Turned up a wealth of information. Aircraft designation and serial, down to the pilot that shot them down. I'm quite proud to know that he was part the elite Pathfinders.
Lancaster III (serial JB280) designation LQ-K of 405 Squadron (Pathfinder squadron)
- Took off at 0023 from Gransden Lodge (Bedfordshire) for bombing raid on Berlin
- Shot down by night fighter pilot Lt Friedrich 'Fritz' Potthast of IV./NJG1, crashing at approx. 0210 at Nieuw Schoonebeek (Drenthe). No survivors. Crew was buried on January 5th at Schoonebeek General Cemetery.
Crew:
F/O T.H. Donnelly DFM RCAF (Pilot)
Sgt L.G.R. Miller RAF
F/O A.J. Salaba RCAF (Navigator)
F/S W.L.J. Clark RCAF
Sgt B.S.J. West RAF
Sgt R.E. Watts RAF (Tail Gunner)
Sgt R. Zimmer RCAF
I only have the above three positions (in parenthesis), as those are the only ones I have verification of.
RAF Bomber Command lost a total of 27 aircraft (including 10 Pathfinders) on the 2/3 raid, and 28 the previous night.
The Luftwaffe pilot, Lt Potthast, was later KIA on March 22, 1944 with a total of 11 air victories, 10 of which were night victories.