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of Tito. The next alternative was escape by air.
P/O Gibson was taken to a level patch of pasture
on a hill top and asked whether he considered
it practicable for use as a night landing ground
for Lysander. He considered that it was, but as
some hitch occurred in the pans for receiving
Lysander co-operation, he eventually heard that
three transport aircraft were to attempt the job.
Gooseneck flares etc. were dropped to them,
M.A.P.R.W. aircraft took photos of the landing
ground, and Gibson was made officer in charge
of night flying.
The party now consisted of 109 men, as several
American airmen had bailed out nearby and joined
the “mission”. After three nights work – most of
it interesting and exciting as aircraft were taking
off on a short improvised landing ground (filled to
capacity) – the whole party was safely evacuated.
P/O Gibson boarded the last transport together
with the British C.O.”
As a last Squadron airborne that night for
Gardening mission was 178 Squadron. Three
Liberator crews took off from Celone between
20:50 and 21:00 hours, detailed to mine the
River Danube near what the geographically-
challenged compiler of the squadron Operations
Record Book said was Bucharest, but which
was actually Belgrade. Between 23:28 and 23:39
hours, from a height of between 125 and 500 feet
the three crews dropped 12 x 1000 lb. Mk.V mines
as designated, the Liberators, on this first mining
raid, carrying only four mines each, instead of the
six that were carried thereafter.
On debriefing, W/Cdr. D.C. Smythe and his
crew, flying in BZ947 “N”, described in detail the
sequence they followed in this, the squadron’s
first mining operation:
“23:15 hours – arrived at target area. Orbited
to port and lost height to 2500 ft flying up river
as far as the island of Cibulski [44°48N: 21°12E].
Turned to port again and flew back along Danube
heading west losing height to 200 ft near island
of Okilova [44°46N: 21°12E]. 23:28 hours, 180 ft –
mining run on heading 210°. IAS [Indicated Air
Speed] 170 mph. All mines dropped in one stick
with three second spacing... All four parachutes
seen to open and splashes observed as mines fell
in Danube, making fountains of water.”
F/Lt. J.H.C. Lewis and his crew (plane BZ930
“S”) also dropped in one stick, but S/Ldr. R.A.
Brown (in plane BZ929), making his first run at
23:32, found he could only drop two mines before
the aircraft passed over land, and so turned to
port and flew down river again in order to repeat
the mining run, dropping his second pair of mines
at 23:39. Interestingly, there seems to have been
no hard and fast requirement as to the height at
which the mines were dropped, or a prescribed
speed, since while W/Cdr. Smythe dropped from
180 feet at 170 mph, S/Ldr. Brown chose to drop
from 300 feet at 180 mph, and F/Lt. Lewis went
lowest of all at 125 feet. Crews experienced slight
machine gun or antiaircraft fire from barges and
tugs north and west of Dubovic and Dubovska
Ada islands and the crew of BZ930 decided to
investigate after turning away from its mining
run. Observing several small vessels, the crew
attacked from 200 feet, the tail gunner fired about
1000 rounds, the mid upper gunner 400 rounds
and the beam gunner 200 rounds. All observed
the rounds ricocheting off the vessels. The crews
landed at Celone between 01:20 and 02:00.
In the morning of 9 April 1944, river traffic
on the Danube was paralyzed. Among the first
victims was the 650 hp. passenger steamer
Tulln of the D.D.S.G, which was sunk at kilometer
marker 1150 at 07:45. Six of those on board died.
D.D.S.G. also lost a tug on the 9th, but this was
just the beginning. ‘Gardening’ was to badly affect
this large transporting company in the next seven
months. Another death was reported on tanker X
of the Slovak company S.D.P., which was sunk at
km 1128 along with a Serbian police boat.
After three nights on which mining was
planned, but abandoned, better weather meant
that mining operations could be resumed on the
12th by the three squadrons involved in the first
mining operation on 8/9 April. 205 Group’s major
scheduled operation that night was an attack
by sixty-five crews from the three Wellington
wings on the Ferencváros Marshalling Yards
at Budapest, but seventeen Wellingtons from
231 Wing and twelve Liberators from 240 Wing
were detailed to mine between Backa Palanka
and Futog, east of Novi Sad, while five 231 Wing
Wellingtons mined further east, between Bazias
and Belgrade.
Eleven Wellingtons of 37 Squadron took off
from Tortorella between 22:30 and 22:40, seven
detailed to lay mines in the Danube between
Gardinovci, near Novi Sad, and Surnik, and four
between Bazias and Belgrade, near Dubravica.
Seven crews, including crews of W/O. J.C.
Bailey (RAAF) in Wellington LN920 “C”, F/Sgt. J.
Photo taken in Yugoslavia in 1944. From left to right are standing unknown
chetnick, pilot Jacobsen (unidentified crew), William Elvin and another
unknown chetnick.
Photo of the 37 Squadron crew, in which flew W.R. Elwin – standing as second
from right.
Personal photo of William R. Elwin taken in 1945
upon return from the war.
ARTICLES
INFO Eduard
9
April 2024