Mosquito NT494 13.4.1945

**Lyffe** · 14th March 2023, 16:37

The 85 Squadron ORB records the duties of its aircraft flying that night as being HLBS, I'm wondering if that means High Level Bombing Sortie. The only problem from my point of view is no indication of munitions being loaded and none of the other aircraft reports attacking a ground target.

Brian

**wwrsimon** · 14th March 2023, 16:44

Could it be High Level Bomber Support Brian?

Simon

**Lyffe** · 14th March 2023, 18:40

Thank you Simon, very helpful. I had literally just worked that out from a letter James Carnahan has kindly copied to me. More later.

Brian

**Lyffe** · 14th March 2023, 21:28

Would anyone have a copy of Martin Bowman's German Night Fighters versus Bomber Command 1943-1945 please? Apparently this attributes the loss of NT494 to Kurt Welter (page 233). Before finding this reference I had started a thread on the 12 O'Clock High forum about the loss of NT494 but have had no success.

Brian

**Argus** · 15th March 2023, 08:07

Originally Posted by Lyffe

Would anyone have a copy of Martin Bowman's German Night Fighters versus Bomber Command 1943-1945 please? Apparently this attributes the loss of NT494 to Kurt Welter (page 233). Before finding this reference I had started a thread on the 12 O'Clock High forum about the loss of NT494 but have had no success.

Brian

You will find the same detail about Oblt Kurt Welter, 10/NJG 1 (Me 262) in the books Luftwaffe Night Fighter Combat Claims 1939-1945 by Foreman, Matthews and Parry, and The Me 262 Stormbird by Heaton and Lewis. I do not find further info's in the books. This is not my field of expertise.

Finn

**Lyffe** · 18th March 2023, 20:04

Gentlemen.

Further to my #8 I've been trying to find the name of the pilot of NT494, F/L Hugh Brian Thomas (126708) on the POW and Evaders Database Work thread but he's not there (unless I'm doing something wrong) nor is he on Ross's earlier version. Would I be correct in thinking this means he does not have a POW file?

Brian

**Argus** · 18th March 2023, 22:56

I've found this website:

https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/HamiltonCB.htm

Finn

**Lyffe** · 18th March 2023, 23:38

Thank you Finn, but I'm afraid that is in error. In a letter to Hamilton's parents Thomas described not only being a POW, but also that he and Hamilton had destroyed their fifth enemy aircraft two nights previously.

Brian

**Lyffe** · 19th March 2023, 10:11

Digging a bit further and looking at the time-line - crashed 14th April and returned to 85 Sqn 15 May (85 Sqn ORB) via Brussels- it seems as though he was in captivity for such a short period that he was never properly documented as a POW.

Brian

**Argus** · 19th March 2023, 21:48

James and Brian

Here we have the location of the crash, found in a letter from Air Ministry, ? March, 1950 to his parents.

The body of F/O C.B. Hamilton D.F.C. was recovered from an aircraft at Armstorf, 12 miles East of Bederkesa on the 14th April 1945.

He was buried in the local cemetery. Re-interred in the British Military Cemetery at Hamburg (Ohlsdorf), Grave 15, Row C, Plot 10.

https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.a...307-0001.1.jpg

https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.a...307-0002.1.jpg

Finn