No. 640 Squadron RAF - History - Operational Highlights

Operational Highlights

  • 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
Listed below are further operational highlights for the following crew (see photograph right)
Position Name crew member Known as
Captain F/O R.Wakeman, DFC Jimmy
Navigator P/O Reginald William Parr, DFC Reg
Bomb Aimer F/O C.B.Morrison, RCAF, DFC Cliff
W/Op F/Sgt. H.Bearyman Harry
Flt.Eng. F/Sgt. P.McPhie Peter
Mid-upper Gunner F/S H.Thomas Tommy
Rear Gunner F/Sgt. E.G.Humphries Eric
Individual missions for the above named crew, data from
Date (all dates are in 1944) Off Back Target Mission Detail Bomb Load (lbs) Individual Aircraft Code Aircraft Serial No.
6 August 11:12 14:27 Forêt de Nieppe V-Weapon Sites. 16×500 X
7 August 20:53 01:48 May-sur-Orne Army Support - Five aiming points in front of Allied ground troops in Normandy. 9×1000 H NA573
9 August 11:53 15:28 Le Châtellier Chemical works. 4×500 X
10 August 20:50 03:50 Dijon A railway junction and the railway yards. 4×500 J
11 August 18:22 22:07 Étaples Railway bridge. 4×500 Z
15 August 09:40 13:45 Eindhoven Airfield 4×500 B MZ561
16 August 21:40 01:45 Kiel 4×500 B MZ561
18 August 22:20 03:00 Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr. Ruhrchemie AG synthetic oil plant
(SBC = small bomb container)
1×2000, 4×SBC B MZ561
9 September 06:44 11:09 Le Havre Abandoned - cloud. 16×500 G
11 September 05:19 09:49 Cadillac 7×1000, 6×500 K
12 September 16:15 20:50 Münster 1×2000 & Incendiary P MZ678
17 September 06:52 10:43 Boulogne German positions in preparation for an attack by Allied troops. 9×1000, 4×500 J NP631
25 September 06:35 10:36 Calais German defensive positions. 9×1000, 4×500 J NP931
27 September 09:29 13:03 Calais German defensive positions. 9×1000, 4×500 D LW554
30 September 09:45 14:22 Bottrop, Ruhr. Oil plant. 16×500 H MZ344
6 October 14:28 19:04 Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr. Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant. 16×500 J NP931
7 October 11:45 16:03 Kleve Army support - Approach routes by which German units could threaten the vulnerable Allied right flank near Nijmegen. 9×1000, 4×500 J NP931
15 October 00:16 05:53 Duisburg 8×1000, 5×500 K MZ930
15 October 17:48 21:41 Wilhelmshaven 8×1000, 5×500 K MZ930
25 October 12:09 17:51 Essen Industrial concerns, particularly to the Krupps steelworks. 9×1000, 4×500 J NP931
28 October 09:45 13:05 Walcheren Gun positions at 5 places on the rim of the island. 1×2000, 7×1000, 4×500 L NP931
31 October 18:03 23:10 Cologne 1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500 G MZ404
2 November 16:05 22:00 Düsseldorf 1×2000 & Incendiary J NP931
4 November 17:34 22:34 Bochum Industrial areas, particularly the steelworks. 1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500 J NP931
6 November 11:42 16:42 Gelsenkirchen Nordstern synthetic-oil plant. 1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500 J NP931
16 November 12:43 17:30 Jülich Army support - cut communications behind the German lines. 1×2000, 6×1000, 5×500 J NP931
21 November 17:25 23:55 Sterkrade/Holten, Ruhr. Ruhrchemie AG Synthetic oil plant. 16×500 J NP931
29 November 02:26 08:22 Essen Industrial areas, including the Krupps works. 1×2000, 16×500 J NP931
2 December 17:35 00:07 Hagen Industrial areas - unknown at the time this included a factory making U-boat accumulator batteries. 1×2000 & Incendiary J NP931
12 December 16:24 21:58 Essen Industrial areas, including the Krupps works. 1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500 J NP931
22 December 15:05 21:33 Bingen am Rhein Railway yards. 1×2000, 4×1000, 6×500 J NP931
24 December 11:17 16:42 Essen/Mülheim Airfields. 5×1000, 8×250 J NP931

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