No. 640 Squadron RAF
Active7 January 1944 – 7 May 1945
CountryUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Air Force
RoleBomber Squadron
Part ofNo. 4 Group, RAF Bomber Command[1]
BaseRAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire
Insignia
Squadron CodesC8 (Jan 1944 – May 1945)[2][3]
Aircraft flown
BomberHandley-Page Halifax

No. 640 Squadron RAF was a heavy bomber squadron of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

History

No. 640 Squadron was first formed at RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire on 7 January 1944,[4] from 'C' Flight of No. 158 Squadron RAF. It was equipped with Halifax Mk.III bombers, and operated as part of No. 4 Group in Bomber Command. It re-equipped with Halifax VI bombers in March 1945, and was disbanded at RAF Leconfield on 7 May of that year.[5]

Operational highlights

A crew from No. 640 Squadron at Leconfield taken in December 1944, with a Halifax III in the background. Photograph features: Captain F/O R.Wakeman, DFC; Navigator P/O Reginald William Parr, DFC; Bomb Aimer F/O C.B.Morrison, RCAF, DFC; W/Op. F/Sgt H. Bearyman; Flt.Eng F/Sgt P/McPhie; Mid-upper Gunner F/S R.Thomas; Rear Gunner F/Sgt E.G. Humphries.
  • First Operational Mission 5 Halifaxes bombed Berlin while 3 others aborted on the night from 20 to 21 January 1944
  • Last Operational Mission 18 Halifaxes bombed gun batteries on the island of Wangerooge on 25 April 1945[6]
Listed below are further operational highlights for the Wakeman crew (see photograph right)[7]
PositionName crew memberKnown as
CaptainF/O R.Wakeman, DFCJimmy
NavigatorP/O Reginald William Parr, DFCReg
Bomb AimerF/O C.B.Morrison, RCAF, DFCCliff
W/OpF/Sgt. H.BearymanHarry
Flt.Eng.F/Sgt. P.McPhiePeter
Mid-upper GunnerF/S R.ThomasTommy
Rear GunnerF/Sgt. E.G.HumphriesEric
Individual missions for the above named crew, data from[7][8][9][10][11][12]
Date (all dates are in 1944)OffBackTargetMission DetailBomb Load (lbs)Individual Aircraft CodeAircraft Serial No.
6 August11:1214:27Forêt de NieppeV-Weapon Sites.16×500X
7 August20:5301:48May-sur-OrneArmy Support – Five aiming points in front of Allied ground troops in Normandy.9×1000HNA573
9 August11:5315:28Le ChâtellierChemical works.4×500X
10 August20:5003:50DijonA railway junction and the railway yards.4×500J
11 August18:2222:07ÉtaplesRailway bridge.4×500Z
15 August09:4013:45EindhovenAirfield4×500BMZ561
16 August21:4001:45Kiel4×500BMZ561
18 August22:2003:00Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.Ruhrchemie AG synthetic oil plant
(SBC = small bomb container)		1×2000, 4×SBCBMZ561
9 September06:4411:09Le HavreAbandoned – cloud.16×500G
11 September05:1909:49Cadillac7×1000, 6×500K
12 September16:1520:50Münster1×2000 & IncendiaryPMZ678
17 September06:5210:43BoulogneGerman positions in preparation for an attack by Allied troops.9×1000, 4×500JNP631
25 September06:3510:36CalaisGerman defensive positions.9×1000, 4×500JNP931
27 September09:2913:03CalaisGerman defensive positions.9×1000, 4×500DLW554
30 September09:4514:22Bottrop, Ruhr.Oil plant.16×500HMZ344
6 October14:2819:04Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant.16×500JNP931
7 October11:4516:03KleveArmy support – Approach routes by which German units could threaten the vulnerable Allied right flank near Nijmegen.9×1000, 4×500JNP931
15 October00:1605:53Duisburg8×1000, 5×500KMZ930
15 October17:4821:41Wilhelmshaven8×1000, 5×500KMZ930
25 October12:0917:51EssenIndustrial concerns, particularly to the Krupps steelworks.9×1000, 4×500JNP931
28 October09:4513:05WalcherenGun positions at 5 places on the rim of the island.1×2000, 7×1000, 4×500LNP931
31 October18:0323:10Cologne1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500GMZ404
2 November16:0522:00Düsseldorf1×2000 & IncendiaryJNP931
4 November17:3422:34BochumIndustrial areas, particularly the steelworks.1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500JNP931
6 November11:4216:42GelsenkirchenNordstern synthetic-oil plant.1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500JNP931
16 November12:4317:30JülichArmy support – cut communications behind the German lines.1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500JNP931
21 November17:2523:55Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr.Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant.16×500JNP931
29 November02:2608:22EssenIndustrial areas, including the Krupps works.1×2000, 16×500JNP931
2 December17:3500:07HagenIndustrial areas – unknown at the time this included a factory making U-boat accumulator batteries.1×2000 & IncendiaryJNP931
12 December16:2421:58EssenIndustrial areas, including the Krupps works.1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500JNP931
22 December15:0521:33Bingen am RheinRailway yards.1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500JNP931
24 December11:1716:42Essen/MülheimAirfields.5×1000, 8×250JNP931

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated by no. 640 Squadron RAF, data from[4][5][6]
FromToAircraftVersion
January 1944March 1945Handley-Page HalifaxMk.III
March 1945May 1945Handley-Page HalifaxMk.VI

Squadron bases

Base operated by no. 640 Squadron RAF, data from[4][5][6]
FromToName
7 January 19447 May 1945RAF Leconfield, East Riding of Yorkshire

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Delve 1994, p. 69.
  2. ↑ Bowyer & Rawlings 1979, p. 27.
  3. ↑ Flintham & Thomas 2003, p. 65.
  4. 1 2 3 Halley 1988, p. 443.
  5. 1 2 3 Jefford 2001, p. 102.
  6. 1 2 3 Moyes 1976, p. 290.
  7. 1 2 Reginald William Parr Flight Log 1944
  8. ↑ "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 7 June 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2007.
  9. ↑ "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 14 March 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2008.
  10. ↑ "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ↑ "RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary". Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2011.

Bibliography

  • Bowyer, Michael J.F.; Rawlings, John D.R. (1979). Squadron Codes, 1937–56. Cambridge, UK: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-364-6.
  • Delve, Ken (1994). The Source Book of the RAF. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-451-5.
  • Flintham, Vic; Thomas, Andrew (2003). Combat Codes: A Full Explanation and Listing of British, Commonwealth and Allied Air Force Unit Codes since 1938. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84037-281-8.
  • Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Jefford, C.G. (2001). RAF Squadrons, a Comprehensive record of the Movement and Equipment of all RAF Squadrons and their Antecedents since 1912 (2nd ed.). Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
  • Moyes, Philip J.R. (1976). Bomber Squadrons of the RAF and their Aircraft. London: Macdonald and Jane's (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-354-01027-1.
  • Norman, Bill (2005). Halifax Squadron: the Wartime Bombing Operations of No. 640 Squadron, Leconfield. Preston, Lancashire: Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications. ISBN 0-9547325-1-0.
  • Norman, Bill (1999). No. 640 (Halifax) Squadron, RAF Leconfield: a Diary of Wartime Bombing Operations. Warrington: Compaid Graphics/Bill Norman Publications. ISBN 1-900604-08-6.
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