PATKIN, Leo Braham
| Service Number: | 401146 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 January 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | No. 467 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 28 September 1913 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Melbourne Grammar School |
| Occupation: | Departmental Manager |
| Died: | Air Combat, Germany, 2 January 1944, aged 30 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Hannover War Cemetery, Hannover, Germany |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Victorian Jewish War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Jan 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), 401146, Aircrew Training Units, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jan 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 401146 | |
| 4 Jan 1941: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), 401146, Aircrew Training Units, Empire Air Training Scheme | |
| 2 Jan 1944: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 401146, No. 467 Squadron (RAAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45, Lost on operations |
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Served in 467 Squadron RAAF, in 5 Group RAF Bomber Command.
This information gleaned from the excellent 'Aircrew Remembered' site http://www.aircrewremembered.com/patkin-leo.html (www.aircrewremembered.com)
Leo Patkin was the son of Maurice and Marie Estelle Patkin of South Yarra Melbourne. By the time of his enlistment he was married to Claire. He had attended Melbourne Grammar School.
Having enlisted in 1941, Leo trained as a pilot and eventually found his way to the captain's seat of a Lancaster bomber and by early 1944 he had been promoted to Flight Lieutenant. Leo was pilot and commander of 467 Squadron Lancaster B Mk III tail no LM372, serial PO-K scheduled on a raid on 1/2 January 1944 to Berlin.
Their aircraft was intercepted and shot down on approach to the target near Altmerdingsen Germany by a German Night Fighter Ace, Hauptman Heinrich Prinz Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein at 2.20am. The aircraft according to witnesses lost a wing and spun into the ground with a full bomb load. The resulting explosion blew a crater 25 yards across and blew out windows in the nearby village. There were no survivors.
The remains were interred locally and after the war a RAF investigation team disinterred the graves and set about the process of identifying the remains. They were reburied in the Hannover cemetery in 1947.
The aircraft and its crew of eight were lost. The eighth crew member was FSGT Mudie who flew as 2nd Pilot for experience before taking a crew of his own.
PATKIN LEO BRAHAM FLTLT 401146 (RAAF) Pilot
MUDIE JAMES FSGT 29886 (RAAF) 2nd Pilot (/explore/people/640737)
MAIDSTONE, RAYMOND JOSPEH ALFRED, 132722 FOFFR (RAFVR) Navigator
LITCHFIELD, GEORGE ARNOLD SGT 1579416 (RAFVR) Bomb Aimer
CHAMBERS, RALPH, SGT 1482755 (RAFVR) Flight Engineer (his remains were not accounted for in the post war investigation)
SCOTT HENRY DOUGLAS FSGT 410611 (RAAF) W/OP (/explore/people/646397)
BLACKWELL WILLIAM DONALD FSGT 415497 (RAAF) Air Gunner (/explore/people/620241)
BOETTCHER ARTHUR HAROLD FSGT 414305 (RAAF) Air gunner (/explore/people/620414)
As a postscript, Wittgenstein was killed soon after this incident on 21 January, after he had shot down five Lancasters in the course of about 40 minutes, when in turn his Ju88 was brought down by either debris from his last victim or fire from a nearby Lancaster air gunner or a Mosquito. The wing of his Ju88 was set on fire and he ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft. His crew escaped but it seemed that Wittgenstein was incapacitated on exit and was found with his parachute unopened near the wreckage. At the time of his death he had been credited with 83 kills making him one of the deadliest night fighter aces of the Luftwaffe. See this link for further details: http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.co.uk/styled-15/styled-21/styled-260/index.html (/admin/biographies/2346/believed%20to%20have%20been%20contributed%20by%20George%20Litchfield's%20family) .
Compiled by Steve Larkins Jan 2017
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