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WW2 RAAF DFM MEDAL GROUP 460 SQN 30 SORTIES PEENEMUNDE RAID CGM RELATED

**SOLD** WW2 RAAF DFM MEDAL GROUP 460 SQN 30 SORTIES PEENEMUNDE RAID CGM RELATED Offered is a Second World War immediate D.F.M. award group of five attributed to Flight Engineer – 1170341 Sergeant Stanley Reginald Rolfe, 460 Squadron, Royal Air Force (pictured above, 3rd from left). Sergeant Rolfe flew in 30 operational sorties. The group includes: Distinguished Flying Medal, G. VI. R., officially named to rim: 1170341 SGT. R. S. ROLFE R.A.F. (error to first initials), London Gazette dated 19th October 1943 for Peenemunde Raid. Rolfe won the award for his part in bringing back their Lancaster after the plane...

$3,995.00

SOLD

**SOLD**

WW2 RAAF DFM MEDAL GROUP 460 SQN 30 SORTIES PEENEMUNDE RAID CGM RELATED

Offered is a Second World War immediate D.F.M. award group of five attributed to Flight Engineer – 1170341 Sergeant Stanley Reginald Rolfe, 460 Squadron, Royal Air Force (pictured above, 3rd from left). Sergeant Rolfe flew in 30 operational sorties. The group includes:

Distinguished Flying Medal, G. VI. R., officially named to rim: 1170341 SGT. R. S. ROLFE R.A.F. (error to first initials), London Gazette dated 19th October 1943 for Peenemunde Raid. Rolfe won the award for his part in bringing back their Lancaster after the plane had been heavily shot up by night fighters on the return home after the raid.

1939 – 1945 Star

The Air Crew Europe Star

The Defence Medal

The War Medal

All medals have been mounted for display and are in fine condition overall. Comes with a large lot of information, research papers, photographs, written rolls for each of his 30 missions, crew details, ORBAT lists etc. including details regarding Rolfe’s crew pilot, Flight Lt. D. Rees, of South Fremantle who won the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. There are some great press photo’s of Rolfe inspecting damage to the plane upon return from the Peenemunde raid, where the rear right tail plane had been shot away, part of the glass cuppola and massive holes in both wings.

Flight Sergeant Stanley Reginald Rolfe was born in Darlington, Yorkshire on the 18th May 1914 and is shown to have died in December 1982 in Yorkshire. The 460 SQN records show he completed 31 missions and flew with Flight Lt. Daniel Rees, who won the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for his determination to complete his bombing mission of Milan, in August 1943 even though two of his four engines were out of action, meaning he had to weave in and out of the mountains of the Alps to and from the target. A full account of this mission is included with the documents, entitled ‘ACROSS THE ALPS ON TWO ENGINES’. There is exhaustive research material included with these medals, which will give you the full picture of what it would have been like being the only Brit in an all Australian bomber crew during WW2.

Peenemunde Raid

Operation Hydra was a Royal Air Force attack on the Peenemünde Army Research Centre on the night of 17/18 August 1943. It was the first time a master bomber was used for the main force. Group Captain John Searby CO of 83 Squadron, commanded the operation. It began the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany’s V-weapon programme. 215 British aircrew members and 40 bombers were lost, and hundreds of civilians were killed in a nearby concentration camp. The air raid killed two V-2 rocket scientists and delayed V-2 rocket test launches for seven weeks.

460 Squadron RAAF

The most sorties – the highest tonnage – the heaviest casualties – the most decorations of any Squadron in Bomber Command

No. 460 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, was formed at Molesworth in the United Kingdom on 15 November 1941. It was an “Article XV Squadron”, formed in accordance with agreements that implemented the Empire Air Training Scheme. The squadron became part of the Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command and joined the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. Equipped with Vickers Wellington bombers, it mounted its first raid, against the German city of Emden, on 12 March 1942.

In the ensuing three years the squadron was heavily committed to operations over Germany, Italy and German-occupied Europe. It operated, in succession, from airfields at Molesworth (15 November 1941 – 3 January 1942), Breighton (4 January 1942 – 14 May 1943), and Binbrook (14 May 1943 – 27 July 1945). Although it had originally been planned to re-equip the squadron with Handley Page Halifaxes in September 1942, it began operating Avro Lancasters in the following month and joined Bomber Command’s 1 Group. The bulk of the squadron’s operations formed part of the strategic bombing offensive against Germany, although prior to, and during, the D-Day landings in June 1944, it was employed in support of Allied ground operations. The squadron flew its last raid, against Berchtesgarden, on ANZAC Day 1945.

The squadron is regarded as having been the most efficient of the Australian bomber squadrons. It maintained consistently higher serviceability rates among its aircraft, set numerous operational records within Bomber Command, flew the most bombing raids of any Australian squadron, and was credited with the greatest tonnage of bombs dropped – 24,856 tons. The Australian War Memorial’s Lancaster “G for George” was a 460 Squadron aircraft. The squadron, however, suffered heavily. It lost 181 aircraft on operations and suffered 1,018 fatal casualties (589 Australian) – the highest number of any of the Australian squadrons.

Following the end of hostilities in Europe in April 1945, the squadron participated in Operation Manna, which involved the air-dropping of food to Dutch civilians during the first week of May 1945. It was subsequently employed to transport liberated Commonwealth prisoners of war to Britain. With this role complete, 460 Squadron was selected to form part of “Tiger Force”, Bomber Command’s intended contribution to the strategic bombing of Japan, which necessitated a transfer to No. 5 Group and a move to East Kirby. The war in the Pacific ended, however, before “Tiger Force” was deployed. The squadron relinquished its aircraft in early October 1945, and disbanded on the 25th of that month.

Weight 2.204623 kg
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