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Posted by: Brendan Cowan Mar 30 2012, 03:09 PM

Both Tony McDonald and "The Phantom" are researching information on RAAF/RNZAF aircrew lost while researching the new RNZAF Wellington and Striling Pages.

Phantom writes:

QUOTE

I remembered this when I was writing up the Stirling stuff.

We know about Aussie pilots flying with the Brits during WW2 in the UK, Africa, Burma .
How about Aussie glider pilots with the RAF on a SOE operation.

http://naa12.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=1054519

Does anyone else have any further information?

Brendan

Posted by: Rod Farquhar Apr 1 2012, 03:49 PM

How about the raid on Telemark to destroy the German heavy water production facility, the gliders crashed into a mountain killing all.
Rod.

Posted by: Brendan Cowan Apr 1 2012, 04:19 PM

I think that you're on the money Rod.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about it.

BC

QUOTE

Operation Freshman - 19 November 1942

On 19 November 1942, Operation Freshman followed with the planned glider-borne landing on frozen lake Møsvatn near the plant. Two Airspeed Horsa gliders, towed by Handley Page Halifax bombers, each glider carrying two pilots and 15 Royal Engineers of the 9th Field Company, 1st British Airborne Division, took off from RAF Skitten near Wick in Caithness. The towing of gliders had always been hazardous, but in this case it was made worse by the long flying distance to Norway and poor weather conditions which severely restricted visibility. One of the Halifax tugs crashed into a mountain, killing all seven aboard; its glider was able to cast off, but crashed nearby, resulting in several casualties. The other Halifax arrived at the area of the landing zone, but although the conditions had substantially improved it was impossible to locate the landing zone itself, owing to the failure of the link between the Eureka (ground) and Rebecca (aircraft) beacons. After much endeavour and with fuel running low, the Halifax pilot decided to abort the operation and return to base. Shortly afterward, however, the tug and glider combination encountered heavy cloud and in the resulting turbulence the tow rope broke. The glider made a crash landing, not far from where the other glider had come down, similarly inflicting several deaths and injuries. The Norwegians were unable to reach the crash sites in time, and the survivors eventually came into the hands of the Gestapo, who tortured them during interrogation (not sparing the badly injured) and later had them executed under Adolf Hitler′s Commando Order.

The most important consequence of the unsuccessful raid was that the Germans were now alerted to a determined Allied interest in their heavy water production.

Posted by: Brendan Cowan Apr 2 2012, 07:57 AM

Furthermore,

Phantom has pointed out that this topic has been covered by the ever informative Gordon B in a newslteer article back in 2008!

QUOTE

Well what do you know, seems that it is all old news and has been discussed before

http://www.adf-serials.com.au/newsletter/news0708.pdf

Posted by: Warhawk Jun 25 2012, 10:02 AM

Fancy that! Thanks Rod. Was Horsa HS-114

Further to this story, there was also, I found out, a Documentry made in Norway about the whole operation just a year or so ago, including what happened to the Ground team, where they were executed etc and buried.

I was contacted by one of their Aviation historians, Øyvind, who has a invested intereset in some RAAF hardware being restored in Oz, on the subject . He sent me a copy of the Documentry.

More on that in a future Telegraph

Incidently, Glider Pilots become "Ground team" when and if they land safely.

Ciao
Gordy

Posted by: Brendan Cowan Jun 25 2012, 02:10 PM

Thanks Gordy,

I'm thinking that we might add the odd pages of notable stories like this involving Australian and New Zealand personnel and their aircraft serving with overseas forces as time and materials permit and there is any interest.

I must be a glutton for punishment volunteering thoughts like that!

Cheers

Brendan

Posted by: Warhawk Apr 8 2014, 04:14 AM

Just adding in the details per past ADF Telegraph Story some years ago

Operation Freshman
The battle to prevent heavy water production is the most dramatic chapter in the European secret war. Between 1942 and 1944 a sequence of sabotage actions by the Norwegian resistance movement, as well as Allied bombing, ensured the destruction of the plant and the loss of the heavy water produced. These operations — codenamed "Freshman", "Grouse" and "Gunnerside" — finally managed to knock the plant out of production in early 1943, basically ending the German research.
As part of several operations to prevent this development of the German Atomic Bomb during World War two, the Allies launched firstly Operation Freshman on the evening of the 19th November 1942 to destroy the heavy water plant at Rjukan, Norway.
Two gliders were to be towed by Halifax bombers of 38th Group from an airfield near Wick, Scotland on the evening of Thursday 19th November 1942. This was to be the first operation to be performed by the Horsa Glider since its design and flight in 1941.

What of the Australian connection?

The crew of the second Horsa Glider (HS-114, built at Christchurch factory), towed by Halifax W7801, was piloted by two RAAF Pilots, Pilot Officer Norman Arthur Davies Serv#401422 and Pilot Officer Herbert John Fraser Serv#401601.
Halifax W7801 was piloted by Flight Lieutenant A.R. Parkinson (Royal Canadian Air Force) and Pilot Officer G.W. Sewell de Gency RAF as co-pilot. The other crew members were Flying Officer A.T.H. Howard RAF, Flight Lieutenant A.E. Thomas RAF, Sergeant J. Falconer RAF, Flight Sergeant A. Buckton RAF and Flight Sergeant G.M. Edwards.
The Missing Report and efforts made
Both RAAF Pilots tried to save both the glider and their precious cargo of troops when it crashed approximately 2.5 kilometres north-east of Lensmannsgard, 400-500 metres north-west of Gasetjern.
This was some four kilometres north from where Halifax W7801 crashed at Helleland, Rogaland.
All the flight crews of both aircraft and the glider were killed in the crashes.