429 Squadron Missions 1943-1945
This, to the best of my knowledge, is a complete list of war time Operations flown by 429 Sqn
Last updated 26 August 2020
If you have any corrections please email Greg Kopchuk at gregcanada@ymail.com and put 429 sqn in the subject line
1943
21 Jan Gardening Terschelling 1st mission mining and 1st crew lost Sqn was not declared operational yet. They were declared operational on 24 Jan 43. Flying Wellington Mk IIIs
26 Jan L'Orient 1st bombing mission and 2nd crew lost
16/17 Feb L'Orient
19/20 Feb Wilhelmshaven
25/26 Feb Gardening - Nectarine 2
26/27 Feb Cologne
27/28 Feb Gardening - Nectarine 1
28/01 Feb/Mar St. Nazaire
02/03 Mar Gardening - Nectarine 1
03/04 Mar Hamburg
05/06 Mar Essen
07/08 Mar Gardening - Nectarine 2
09/10 Mar Gardening - Carrots
12/13 Mar Essen
14/15 Mar Gardening - Nectarine 1
22/23 Mar Gardening - Trefoil
26/27 Mar Duisburg
28/29 Mar St. Nazaire
29/30 Mar Bochum
04/05 Apr Kiel 1st op flown with 6 Gp
08/09 Apr Duisburg
10/11 Apr Frankfurt
14/15 Apr Stuttgart
16/17 Apr Mannheim
20/21 Apr Gardening - Brest area
26/27 Apr Duisburg
27/28 Apr Gardening - Trefoil
28/29 Apr Gardening - Eglantine
04/05 May Dortmund
12/13 May Duisburg
13/14 May Bochum
21/22 May Gardening - Nectarine
23/24 May Dortmund
25/26 May Dusseldorf
27/28 May Essen
28/29 May Gardening - Jellyfish
29/30 May Wuppertal
03/04 Jun Gardening - Jellyfish
11/12 Jun Dusseldorf
12/13 Jun Gardening - Nectarine
13/14 Jun Gardening - Jellyfish
21/22 Jun Krefeld largest number of aircrew and crews lost on an op 4 aircraft and 20 aircrew (17 killed and 3 POWs)
22/23 Jun Steelhead New Commanding Office W/C Savard and his crew killed
24/25 Jun Wuppertal
25/26 Jun Gelsenkirchen
26/27 Jun Gardening - Jellyfish
28/29 Jun Cologne
02/03 Jul Gardening - Jelly fish
03/04 Jul Cologne
06/07 Jul Gardening - Jellyfish
12/13 Jul Gardening - Jellyfish
13/14 Jul Aachen
24/25 Jul Hamburg
25/26 Jul Essen
27/28 Jul Gardening - Eglantine
27/28 Jul Hamburg Commanding Officer W/C Piddington and his crew lost
29/30 Jul Hamburg
02/03 Aug Hamburg
03 Aug Gardening Beeches Last op flying Wellington Mk Xs
Stood down for the rest of Aug for move to Leeming & conversion to Halifaxes
15/16 Sep Montlucon - 1st raid with Halifax II's
16/17 Sep Modane
22/23 Sep Hanover
23/24 Sep Mannheim
27/28 Sep Hanover
29 Sep Bochum
03/04 Oct Kassel
04/05 Oct Frankfurt
08/09 Oct Hannover Last Bomber Command raid using Wellingtons
5,000th aircraft lost on operations by Bomber Command
22/23 Oct Kassel
03/04 Nov Dusseldorf
11/12 Nov Cannes
18/19 Nov Mannheim
19/20 Nov Leverkusen
22/23 Nov Berlin - 1st time 429 Sqn hits 'The Big City'
25/26 Nov Frankfurt
26/27 Nov Stuttgart
03/04 Dec Leipzig
20/21 Dec Frankfurt
24/25 Dec Gardening - Necrarines 1
29/30 Dec Berlin
1944
20/21 Jan Berlin
21/22 Jan Madeburg
28/29 Jan Berlin
15/16 Feb Berlin
19/20 Feb Leipzig Halifax Mk II & V withdrawn from ops over Germany
22 Feb Tactical diversion - no bombs carried, no crew sortie but time is counted as operational
24 Feb Tactical diversion - same as 22 Feb
25/26 Feb Gardening - Forget me nots
02/03 Mar Meulan Les Mereaux
06/07 Mar Trappes 1st Op with Halifax Mk.III
07/08 Mar LeMans
13/14 Mar LeMans
15/16 Mar Stuttgart
18/19 Mar Frankfurt
