Their regularly assigned Lancaster still undergoing repairs from the raid on Bremen, the crew of Country Lass was assigned a squadron spare for this mission. In addition to a different aircraft, the tail gunner was on loan, as Country Lass' regular tail gunner, Sgt Peter Parks, was still in hospital recovering from injuries sustained on the same mission.
Approaching the outskirts of Kiel, Country Lass' crew was jumped by an Me 110 tame boar whose fire stitched the spare bomber from tail to nose. Several other bombers reported seeing a blinding flash near where the spare Lancaster and crew should have been. The spare aircraft did not return, nor was there any word of prisoners being taken. The crew is MIA, presumed dead.
Report submitted by other squadron aircraft