Planes; Big Week, to Big Day

The #52Ancestors writing prompt 'Planes' is not due until the week ending July 7th, but June 6th, 2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the D Day landings. My husband's great uncle Tommy played a part in that day, and so I have decided to play with the schedule again, and tell Tommy's tale to mark the anniversary of that important day.

Thomas Andrew McRobbie was the only son of Thomas Andrew McArthur McRobbie, and Agnes Grainger Ramsey. He was born 13th November 1923, at 10 Piershill Place, Edinburgh. His father Thomas was a printer's machine man, and Agnes, his mother, was a dressmaker. They were married on the 25th April, 1911, and his older sister, Margaret McArthur McRobbie was born 6 months later. The family were to wait another 12 years before Thomas was to arrive.

At the outbreak of World War II, in September 1939 Tommy was just 16 years of age. I have not found any record yet, of his conscription papers, but he would have been conscripted two years later, in 1941, when he turned 18. He joined the RAF, and was stationed at RAF Holme-on Spaulding-Moor, in Yorkshire, which was located roughly 20 miles south-east of York. Tommy was an Air Gunner and assigned to a crew of 7 men, flying a Handley Page Halifax.

Handley Page Halifax III

Handley Page Halifax planes were 4 engine bombers, that initially used Rolls Royce engines. Tommy flew in a Halifax III, which used 4 Bristol Hercules engines. The Halifax III included a transparent nose dome containing a gun, plus dorsal and tail turrets each containing 4 guns. The crew of a Halifax bomber would include a pilot, a navigator, a flight engineer, a wireless operator, a bomb aimers, and air gunners. The bomb aimers sat in the nose, the pilot up at front, with the wireless operators below the pilot. The navigator and the flight engineer sat between the front turret and cockpit. The mid upper gunner sat in the turret at the top of the aircraft, and the rear gunner sat at the back of the pane. It was cramped, but there were two rest bunks and an Elsan toilet.

1. Pilot, 2. Navigator, 3. Flight Engineer, 4. Bomb Aimer, 5. Wireless Operator, 6. Mid Upper Gunner,
7. Rear Gunner.

The general rule for most squadrons was to give leave to any airman who had flown 5 operations. An operation was a bombing raid where the target had been struck. If a crew returned early due to a technical  issue, it didn't count as a completed operation. There was a high loss rate, and as a result many airmen did not make it to their first leave, let alone the end of their tour. A complete tour of duty included 40 completed operations, after which airmen were usually redeployed to training new recruits. After 6 months of training, airmen were returned to operational duty where they were expected to fly a further 40 operations. If they managed to survive that far, airmen were then either returned to training duties for a further 6 months, were invited to participate at a higher ranking, or were given the chance to roll the dice of death, and continue flying operations. It's not clear how long Tommy had been flying, or how many operations, or bombing missions Tommy had flown, but we do know that Tommy had taken leave at some point before June 1944. He had brought his crew member, Canadian Morris Campbell Murray home to Edinburgh for a few days of leave, during which time they had climbed Arthur's Seat together. Knowing he had earned some leave suggests that he had flown at least 5 operations.

Arthur's Seat is the old volcano that overlooks the city of Edinburgh.

On the night of the 1st/2nd of June 1944 air gunner Tom McRobbie took his seat in the Halifax III bomber. We don't know which gunner seat he had. In all the operations records Sergeant Thomas McRobbie was listed last in his crew list, which suggests to me that he was a rear gunner, however this is a supposition of mine, and not reliable evidence. Joining him in the bomber were his Canadian buddy, Flight Sergeant and navigator Morris Campbell Murray,  fellow Scot, and air gunner Peter Craig. His fellow English crew members included pilot Officer Stanley Arthur Douglas, air bomber Flying Officer Ivor Reginald Draper, flight engineer Sergeant Norman John Neal, and wireless operator and air gunner Sergeant Douglas William Henry. This was their first flight together as a new crew, and as members of Squadron 76, flying out of RAF Holme-on-Spaulding-Moor. This was their first raid in preparation for Operation Overlord; an planned invasion of German occupied France. 