22/23 Mar Frankfurt
24/25 Mar Berlin
25/26 Mar Aulnoye
26/27 Mar Essen
30/31 Mar Nuremburg
09/10 Apr Villeneuve St. Georges
10/11 Apr Ghent
18/19 Apr Le Bourget
20/21 Apr Lens
22/23 Apr Dusseldorf
24/25 Apr Karlsruhe
26/27 Apr Essen
27/28 Apr Aulnoye
30/01 Apr/May Somain
01/02 May Saint Ghislan
07/08 May St. Valery-En-Caux
09/10 May St. Valery-En-Caux
10/11 May Ghent
11/12 May Boulogne
12/13 May Louvain
19/20 May Le Clipon
22/23 May Le Mans
24/25 May Aachen
27/28 May Bourg-Leopold
31/01 May/Jun Au Fevre
04/05 Jun Calais
05/06 Jun Merville Franceville
06/07 Jun Conde Sur Noireau
07/08 Jun Acheres
08/09 Jun Mayenne
10/11 Jun Versailles
12/13 Jun Arras
14/15 Jun Cambrai
15/16 Jun Boulogne The squadrons first daylight operation
16/17 Jun Sautrecourt
17/18 Jun Oisement/Neuville Au Bois
21 Jun Oisemont/Neuville Au Bois daylight op
24 Jun Bonnetot daylight op
25 Jun Gorenflos daylight op
27/28 Jun Wizernes
28/29 Jun Metz
04/05 Jul Villeneuve St.Georges Five enemy combats, a record, all aircraft returned safely
06/07 Jul Siracourt daylight op
09 Jul Ardouval daylight op
12/13 Jul Acquet
14/15 Jul Anderbelck
18 Jul Mondeville daylight op
18/19 Jul Wesseling 1st time with 2 ops in one day, 10 aircraft and 9 crews flew both missions
20 Jul Ferme du Grand Bois daylight op
20 Jul Anderbeck 2nd time with two ops in one day
23/24 Jul Donges
24/25 Jul L'Hey
25/26 Jul Stuttgart
28/29 Jul Hamburg
30 Jul Amaye Sur Seulle
31/01 Jul/Aug Coquereaux
01 Aug L'Hey
03 Aug Foret De Nieppe daylight op
04 Aug Bois de Cassan daylight op
05 Aug St. Leu D'Esserent daylight op
07/08 Aug La Hogue
08 Aug Chantilly daylight op
09 Aug Prouville 1st time flying 1 op and 2 targets
09 Aug La Neuville - 1st time flying 1 op and 2 targets
12 Aug La Breteque
12/13 Aug Brunswick
14 Aug Aisy daylight op many bombs fall short and hit Canadian troops on the ground
15 Aug Soesterberg daylight op
15/16 Aug La Rochelle
16/17 Aug Kiel Bay - gardening
16/17 Aug Kiel
18 Aug L'Hey another 1st, 3 ops in 1 day daylight op
18 Aug Bois St. Remy another 1st, 3 ops in 1 day daylight op
18/19 Aug Connantre another 1st, 3 ops in 1 day
25/26 Aug Brest/Pte. ST Mathieu
27 Aug Mimoyecques
28 Aug Fresnoy
28/29 Aug La Rochelle Gardening
31 Aug Cezembre daylight op
August would be the sqns highest number of ops
in a month during the war 23 ops flown
Highest # of sorties to date 272
Sqn rated best in Group for accident free flying hours
06/07 Sep Emden daylight op
10 Sep LeHarve daylight op
11/12 Sep Gardening - Kiel Bay
12 Sep Dortmund
12/13 Sep Gardening - Oslo
14 Sep Wilhelmshaven Aborted in flight
15/16 Sep Gardening - Oslo
15/16 Sep Kiel (Port area)
17 Sep Boulogne daylight op
20 Sep Calais daylight op
24 Sep Calais daylight op
25 Sep Calais daylight op
27 Sep Sterkrade daylight op
28 Sep Cap Gris Nez daylight op
04/05 Oct Gardening - Oslo
06 Oct Dortmund daylight op
09 Oct Bochum
12 Oct Wanne-Eickel daylight op
14 Oct Duisburg - morning raid
14/15 Oct Duisburg night raid 1st time hit same target twice in one day
15 Oct Wilhelmshaven daylight op
21 Oct Hannover daylight op
23 Oct Essen daylight op
24/25 Oct Gardening - Oslo
25 Oct Homberg
28 Oct Cologne daylight op
30 Oct Cologne daylight op
01/02 Nov Oberhausen daylight op
