A Second World War Air Bomber's 'Caterpillar Club' club group relating to RAF F/Sgt. Reginald E. Roff [641155]
comprising a gold Irvin Caterpillar badge with red-stone set eyes, engraved 'F/Sgt. R. E. Roff' to verso and a named certificate; together with a photograph of 'No.5 Air Bombers Course' showing Roff seated to the front right-hand side alongside his Observer's and Air Gunner's Flying Log and Sight Log Books.

The Observer's and Air Gunner's logbook begins on 15/9/1943, but the majority of the activity occurs in 1944-45 when Roff was with B Flight 466 Squadron, a Royal Australian Air Force bomber squadron. The Sight Log book is sparsely filled and contains only entries for occasional dates in May 1944.

Notes:

On 5th March 1945, 466 Squadron took off from Driffield airfield to undertake an operational flight to bomb Chemnitz. Due to un-forecast freezing fog clouds that occurred soon after take-off, a large number of the bombing force suffered problems due to aircraft ice – some of which crashed with fatal results. As the aircraft pilots began to lose control, bomb loads were jettisoned before some members of the aircrew including Roff bailed out and swam safely to shore. As Roff's aircraft and the remaining crew onboard began to descend below the freezing cloud, the ice receded and control was regained at just 800 feet above the ground, allowing for an eventual safe landing at Carnaby airfield. Sadly, one member of Roff's crew was lost due to a bad landing, believed to be somewhere over the Bridlington area. In total, F/Sgt. Roff flew over 207 hours with the squadron, of which 119 hours were night-time operations.

Condition Report

Please see additional images for some sample logbook entries.

Operational Bombing missions comprise:

18.11.44 - Munster B.L 8000lb Town Area.
21.11.44 - Sterkrade Oil PLant, 8000lb.
30.11.44 - Duesburg Marshaling Yards - Slight flak.
2.12.44 - Hagen Marshalling Yards, 7,500lbs.
5.12.44 - Soest Marshalling Yards. 9,000lbs. Slight Heavy flak.
12.12.44 - Essen Town Area. 9,000lbs. Slight flak.
17.12.44 - Duisburg (early return, 9,000lbs but jettisoned 4,000lbs)
22.12.44 - Bingen Marshalling Yards 7,500lbs.
26.12.44 - St. Vith town, 7,500lbs. Slight accurate flak.
28.12.44 - Opladen Marshalling Yards & Railway Repair Depot. Slight flak.
29.12.44 - Koblenz Marshalling Yards. Slight accurate flak.

2.1.45 - Ludwigshafen Synthetic Oil Plant. Heavy flak barrage.
16.1.45 - Maedebourg Town and Marshalling Yards. Moderate flak.
22.1.45 - Gelsenkirchen. 
1.2.45 - Mainz Marshalling yard.
2.2.45 - Wanne Eikle (Rhur) Synthentic Oil Plant. Bombed on Nav. Heavy Flak barrage.
4.2.45 - Gelsen Kirchen. Bombed on Nav -moderate flak. 
7.2.45 - Goch Troop Concentration. Abandoned - fighters active.
8.2.45 - Wanne Eikle - Synthetic Oil Plant. 
20.2.45 - Reisholz Oil Refinery. Fighters active.
5.3.45 - Chemnitz. Severe Icing - abandoned aircraft.
11.3.45 - Essen town.
12.3.45- Dortmund town.
13.3.45 - Wuppertal town.
15.3.45 - Bottrod synthetic oil plant.
18.3.45 - Witten Synthetic Oil plant. 
20.3.45 - Recklinghausen Marshalling Yards.
21.3.45 - Rheine Marshalling yards. 
24.3.45 - Gladbech town.
25.3.45 - Munster town.
4.4.45 - Harburg oil plant.
11.4.45 - Nuremberg Marshalling yards. 

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