The planning for Operation Overlord had begun over a year before. Much had been discussed by the chiefs of all the allied countries, about how the invasion should happen, when and where. The obvious choice was to invade the Pas-de-Calais. It was closest to England, across the Channel, but also the most heavily guarded by the German forces. It was decided that instead, the allies would invade via the Normandy beaches, between Cherbourg and Cabourg. There was plenty to do ahead of the big day; D Day, which was originally scheduled for June 5th. Preparations included destroying transportation routes,  destroying communication networks, and destroying the Luftwaffe's strength. The combined effect would ensure that the enemy would not be able to mount much of a defence in the Normandy area chosen for invasion. Overlord preparations began in mid April 1944, where the RAF systematically took out railway lines, rail yards, locomotive depots, and marshalling yards, as well as airfields and aircraft factories. Tommy and his crew did not participate until early June.

American B17s fly in formation.

Tommy and his crew's first operation, on the night of the 1st/2nd June, was to take out the wireless communication station at Ferme d"Urville, near Cherbourg. The Operations Record Book describes the mission;

"The actual target was the network of W/T stations at Ferme D'Urville near Cherbourg. Twenty-two of our aircraft took-off according schedule, but one was compelled to return early, as the undercarriage jarred immediately after take-off. The other twenty one carried on their course, but encountered some cloud all the way. Identification was only possible with the assistance of the markers or by obtaining a GEE fix, as there was 10/10th cloud with tops at 7,000ft over the target. The markers appeared to be well concentrated, and the bombing was carried out on these markers. The bombs were released from an average height of 12,500ft, but no results were observed. It is estimated that if the markers were accurate, this was a good raid. All our aircraft returned safely to Base."

The markers mentioned in the report refer to a pin point targeting system whereby Squadron 617 (aka Dambusters) would carry out accurate low level marking, ahead of the bomber's attack. It was a system that worked spectacularly well!

This flight phtograph of Ferme D'Urville shows what a success it was. The reverse of the photo curiously says, 'extra bomb door operation Dummy run?' 

The second operation that Tommy and his crew mates made together was on the nigt of the 2nd/3rd June, to Trappes, just east of Paris. Trappes held a marshalling yard that was important to the Axis' ability to mobilize troops. Here is the report, as written in the Operations Records Book;

"For the third time in three months, this Squadron had been detailed for an attack on the Marshalling Yards at Trappes. All twenty-three aircraft which had been detailed, took-off, and there were no early returns. Three of these aircraft failed to return and have since been reported missing. It was a erfect night for an attack as the visibility was perfect. The target, and the A/P were clearly and well marked, and the crews experienced little difficulty in selecting their dropping point. During the entire raid, the master bomber gave clear instructions, as a result of which the whole area was a mass of flames. Bomb busts were seen all around the markers and several large and small explosions were seen. Fighters were very active, and aircraft "B" had four combats, in which the crew claimed two ME.109. Twenty of our  aircraft returned safely to base."

Luckily for Tommy and his crew mates, they were one of the twenty, and made it back to base.

The following days were spent detailing planes and carrying out some training runs. The operational report for the 3rd began and ended, respectively, "The weather today was not very favourable for flying.....Weather; cloudy, intermittent rain in early part of period." On the 4th it read, "The weather today was not very favourable for flying.... Weather; cloudy, slight rain in early morning and evening." And the report for the 5th June read, finally,

"Twelve aircraft were air tested during the forenoon, as operations were ordered, and 24 aircraft were detailed. Take off was scheduled for 02.25 hours, on the morning of the 6th. There was no more flying today. The crew state was 26 and the serviceability 24.
Weather; Cloud, slight haze and showers in morning, clearing in the afternoon."
The next morning, before daybreak, at 02.28 hours, Squadron 76 started to take off. 23 aircraft left Holme-on-Spaulding-Moor, heading for the Mont Fleury battery, which was just 800m inland from what was to be known as Gold Beach. The objective was to put the guns out of action, to ensure a safer landing of troops.

