550 Squadron and RAF North Killingholme Association

Squadron Operations: Summary Information

Overview

There follows below a list of the all of the operations flown by 550 Squadron and the aircraft involved on each. The information used to build this page was taken in the first instance from the lists provided on the original Squadron Association web-site, but has been augmented by new information gathered since that time (squadron operations logs, individual aircrew log books, and other sources).

This information is not yet complete: it has been build from the a number of sources (documentary and people) and compilation of complete lists is an ongoing task that is expected to take quite some time to complete. So please don't shout just yet if you spot an omission - work continues to build a more complete, and accurate, list.
Do however shout if you spot an error! Please email any corrections or information to the contact details in the link at the bottom of the page.

Operation Summary: The column headers should be fairly self-explanatory. The term "aborted" as used here covers a number of possibilities:

the operation was cancelled before crews were briefed
the crews have been briefed as to the target, and in some cases the planes may even have been bombed up and the crews on-board at their stations awaiting take-off, before the op has been stood-down
finally a number of cases where the op was already under way and the planes en-route but for whatever reason the operation was aborted (e.g. the master bomber orders the attack cancelled due to weather conditions at target adversely affecting targeting).

Aircraft Deployed: When a link to a particular aircraft is given, this indicates aircraft known to have taken part in this raid (in the records currently available to the web-site author). A record of whether the aircraft returned or failed to return (FTR) is also logged.

Servicemen Deployed: Names of the crew in the operation.

Station Summary: This section is the information from the RAF North Killingholme Station Record Book for the operational date (if available).

Definitions of the abbreviations used are available: here.

Manageable Lists

The amount of data in the database is growing and this is resulting in the "all operations/targets" list getting rapidly bigger and thus slower to generate. There are options to display shorter, more quickly generated, reports if you want to home in on something specific. For example, there are options to generate reports on operations to a single target, or by single aircraft (to all targets) or by single aircraft to a single target. There is, on the database-reports summary page, a short user guide (PDF format) on how to do this.

Operation/Target: Calais (02 Jun 1944 - 03 Jun 1944)

Operation Summary
Target	Out	Back	Aborted (Y / N)	Comments
Calais	02 Jun 1944	03 Jun 1944	N	16 aircraft offered for operations, but only 14 accepted, to attack defended areas on a coastal battery at CALAIS.

Aircraft Deployed			Servicemen Deployed
Aircraft Service Number	Returned or FTR	Comments	Crew Details
LL134	Returned	Mission abandoned over target due to inability to pinpoint. TIs not sighted. Brought bombs back. [Ed. This is one of two entries in the ORB for LL134 "H". But no Lancaster movement card can be found for LL134, nor the transfer of such a Lancaster to 550 Sqdn. One possibility considered is that it is a typo and LM134 "H" is meant, however, according to Lancaster movement cards LM134 was transferred to 550 Sqdn but is recorded as Cat. E (Missing) 17/06/44 (see http://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-78s/Lancaster/LM100-LM159/mobile/index.html). So the alternative for the occurances of LL134 "H" still needs to be determined. It is most likely to be LM134 "H" as this crew carried out multiple ops in this aircraft around this date.]	F/O D F Neilson (P) Sgt C A Bennett (F/Eng) F/O H B Brett (Nav) F/O C Stocks (A/B) Sgt A T Paget (W/Op) Sgt E W Webb (MU/AG) F/O J M McKay (R/AG)

Operation/Target: Wimereaux (03 Jun 1944 - 04 Jun 1944)

Operation Summary
Target	Out	Back	Aborted (Y / N)	Comments
Wimereaux	03 Jun 1944	04 Jun 1944	N	16 aircraft offered for operations and 14 accepted. Crews briefed to attack railborne coastal battery in the vicinity of the peace-time resort of Wimereaux near Boulogne. All the Squadron aircraft successfully took off in the usual style and claimed to have bombed their objective. The Squadron's striking force had to contend with thick cloud over most of the route, but found the target practicially clear at their bombing heights. P.F.F markers were prompt, and, as far as can be ascertained from the bombing photographs were accurate to within a hundred yards of the bombing point. P/O Holdsworth "B" sighted a twin engined aircraft while bombing, and shortly afterwards the mid upper gunner had a crack at a F.W. 190 which appeared to be acting as a decoy for a M.E. 110 which was attended to by the Rear Gunner. Neither of the enemy aircraft returned the Lancaster's fire, and the Pilot observed stikes on the F.W. 190, which is claimed as probably damaged.

Aircraft Deployed			Servicemen Deployed
Aircraft Service Number	Returned or FTR	Comments	Crew Details
LL134	Returned	Primary 10,000 ft at 01.18 hrs. [Ed. This is one of two entries in the ORB for LL134 "H". But no Lancaster movement card can be found for LL134, nor the transfer of such a Lancaster to 550 Sqdn. One possibility considered is that it is a typo and LM134 "H" is meant, however, according to Lancaster movement cards LM134 was transferred to 550 Sqdn but is recorded as Cat. E (Missing) 17/06/44 (see http://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.com/Data/Form-78s/Lancaster/LM100-LM159/mobile/index.html). So the alternative for the occurances of LL134 "H" still needs to be determined. It is almost certainly LM134 "H" as that aircraft was in active use around this date.]	S/L P A Nicholas (P) F/O S C Beeson (P) Sgt J E Legg (F/Eng) P/O W Dinney (Nav) Sgt F C Wilkinson (A/B) Sgt W H Ansell (MU/AG) Sgt N S Smart (R/AG) F/Sgt C J Fuller (W/Op)

Summary Statistics

Based on the data in the lists displayed above, and keeping in mind that data is still being updated and thus not yet complete, the following statistics are generated:

Aircraft Deployment Statistics

Aircraft deployments	2
MAX Aircraft deployed in single operation	1 (Calais, 02 Jun 1944)

These details were last updated: 07 February 2025

Note

this list is still being built and will take some time to complete
what is currently displayed is believed accurate but much more is still to be added

This note describes the options currently available to produce a smaller, more manageable list and also describes planned future enhancements to the reporting facility.

Return to the top of the page.