From Sept. 8th 1943 to Dec. 11th 1943 Royal Air Force pilot Arthur Clement Bartter and his 138 Squadron crew flew 16 operations for Special Operations Executives to France, Yugoslavia and Denmark.
It is the story of the brave airmen of 138 Squadron that helped turn the balance of power during World War Two in a guerilla war against Hitler’s forces.
138 Squadron crew of pilot A. C. Bartter (“Peter”), 2nd pilot bomb aimer Brian Henry Atkins, Navigator Clarence William Fry (“Joe”), Wireless operator Ernesto Howell, reargunner Walter Ralph Riggs, Mid-uper gunner Stanley Gordon Smith, Frederick Turvill (on a training flight) and Flight engineer Nicholas Anderson flew operation Table Jam 18 and 19 on 10th/11th December 1943.
Halifax BB378 never returned to Tempsford after this flight. It was caught by german radars and shot down by a german night fighter over Zealand.
It is the story of the brave airmen of 138 Squadron that helped turn the balance of power during World War Two in a guerilla war against Hitler’s forces.
138 Squadron crew of pilot A. C. Bartter (“Peter”), 2nd pilot bomb aimer Brian Henry Atkins, Navigator Clarence William Fry (“Joe”), Wireless operator Ernesto Howell, reargunner Walter Ralph Riggs, Mid-uper gunner Stanley Gordon Smith, Frederick Turvill (on a training flight) and Flight engineer Nicholas Anderson flew operation Table Jam 18 and 19 on 10th/11th December 1943.
Halifax BB378 never returned to Tempsford after this flight. It was caught by german radars and shot down by a german night fighter over Zealand.
By a miracle all onboard survived the belly landing on the frozen field near Bonderup. After getting out of the burning aircraft they divided the crew into two teams. The three officers formed one team and the five sergeants formed another.
Three airmen (the officers) managed to evade to Sweden. Five airmen became POW´s.
The exact locations of Table Jam 18 and 19 can be seen on the zoomable map:
Table Jam 19 drop zone (Near Tissø) - NOT COMPLETED
Halifax BB378 crash area (Bonderup Allé, north of Store Merløse).
Table Jam 18 dropzone (Near Skjoldnæsholm, Ringsted) - NOT COMPLETED