02/03 Nov Dusseldorf
04/05 Nov Bochum evening op
06 Nov Gelsenkirchen daylight op
16 Nov Julich - daytime op
18 Nov Munster - Munster
21 Nov Castrop-Rauxel - evening raid
21 Nov Gardening - Oslo - evening raid
25 Nov Gardening - Frederichshaven
27 Nov Neuss
30 Nov Duisburg
02/03 Dec Hagen
04 Dec Karlsruhe
05/06 Dec Soest
06 Dec Osnabruck
18 Dec Duisburg daylight op
21/22 Dec Gardening Oslo
24 Dec Gardening Oslo
26 Dec St. Vith daylight op
28 Dec Opladen daylight op
28 Dec Gardening - Sande Fjord daylight op
29 Dec Oberlar evening op
29 Dec Gardening - Oslo evening op
30/31Dec Cologne-Kalk nord evening op
31 Dec Gardening - Sande Fjord
1945
02 Jan Ludwigshaven
05 Jan Hannover
06 Jan Hanau
12 Jan Gardening - Flensburg
13 Jan Saarbrucken evening op
14 Jan Grevenbroich evening op
14/15 Jan Gardening - Oslo
16/17 Jan Magdeburg
16/17 Jan Mining - Oslo
28/29 Jan Stuttgart (Zuffenhausen)
01 Feb Mainz evening op
02/03 Feb Wanne-Eickel
04 Feb Osterfeld evening op
04 Feb Gardening Wilhelmshaven evening op
07/08 Feb Goch Aborted over target
13/14 Feb Bohlen
14/15 Feb Gardening - Willow I
14/15 Feb Chemnitz
15 Feb Gardening Oslo daylight op
17 Feb Wesel cancelled over the North Sea
18 Feb Gardening Fredrickshaven - evening op
20/21 Feb Monheim
21/22 Feb Worms Evening op
23 Feb Essen Daylight op
24 Feb Kamen daylight op
25 Feb Gardening Arendal evening op
27 Feb Mainz daylight op, only one of fifteen aircrews were able to take off
01 Mar Mannheim daylight op
02 Mar Cologne daylight op
03 Mar Gardening - Christiansand
05/06 Mar Chemnitz
07/08 Mar Hemmingstedt
08/09 Mar Hamburg
08 Mar Gardening - Elbe
09/10 Mar Gardening - Oslo
11 Mar Essen daylight op
12 Mar Dortmund daylight op
12 Mar Gardening - Hesselo
13 Mar Wuppertal daylight op
14 Mar Zweibrucken
15 Mar Castrop-Rauxel daylight op Last op flying Halifax IIIs
31 Mar Hamburg 1st op with Lancaster
bombers - 1st time 429 sqn encounters ME262 daylight op
04/05 Apr Merseburg (Leuna)
04/05 Apr Gardening - Oslo
08/09 Apr Hamburg
09/10 Apr Gardening - Kiel
10 Apr Leipzig
13/14 Apr Kiel
13/14 Apr Gardening - Kiel
16/17 Apr Schwandorf
21/22 Apr Gardening - The Skaw last mining op of the war
22 Apr Bremen cancelled over the target
25 Apr Wangerooge - Last bombing operation completed
03/04 May Gardening Yewtree A/P 20 & Kraut A/P 3 - recalled and abandoned mission over Leemings. Planes were still climbing to altitude.
08 May Exodus - Brussels: bringing home ex-POW's
09 May Exodus - Juvincourt: bringing home ex-POW's
10 May Exodus - Juvincourt: bringing home ex-POW's
10/13 Sep Dodge - Pomigliano: Bring home British soldiers from Italy
13/15 Sep Dodge - Pomigliano: Bring home British soldiers from Italy
14/18 Sep Dodge - Pomigliano: Bring home British soldiers from Italy
17/19 Sep Dodge - Pomigliano: Bring home British soldiers from Italy
27/29 Sep Dodge - Bari: Bring home British soldiers from Italy
08/10 Oct Dodge - Pomigliano: Bring home British soldiers from Italy
Sources: 429 Squadron Operational Records Book, Bomber Commmand War Diaries, Reap the Whirlwind, Crucible of War: RCAF Official History, RCAF Squadron Histories and Aircraft 1924-1968, Thunderbirds at War: Diary of a Bomber Squadron, Bomber Command Losses, Sgt. Boyers Log Book