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Flying Officer Bernard T. Hucks DFC RAAF
Bernie Hucks joined the RAAF in October 1941. He trained as a Wireless Operator in Australia, and then attended 14 OUT in the UK. In June 1943, Hucks was posted to 619 Squadron equipped with Lancasters, and based at Woodhall Spa. After completing his tour of 27 sorties, Warrant Officer Hucks was awarded the DFC for skill and fortitude against the enemy. After instructing Bernie flew one last sortie with 463 Squadron RAAF on ANZAC Day – 25th April 1945.
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| Distinguished Flying Cross |
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| Text for the above items : |
High Cost by Robert Taylor. The crews of Bomber Command faced one of the most daunting tasks, calling for courage sustained night after night, in conditions of desperate danger and discomfort. They did not fail us and 55,573 paid the supreme sacrifice. In his new tribute to The Many, Robert Taylors evocative painting recreates a typical scene encountered by many Royal Air Force bomber squadrons on raids over enemy occupied territory: Having already survived 30 successful operational sorties, on 9 February 1945 Lancaster PG-G of 619 Squadron has been intercepted by Luftwaffe night-fighters during a raid over Stettin Bay. |
| Flying Officer Bernard T. Hucks DFC RAAF Aircraft details |
 Lancaster Manufacturer : Avro Built : 7377 | Lancaster The Avro Lancaster arose from the avro Manchester and the first prototype Lancaster was a converted Manchester with four engines. The Lancaster was first flown in January 1941, and started operations in March 1942. By March 1945 The Royal Air Force had 56 squadrons of Lancasters with the first squadron equipped being No.44 Squadron. During World War Two the Avro Lancaster flew 156,000 sorties and dropped 618,378 tonnes of bombs between 1942 and 1945. Lancaster Bomberss took part in the devastating round-the-clock raids on Hamburg during Air Marshall Harris' "Operation Gomorrah" in July 1943. Just 35 Lancasters completed more than 100 successful operations each, and 3,249 were lost in action. The most successful survivor completed 139 operations, and the Lancaster was scrapped after the war in 1947. A few Lancasters were converted into tankers and the two tanker aircraft were joined by another converted Lancaster and were used in the Berlin Airlift, achieving 757 tanker sorties. A famous Lancaster bombing raid was the 1943 mission, codenamed Operation Chastise, to destroy the dams of the Ruhr Valley. The operation was carried out by 617 Squadron in modified Mk IIIs carrying special drum shaped bouncing bombs designed by Barnes Wallis. Also famous was a series of Lancaster attacks using Tallboy bombs against the German battleship Tirpitz, which first disabled and later sank the ship. The Lancaster bomber was the basis of the new Avro Lincoln bomber, initially known as the Lancaster IV and Lancaster V. (Becoming Lincoln B1 and B2 respectively.) Their Lancastrian airliner was also based on the Lancaster but was not very successful. Other developments were the Avro York and the successful Shackleton which continued in airborne early warning service up to 1992. |
| Flying Officer Bernard T. Hucks DFC RAAF Squadron details |
No.619 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 18th July 1945 Known Codes : , PG, | No.619 Sqn RAF |
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