Avro Lancaster III PB476 Memorial
Ulceby Cross
As the new year of 1945 dawned, the military situation for Germany was dire. The Allies had gained air superiority over all fronts, and bombing by day and night was severely hampering the German war effort. Requests were received from the Luftwaffe to recommence intruder operations over Britain to try and disrupt the RAF bombing campaign, and despite reluctance, permission was eventually granted. The date chosen for an all-out onslaught was 3/4 March 1945. The name of the operation was Gisela.
On the night of 3/4 March, Bomber Command was tasked to carry out operations to Kamen, the Dortmund-Ems Canal, diversionary raids to Berlin and Wurzburg and 'Gardening' within Norwegian Fjords. Upon completion of their sorties, the crews set course for home and the safety of their airfields. However, danger lurked in the darkness tonight as approximately 200 Luftwaffe night fighters sought to cause mayhem among the returning bombers. However, not all of the Command's aircraft were engaged in offensive operations. Some were undertaking training flights. One was No. 12 Squadron Lancaster III PB476 PH-Y, tasked to carry out training at night from Wickenby.
PB476 was built at Chatterton within the ninth batch of 723, delivered between May and September 1944. It was taken on charge at Wickenby on 21 June 1944 but did not undertake its first operation until 31 August with a daylight sortie to the V.2 rocket stores at St Ricquier. The aircraft then flew 33 further operations, sustaining Cat Ac damage on 13 September and flying a final sortie to Cologne again in daylight on 2 March 1945.
The weather during the day of 3 March was fine, with cloud in the evening. No instructions were received for No. 12 Squadron to undertake operations. However, Fg Offs Nicholas Ansell (pilot), Alfred Heath (bomb aimer), Alexander Hunter (navigator), Sgts Ronald Shafer (flight engineer), William Mellor (air gunner), Robert Parry (w/op) and Arthur Walker (air gunner) were detailed for a night navigation and bombing exercise and were assigned to fly PB476. The Lancaster duly took off and began its tasking, those onboard unaware of the danger they would soon face.
Just after midnight, the Luftwaffe's intruders started their attacks, which lasted for around two and a half hours. Losses to the RAF amounted to 13 Halifaxes, 9 Lancasters, a Flying Fortress and a Mosquito. One within this total was PB476, shot down at 00:29hrs and coming to earth near Ulceby Cross, Lincolnshire. The Lancaster dived almost vertically into the ground, and with such force, the engines were found buried 10 feet deep. In all likelihood, the crew wouldn't have known what had hit them. There were no survivors. Around 40 minutes later, No. 12 Squadron sustained another casualty when Lancaster III ME323 PH-P was shot down near Blyton with the loss of all crew while undertaking a training flight similar to PB476.
It's not known if the crew of PB476 had been warned of the presence of intruders. Nevertheless, it was an unfortunate turn of events where a training flight pitted them against some of the best within the Luftwaffe, especially over their home ground and at a time when it was considered there was not much threat from a severely weakened enemy.
In March 1995, 50 years after the loss of PB476, a memorial was constructed to the west of Ulceby Cross near the A16 road. It takes the form of a granite stone inscribed with the No. 12 Squadron badge and the names of the crew, whose lives were cut short at this very late stage of the war.
As the new year of 1945 dawned, the military situation for Germany was dire. The Allies had gained air superiority over all fronts, and bombing by day and night was severely hampering the German war effort. Requests were received from the Luftwaffe to recommence intruder operations over Britain to try and disrupt the RAF bombing campaign, and despite reluctance, permission was eventually granted. The date chosen for an all-out onslaught was 3/4 March 1945. The name of the operation was Gisela.
On the night of 3/4 March, Bomber Command was tasked to carry out operations to Kamen, the Dortmund-Ems Canal, diversionary raids to Berlin and Wurzburg and 'Gardening' within Norwegian Fjords. Upon completion of their sorties, the crews set course for home and the safety of their airfields. However, danger lurked in the darkness tonight as approximately 200 Luftwaffe night fighters sought to cause mayhem among the returning bombers. However, not all of the Command's aircraft were engaged in offensive operations. Some were undertaking training flights. One was No. 12 Squadron Lancaster III PB476 PH-Y, tasked to carry out training at night from Wickenby.
PB476 was built at Chatterton within the ninth batch of 723, delivered between May and September 1944. It was taken on charge at Wickenby on 21 June 1944 but did not undertake its first operation until 31 August with a daylight sortie to the V.2 rocket stores at St Ricquier. The aircraft then flew 33 further operations, sustaining Cat Ac damage on 13 September and flying a final sortie to Cologne again in daylight on 2 March 1945.
The weather during the day of 3 March was fine, with cloud in the evening. No instructions were received for No. 12 Squadron to undertake operations. However, Fg Offs Nicholas Ansell (pilot), Alfred Heath (bomb aimer), Alexander Hunter (navigator), Sgts Ronald Shafer (flight engineer), William Mellor (air gunner), Robert Parry (w/op) and Arthur Walker (air gunner) were detailed for a night navigation and bombing exercise and were assigned to fly PB476. The Lancaster duly took off and began its tasking, those onboard unaware of the danger they would soon face.
Just after midnight, the Luftwaffe's intruders started their attacks, which lasted for around two and a half hours. Losses to the RAF amounted to 13 Halifaxes, 9 Lancasters, a Flying Fortress and a Mosquito. One within this total was PB476, shot down at 00:29hrs and coming to earth near Ulceby Cross, Lincolnshire. The Lancaster dived almost vertically into the ground, and with such force, the engines were found buried 10 feet deep. In all likelihood, the crew wouldn't have known what had hit them. There were no survivors. Around 40 minutes later, No. 12 Squadron sustained another casualty when Lancaster III ME323 PH-P was shot down near Blyton with the loss of all crew while undertaking a training flight similar to PB476.
It's not known if the crew of PB476 had been warned of the presence of intruders. Nevertheless, it was an unfortunate turn of events where a training flight pitted them against some of the best within the Luftwaffe, especially over their home ground and at a time when it was considered there was not much threat from a severely weakened enemy.
In March 1995, 50 years after the loss of PB476, a memorial was constructed to the west of Ulceby Cross near the A16 road. It takes the form of a granite stone inscribed with the No. 12 Squadron badge and the names of the crew, whose lives were cut short at this very late stage of the war.