Form 441 for Chemnitz 5/6-March-1945

[JDCAVE]

I am interested in any Form 441’s “navigator log” for Chemnitz, 5/6-March-1945. I am specifically interested in the record of the return journey, France/Belgium, and crossing the coasts. I have one of record and the crew flew over 10,000 feet above the flight plan directions, to avoid icing conditions.

Jim

[Terry]

Jim, I'm pretty sure I asked the RAF Museum if they held any 441s re Chemnitz. To which they replied nothing held.
Regards, Terry

[JDCAVE]

Thanks Terry.

They aren’t that common. Charts are much more common, but they aren’t as useful without the 441. I’ve seen another chart for this raid to Chemnitz. It’s online at McMaster University, but there are odd things with the times. They are off by an hour, from what I know to be true.

Jim

[Terry]

Jim, I have seen comment before about the different time zones used. Could one hour suggest that the navigator was dancing to a different time zone, so to speak?
Regards,
Terry

[JDCAVE]

Hi Terry: I've been looking at that second chart on Chemnitz. It seems the Nav. has two different "clocks" going on! LOL. I think I've solved this mystery! The times marked for the turning points are an hour earlier than the other times marked on the chart. The times for Fixes make sense with a the timing along the route. I suspect the times for the turning points were "Pre raid" and that the time had been pushed later one hour from the pre-raid planning.

Jim

[JDCAVE]

...The 6-Group ORB for 4/5-March-1945 indicates there was a plan to attack Chemnitz, one day earlier than the actual raid but it was cancelled. So it may have been the planning had taken place and the navigators drafted their routes but possibly for earlier times. There is no indication in the 6-Group Form"B" that there was a change in H-Hour for the raid that ultimately took place.

Jim

[Terry]

The joys of looking at something 70+ years down the track.