Rolf Edgar Atkinson - Bomber pilot who ditched on his second mission, baled out on his sixth mission and did not return from his 11th
Commencing his flying training at No 9 Elementary Flying Training School at RAF Ansty in Warwickshire, Atkinson’s first trip in a Tiger Moth was on 12 December 1940, his instructor Flt Lt Simpson. On 10 February 1941, we sent solo after a Chief Flying Instructor’s Test by Sqn Ldr Willliams. Atkinson had flown 13 hrs 45 min at this point, at the hands of six different instructors.
Atkinson flying R5172, March 1941
Post first solo, Atkinson’s regular instructor was Plt Off Edward Stewart, whose story is told here. On 6 Mar 1941, Atkinson received 45 minutes’ dual instrument flying and aerobatics from Stewart, before they moved to R5172, where after 10 minutes of dual circuits, Atkinson went for a further hour of solo circuits. Atkinson’s last trip at Ansty was on 15 March 1941, graduating after 47 hrs 15 minutes’ flying and graded ‘Average’.
Atkinson was awarded his ‘wings’ on 9 August 1941, after completing advanced training flying Airspeed Oxfords from No 6 FTS at RAF Little Rissington in Gloucestershire. He continued his training, flying the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley with No 19 Operational Training Unit (OTU) at RAF Kinloss. Atkinson was posted to A Flt, 78 Sqn at RAF Croft on 26 October 1941, a total of 166 hours 55 minutes in his logbook.
78 Sqn Whitley V (IWM)
Bomber Command losses had been high throughout Autumn 1941 and the Butt Report had brought into stark relief the ineffectiveness of Bomber Commands attacks, owing largely to difficulty in navigating to its targets. On 13 November, the Air Ministry directed that Bomber Command carry out only limited operations during the Winter months, while the future of Bomber Command was debated; during November and December 1941, Atkinson carried out training flying only.
First Whitley Operation, January 1942
Qualified as first pilot on the Whitley for local and ferry flying, Pilot Officer Rolf Atkinson operated as second pilot on operations. His operations during 1942 were as follows:
1. 5 Jan. Target Cherbourg. Whitley Z6319. 0420-1038. 2nd pilot to Sgt Charles (Dick) Pattisson. Bomber Command sent 37 aircraft against Cherbourg, 8 of which were from 78 Sqn. Of these, Pattisson’s was one of only two to bomb; the remainder jettisoning their bombs safe due to cloud. Neither of the crews which bombed observed their result due to entering cloud immediately after bombing.
2. 14 Feb. Target Mannheim. Whitley. 2nd pilot to Sgt Stevens. Bomber Command sent 98 Whitleys and Hampdens to Mannheim, of which 67 claimed to have bombed in difficult conditions. Mannheim reported a light raid with 2 buildings destroyed and one man wounded. Stevens’ crew suffered from W/T failure, navigating to the target by dead reckoning, carry out a square search then bombing through cloud, after which the crew set heading 330 degrees from an estimated pinpoint in France. They did not sight the Dutch coast on ETA and suspected their compass was inoperative, eventually receiving a bearing of 185 degrees from Bircham Newton and variable bearings from base. Short of fuel, at 0200, Stevens ditched the aeroplane 20 miles South of Bournemouth, crew members suffering only abrasions and shock in the process. The crew was rescued by Air Sea Rescue launch and conveyed to Haslar hospital at Bournemouth. On the night of 5/6 August 1942, Stevens’ Halifax was shot down by a Bf110 during a raid on Borkum. Stevens was one of 4 survivors of the seven-man crew and became a Prisoner of War.
At the Command level, there was much important ‘policy’ activity around this time: Sir Richard Pierse was removed as Commander-in-Chief on 8 January, the famous ‘area bombing’ directive was issued on 14 February and Sir Arthur Harris was appointed Commander-in-Chief on 22 February.
78 Sqn Handley Page Halifax II (IWM)
Atkinson returned to flying in late March 1942, carrying out a couple of local flights in Whitleys, before attending the Beam Approach Training Course at Driffield, also on Whitleys. By this time, 78 Sqn was re-equipping with the Handley Page Halifax II 4-engined heavy bomber. Atkinson’s first trip in a Halifax was with Sgt Hedge on 26 Apr.
Rolf Atkinson - Halifax Pilot
3. 29 Apr. Target Ostend. Halifax II W7662. 2112-0201. 2nd pilot to Sgt Hedge; Atkinson’s fourth flight in a Halifax. 78 Sqn’s first operation with the Halifax; 78 Sqn dispatched 5 aircraft, one of which did not return and one of which did not bomb due to its bombs hanging up. The remaining aircraft sighted and bombed the docks, Hedge’s crew doing so from 11000’. Hedge was killed on operations against Hamburg on the night of 3-4 May 1942.
4. 3 Jun. Target Bremen. Halifax W7670 ‘J’. 2312-0422. 2nd pilot to Sgt Pattison. One of 170 aircraft sent to Bremen, which reported heavy damage and casualties, against the loss of 11 RAF aircraft. The crew believed they dropped their bombs at the Northern end of the target due to an error in releasing on time, causing an overshoot. Bomber Command returned to Bremen with the ‘1000 force’ on the night of 25/26 June.
