[BIOGRAPHY]
977703, Sgt Edward George Truman first trained as a wireless operator at Air Operations Section (No.2 Signals School) RAF Tuddenham and had a qualification sending speed of 20 w.p.m. He trained on Dominie & Avro Anson aircraft with his first flight being on 30th September 1942. He qualified on 10th November 1942.
He is then seen on 3rd February 1943 at No.10 Air Gunnery School at RAF Barrow having four sorties over three days in Boulton Paul Defiants as a rear turret gunner. At the conclusion of this course (after only two hours 'hands on' flying time) he qualified as an air gunner with a rating of '79% Average' on 12th February 1943.
His next posting was on 8th April 1943 to 12 O.T.U. on Wellington bombers which was as a W/Op. His training with this unit consisted of working up on day and night operating with a concluding flight time with the unit of 81hrs 30mins with a pass out on 20th May 1943.
On 13th June 1943 he was then posted to 1657 O.C.U. (Sterling Mk1's) at RAF Stradishall for his conversion course onto his operational type. He completed 12 day/night sorties with this unit with a total of 35 flying hours.
[OPERATIONAL]
On 5th July 1943 he joined his operational unit 90 Squadron at
RAF Wratting Common and that very day went immediately onto his first night operation which was a 4hr 25m sortie of mine laying off the Fresian Islands.
He completed three more similar night ops' in August & September 1943. One to La Rochelle, where the aircraft successfully evaded an attack by 2 JU88's and another to the River Girane at Bordeaux.
[FINAL SORTIE, 22nd Sept 1943. STERLING. BF566 WP-G]
On only his fifth sortie on 22nd September 1943 the aircraft took of at 18:52 to bomb Hanover. Sterling BF566 WP-G was coned in searchlights over the target and shot down by Luftwaffe night fighter ace Staffelkpt, August Geiger III/JG1 while flying his ME110.
The aircraft crashed at 22:35 at Gestorf, 7 miles ENE of Springe.
The crew of seven were all killed and lie in Hannover War Cemetery.
The lost crew were:
P/O W BIRDSALL (Pilot)
Sgt B.J. THOMAS
F/S J. HUDSON
Sgt D.E.J. HOBBS
Sgt E.G. TRUMAN
Sgt G.C.A. BRADSHAW
Sgt L.C.L. CUMMINS
Geiger, who was the holder of a Knights Cross with Oak Leaves was one of the most famous German night fighter aces of WW2 and had amassed a tally of 53 RAF & US Army Air bomber kills in Me109's & ME110's.
Geiger was killed in action on 29th September, just three days after making the kill of Sgt Truman's aircraft. He was shot down over Holland by W/C Bob Braham of 141 Squadron. He and his navigator managed to bald out but landed in the waters of the Zuiderzee and were drowned when their parachutes dragged them under.
[BIOGRAPHY of a Famous Night Fighter Ace]
Geiger was born on 6 May 1920 in Überlingen, near Lake Constance. Geiger joined the Luftwaffe in late 1939 and was posted in mid 1941 as Leutnant to 8./NJG 1. Geiger’s first two claims were a Wellington and a Whitley on 26 June 1942. By the start of 1943 Geiger had ten victories and been awarded the Iron Cross First Class.
In early 1943 Geiger was promoted to Oberleutnant and transferred to a 7./NJG 1, becoming Staffelkapitän in May 1943, with some 40 confirmed victories.
On 29 September 1943 he was shot down by the Beaufighter VI of W/C Robert ‘Bob’ Braham of No. 141 Squadron over the Zuiderzee, Holland. Gieger managed to bale out of his Bf-110 G but was drowned when his parachute dragged him under.
He was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight’s Cross on 2 March 1944.
In 328 combat missions, Geiger claimed 53 aerial victories, all of them at night.
His confirmed kills were:
15 Lancasters
13 Halifax
11 Wellingtons
7 Sterlings
3 Whitley
1 B-17 (U.S)
An exceptionally fine & desirable Aircrew Europe casualty group complete with log book and full Luftwaffe research.
PER ARDUA AD ASTRA
"Another young lad, a member of the gallant 56,000, finally comes home"
LEST WE FORGET THE TRUE COST OF OUR FREEDOM
SOLD