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Having completed their training, the crew were now fully operational.
April 28th 1944 to August 1944 with 76 Squadron at RAF Holme on Spalding Moor, No 4 Group. This airfield opened in 1941 as a Bomber Command Airfield and was to become home to 76 Squadron, 101 Squadron, and later to 458 and 460 RAAF Squadrons. With one sortie under their belts, the crew began a few days of familarisation and practice before starting full operations on the 9th May in 'B' flight. Doug's flight log contains details of all the sorties, but the entries for the 1st to the 6th June 1944, tell a fascinating story of the part they took in support of the 'D-Day' landings.
1st June 44, take off at 23.05 in Halifax III 'MP-M'. The target was Cherbourg. Flight duration of 4hrs 5 mins. 2nd June 44, take off at 22.20 in Halifax III 'MP-K'. The target was the railway marshalling yard at Trappes near Paris. Flight duration of 4hrs 56mins. The night of 5th and 6th June, take off at 02.56 in Halifax III 'MP-K'. The target was the Mont Fleury Battery. Doug made a note in his flight log which says '10 minutes before landings started - 6th June'. Flight duration of 4hrs 25mins. 6th June 44, take off at 22.15 in Halifax III 'MP-K'. The target was St. Lo. Flight duration 5hrs 10mins.
Click on any picture to see the logbook in detail By the time that the crew had completed their tour with 76 Squadron, they had 'notched up' 13 sorties. An interesting detail in the log is that F/O Crotch became F/Lt Crotch from 31st May 1944 onwards.
Late August 1944 until the end of the war with 192 Squadron at RAF Foulsham. Foulsham was built during 1941-1942 for No 2 Group Bomber Command and opened on 26th June 1942. It was one of the few airfields to be fitted with FIDO, the fog dispersal system. It was to become the home for 192 Squadron from August 1943 onwards. 192 Squadron, code letters DT and part of 100 Group, was specially formed to operate as a special duties unit, it's purpose and existence remaining a secret during those wartime years. It was not until the mid-1970's that the details about the German wartime radio navigation methods were revealed and the existence of our radio countermeasures unit. The entire crew transferred to 192 squadron and remained together until the end of the war. It was on the 28 August that they began practicing cross country flights and special duties training. The aircraft was Halifax III 'DT V', an aircraft that the crew would use more than any other for the rest of the war. 'click on the log book'
Halifax III 'V' Victor at RAF Foulsham in 1944 Doug's flying log Five days later on the 27th August, they took part in their first sortie in this new squadron, sortie No 14, special duty ops dropping 'window'. One of the missions was to the Artic circle searching for enemy radio traffic and took a staggering 14 hours with only quick re-fueling stops in Scotland. Doug proudly displays the certificate issued by the squadron to commemorate this marathon flight. Many more sorties followed until the end of the war. The total number of sorties reached was 39, which far exceeded the expectation for a heavy bomber crew over enemy territory. Doug says that the reason for this high amount of sorties without casualties, can only be explained by having a pilot with the experience and maturity of Crotch, who became Squadron Leader Crotch on the 28th August 1944. It is well documented that RAF Foulsham suffered higher losses of radio counter-measures aircrew than any other station. With the end of the war in Europe, the crew found themselves flying to former enemy bases such as Shleswig, sometimes carrying high ranking service personnel. At the end of July 45, Doug received a commendation from the ACC in recognition of his double tour with 39 sorties. His final duties in the RAF were on glider towing from Shobden, the last flight log entry being as a passenger on the 10th September 1945. Doug says that he would like to have remained in the RAF and made a career of it, especially with the up and coming development in radio and radar technology. This option was not conducive to family life in those post war years, and so he came to settle in North Staffordshire and spent the next 35 years working at the Michelin factory until his retirement.
http://www.worldwar2exraf.co.uk/Squadron%20Pages/76%20Squadron.htm http://www.worldwar2exraf.co.uk/Squadron%20Pages/192%20Squadron.htm
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Holme
on Spalding Moor 
Foulsham
