraft began to lose height. The pilot was reluctant to jettison the bomb load for fear of injuring people on the ground, but as a precaution he ordered six of the crew to bail out. The two pilots then tried to make an emergency landing, but in the pitch black conditions they failed to see a line of trees and the Manchester crashed at 0620LT at Wiltshire Cross near Tidworth. Both pilots were killed and all six other crew members parachuted to safety.
Crew:
P/O Douglas Spencer Matthews, pilot, †
P/O Thomas Ivor Ravenhill Wilson, copilot, †
F/O C. A. Giles, navigator,
Sgt Lorimer, wireless operator,
Sgt Fryer, wireless operator,
P/O S. P. Walsh, air gunner,
Sgt J. Brown, air gunner,
P/O Lancaster, regional control officer.