This was the 14th claim by the nightfighter ace Oblt. August Geiger (a total of 49 kills) who was later shot down and killed by W/Cmr Bob Braham from 141 Beaufighter squadron after a fierce dogfight on September 29th 1943. 


Nightfighter ace that killed the man privious pic

Mission: Berlin

Date: 01/02nd March 1943 (Monday/Tuesday)

Unit: No. 35 Squadron

Type: Halifax II

Serial: W7877

Code: TL-O

Base: R.A.F. Graveley, Cambridgeshire.

Location: Ooost- Stokkum, Overijssel, Holland.

Pilot: Sq/Ldr. Peter Campbell Elliot D.F.C. (1) 42401 R.A.F. Age ? Killed

Fl/Eng: Fl/Sgt. Stanley Langford Conway Watts A.F.M. 216038 R.A.F. Age ? Killed

Nav: Fl/Sgt. G.C.H. Chandler P.O.W. No: 892 Camp: Stalag Kopernikus (357)

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Roy Victor Ledger 1330439 R.A.F.V.R. Age 21. Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. George Sarsfield Sloman AU403036 R.A.A.F. Age 23. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Denis Kelly 1384311 R.A.F.V.R. Age ? Killed

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Thomas Neville Sankey D.F.M. (2) 612042 R.A.F. Age ? Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off at 18.24 hrs from R.A.F. Graveley, Cambridgeshire, a bomber operation to Berlin with a total of 302 aircraft taking part. 

Halifax W7877 was intercepted on its home run at 00.37 hrs. by Lt. August Geiger (3) of 7./NJG1. It was unfortunate for Bomber Command in that the H2S set was recovered almost intact by the Germans who sent it to the Telefunken Works in Berlin for research and evaluation. This played an enormous part in assisting the Luftwaffe to develop the Naxos system, vital for defending Berlin later this year.


Royal Australian Air Force George Sloman

Lockheed Hudson, A16-66 of 13 Sqn RAAF stationed at Darwin. Pilot is either Flt Lt Herbert Nicholas, or Flt Lt Leslie Collings.  On 28 and 29 November 1941, A16-66 had been involved with three other Hudsons in the fruitless search for survivors of HMAS Sydney.  Each Hudson flew in parallel searches from Broome, Port Hedland and Carnarvon in Western Australia, but found nothing. 13 Squadron moved from Darwin to Ambon on 7 December 1941 to provide air support to the Dutch forces stationed there. On 26 January 1942, A16-66 and two other Hudsons (A16-125 and -71) were destroyed on the ground when four naval A6M2 Zeros from the 3rd Kokatai, or Naval Air Group, strafed Halong naval base on Ambon Island.