When the curtain was pulled back at dozens of airfields to reveal the target and route of that night’s operation, one destination caused shortness of breath, and racing hearts, more than any other — Berlin.
It was almost a thousand kilometres (600 miles) from London – a long, dangerous, dark slog from base back to base.
Missions to the German capital by Bomber Command occurred all through the war, starting 25 August, 1940, and ending in April of 1945. But it was the 19-raid stretch from August 1943 to March of 1944 that is known as the Battle of Berlin – a time of terrible losses, and incredible bravery by the crews.
Here lies our story.
Douglas Hackett was born in 1920 to William and Ada Hackett. He grew up in Kingston, Ontario, literally in both meanings of the word as he topped out at 6-feet-5 inches.
Dad was a postal worker who settled the family at 69 Ordnance Street, in one of Canada’s most historic cities. His son attended Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, where he was an average student, earning his junior matriculation.
He was an army cadet, and in the congregation at St. Andrew’s Church.
Hackett joined the RCAF on May 15, 1941, and went through training in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, ending up 14 months later graduating with a commission from Central Navigation School, Rivers, Manitoba, as an Observer (navigator/bomb-aimer).
It was onto operations with No. 424 (RCAF) Squadron, flying on Wellington bombers. Doug’s skill as a bomb-aimer immediately became evident, so much so on completing his first tour a Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded.
The official wording in the London Gazette mentions his “great efficiency” and “high standard of accuracy in bombing.”
That level of professional skill was highly sought after, especially in the Pathfinder Squadrons, where the bomb-aimer was responsible for accurately marking targets with different coloured cascading flares that brought the rest of the squadrons in to bomb, hopefully on target.
Pathfinders went in first. It was dangerous. Highly skilled.
No surprise, then, that when Hackett finished his screened time off, he went to No. 405 (Pathfinder) Squadron, which had joined No. 8 Group from No. 6 (RCAF) Group in 1943. He arrived in time for the Battle of Berlin.
On Jan. 30-31, 1944, Lancaster ND 462 (LQ-J) took off from Gransden Lodge, with F/L W.A. Roberts at the controls, heading for The Big City. There were 534 aircraft in the bomber stream (Martin Middlebrook has it at 540), including Lancasters, Halifaxes, and a dozen Mosquitos.
This was the third Berlin raid in four nights, and the crews were not happy, but they did their job.
Somewhere near the city, ND 462 was shot down, and the crew were killed. They were one of three from 405 lost that night, all in the same general area.
Per Ardua ad Astra to Roberts, Hackett, W.S. Oulton, A. Hazlehurst, J.P.R. Boileau, A.B. Schultz, and I.E. Smedley. They are buried together at the Charlottenburg War Cemetery, Berlin.