War Office map of Cruelly region.

Here I have two separate records to establish what happened to Squadron 76 that day. The first is from the squadron's Operational Record; "Owing to large amounts of cloud over the T/A the results of this attack are not clearly defined. Crews reported that the T.I.s were well concentrated and bombing appeared concentrated round the markers. One crew reported an explosion on the ground, seen through a break in the cloud, but it is thought that this was a crashed aircraft. Apart from small amounts of light flak over the enemy coast, no other defences were encountered. Three of our aircraft jettisoned their bombs as no markers were visible. Of the 23 aircraft that took off, 20 attcked the primary target, and one failed to return. Nothing was been heard of this aircraft since it left base."

The second is a Summary of Events, from 76 Squadron's records. With more detail, it gives a clearer picture of how successful the mission was;

"Of the 24 aircraft detailed for this attack on Mont Fleury, only 23 took-off. the first off was at 02.28 hours. The main objective of the attack was to put the guns of Mont Fleury out of action. On the route to the target 9-10/10th cloud persisted, but over the target itself, it was patchy. The crews were ordered to bomb from 10,000ft, 11,000ft, or 12,000ft, according to which wave they were in. Many arried out this order and the result was that the raid was a huge success. One Captain reported an explosion seen through a break in the cloud, but this was thought to be a crashed aircraft. It was a highly concentrated raid, and the guns were silenced. Defences on this occasion were almost negligible. The attack coincided with D Day, and some of the crews reported having seen the start of the invasion. A small amount of light flak was experienced over the Channel Islands. One of our aircraft failed to return.The crew state was 26 and the serviceability 24."

This time Tommy did not return to base.

The crew's Halifax came down close to Graye-sur-Mer, a village to the south east of Mont Fleury. There were no survivors. Villagers buried the 7 airmen in a nearby orchard. Later, after the war was won, their bodies were moved to the war cemeteries of their country of origin. Because Morris Campbell Murray was Canadian, he was laid to rest at the Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery. Tommy, and his fellow British crewmen were buried at the Bayeaux War Cemetery.

It wasn't until the 17th April 1945 that his older sister, Margaret received a telegram confirming his death.

D Day was the beginning of the end of the war, and it's for this reason that we celebrate the day. But it was also the day that many, many lives were lost, with Sergeant Thomas Andrew McRobbie, and his crew mates, being some of the first to give their lives on that fateful June day 80 years ago.

Thomas Andrew McRobbie, 1923- 1944

Lest we forget.

#McRobbie

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https://www.junobeach.org/tributes/mcmurray/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR24m-u6t-prBY9kKQkazzhNU4cj_VIwWePrJ1dSE5nG-FkuKo-4tiCD7mI_aem_AfXCz4frmHqcpymoq2hm35SD84qWDq9Eiif10cZjGcE631tCcerhp8PRF1hdfuu1pO5HeiwaG6_mZMLRFf3T-fEe 

https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/219090/ http://www.ukairfields.org.uk/holme-on-spalding-moor.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handley_Page_Halifax

https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/6870

https://tailendcharlietedchurch.wordpress.com/halifax-bomber/halifax-aircrew/#:~:text=The%20Aircraft%20required%20a%20Crew,Nose%2C%20Mid%20%26%20Rear%20Turrets.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/7-amazing-photos-of-d-day-from-the-air

http://natureonline.com/37/7-ops-tour.html

https://www.normandywarguide.com/archives/map-7e5

https://www.normandywarguide.com/place/mont-fleury-battery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bomber_Command_aircrew_of_World_War_II#Typical_operational_sortie

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/d-day-and-the-aerial-battle-for-normandy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cherbourg https://www.military.com/history/from-big-week-big-day-aerial-attacks-d-day-invasion.html