Atkinson’s logbook ends after the 3 June operation; the detail of subsequent missions has been gleaned from the 78 Sqn Operational Record Book. During June 1942, 78 Sqn moved from RAF Croft to RAF Middleton St George (now Teesside Airport). On 10 July, command of 78 Sqn was taken by Wg Cdr ‘Willie’ Tait, one of the outstanding bomber pilots and leaders of the Second World War.
5. 28 Aug. Target Saarbrucken. Halifax II W1252. First Pilot. Returned early as unable to climb above 10000’.
6. 8 Sep. Target Frankfurt. Halifax II W1252. 2016-0312. First Pilot. Bomber Command sent 249 aircraft to Frankfurt, 9 from 78 Sqn. Pathfinders were unable to locate Frankfurt, so most bombing fell south west of the City and in the town of Russelheim; Frankfurt reported minor damage and one person dead. Of the nine 78 Sqn aeroplanes, one was shot down by a night fighter over Belgium (3 crew killed, 2 captured and 2 evaded), one jettisoned its bombs and returned to base as the aeroplane would not respond to its controls, and one attacked the alternate target, Mainz. Five aircraft reached the primary target, one of which was attacked by a Bf110, killing the rear gunner; the crew abandoned the mission and landed at Tangmere. Other aircraft landed at Waddington and Boscombe Down. Before reaching the target area, Atkinson’s aircraft was hit badly by anti-aircraft fire so he attacked the alternative target, Mainz, from 12500’. Due to a shortage of fuel, Atkinson decided to land at the first available airfield on return to England, but the aeroplane was uncontrollable at low speed, so he ordered the crew to bale out from 5000’; all landed without injury, the aircraft crashing in open farmland near Towcester.
7. 13 Sep. Target Bremen. Halifax II W7822. 2354-0500. First Pilot. Bomber Command sent 446 aircraft against Bremen, 9 of which were from 78 Sqn. Bremen reported considerable damage, with the Lloyds dynamo works and the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory put out of action for some days. Of the nine 78 Sqn aircraft, 2 did not start, 4 turned back early, 3 due to engine failure, one due to pilot illness, and 3 bombed, 2 of which diverted to Bodney on return, along with one of the early returners. Atkinson bombed from 19000’ through slight haze and smoke, his bombs falling into the fires which were already burning. His aircraft damaged by flak, Atkinson diverted to Swanton Morley on return.
78 Sqn moved from RAF Middleton St George to RAF Linton-on-Ouse on 16 September 1942.
8. 16 Sep. Target Essen. Halifax II. 2050-2209. Jettisoned bombs and returned early due to trouble with the port outer engine.
9.. 19 Sep. Target Saarbrucken. Halifax II W7822. 1914-0240. First Pilot. Bomber Command sent 118 aircraft to Saarbrucken, the Pathfinders experiencing difficulty with ground haze, leading to scattered bombing; Saarbrucken reported little damage and one person killed. Of the seven 78 Sqn aircraft dispatched, one burst a tyre on take off while another returned early due to intercom problems; the remaining 5 bombed. Atkinson identified the target by the River Saar and flares and bombed from 14000’. On Small Bomb Container (used to carry incendiaries) hung up as its drop bar caught in an electrical cable. The aeroplane’s intercom failed over enemy territory; on return, Atkinson decided to land at RAF Upper Heyford, but was unable to locate it, so landed at RAF Chipping Norton.
10. 23 Sep. Target Flensburg.. Halifax II W1250. 0017-0627. First Pilot. 4 Group sent 28 Halifaxes against the target; 16 claimed to have bombed and 5 were lost, including that of Flight Sergeant Dick Pattisson, shot down by a night fighter during the return journey, and with whom Atkinson had started his operational career. All five 78 Sqn aircraft bombed, with Atkinson bombing from 2500’ in bright moonlight over 6/10ths cloud and hindered by concentrated flak. Bombing appeared “quite successful”.
11. 26 Sep. Target Flensburg. Halifax II W7822. 2009-. First Pilot. The 28 Halifaxes from 4 Gp sent to attack Flensburg were recalled. At 2303 the following message was received from Atkinson’s aircraft: “May be forced to land without further signal – port outer engine u/s. Attacked by fighters, petrol shortage.” The aeroplane came down in the Wadden Sea, West of Flensburg, east of Hornum. Atkinson and his crew are commemorated on the Runnymede memorial:
Flying Officer Rolf Edgar Atkinson (Captain)
Sergeant Stanley Goddard Gray RCAF (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Lloyd Sylvester Ernst RCAF (Navigator)
Sergeant Arthur Edgar Thomas (Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant Claude Edward John O’Keeffe RAAF (Wireless Operator)
Sergeant Percy Horace Bath (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Frank Lister (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Cecil Charles William Crofton (Flight Engineer)
Letter from Wg Cdr 'Willie' Tait, OC 78 Sqn
Letter from The King
