JOHNSON, Leslie Joseph
| Service Number: | 15467 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 June 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Pilot Officer |
| Last Unit: | No. 156 Squadron (RAF) |
| Born: | Sydney, City of Sydney - New South Wales, Australia, 3 December 1920 |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Night Bombing raid - lost to night fighter, Hanover, Lower Saxony Germany, 2 December 1943, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Runnymede Air Forces Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 2 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), 15467, Aircrew Training Units | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 15467, No. 156 Squadron (RAF) | |
| 23 Nov 1943: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 15467, No. 156 Squadron (RAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45, AIrcraft JB427 lost to night fighter near Hanover Germany. One survivor |
Death of a Lancaster - No. 156 Squadron
From Flight Sergeant Norman MacDonald, only survivor of JB472
The crew of Lancaster JB472 with Reginald Wicks as pilot, joined the Squadron on 23 November 1943. They flew their first mission on 23 November - a night raid on Berlin. This was closely followed by another night mission to Berlin on 26 November.
On 2 December JB472 took off from Warboys airfield for their third raid on Berlin. In a report given by Flight Sergeant Norman Macdonald after the war he describes what happened to their aircraft as they flew over eastern Germany:
'Attack by enemy fighter reported by rear gunner - pilot acknowledged, took evasive action and just then we were hit. Crew put on chutes, aircraft in steep dive. At approx between 17 and 15, 000 feet violent explosion. I was sucked out the starboard side of aircraft. Regained consciousness at approx 4,000 feet opened 'chute landed ok. I believe pilot jettisoned bombs endeavouring to save crew and aircraft but aircraft crashed 20 miles north of Hannover. The next day I was captured in the goods yard of the village railway station by 2 German soldiers who were searching for me and taken to identify wreckage of aircraft from which German officials had removed the bodies of my 6 colleagues. Taken to Frankfurt for interrogation put into solitary confinement then to Stalag IVB.'
Submitted 8 September 2017 by Steve Larkins