Stories

A daylight attack on the Gestapo headquarters in Oslo, Norway on December 31st, 1944, was a wizard prang’, recalled John Buckley years later. This was a memorable operation for Buckley as he flew as tail end Charlie, carrying a cameraman, in place of his navigator, to record the low-level attack.

627 Squadron crew at Woodhall Spa. John Buckley is 6^th from right in the front row.
(Credit: NZBCA Archives)

Crews from 627 squadron had been practising formation flying for about three weeks prior to the operation. On the morning before the operation, Buckley was told he would be carrying a cameraman and to just follow the others as ‘Tail End Charlie’. “It will be okay on the day,” he was told.

Buckley was allocated a Mk XXV Mosquito, KB 418. Alongside him, in place of his usual navigator, was a cine camera operator, Pilot Officer Heath. Buckley described the situation, “He hadn’t been on op before and certainly had never sat in the navigator seat”. While primarily on the raid to record it, Buckley’s Mosquito was loaded with four 500lb General Purpose bombs as well.

A Mosquito of 627 Squadron.
(Credit: NZBCA Archives)

The eight Mosquitoes took off from Woodhall Spa on December 30th, flying to Peterhead, near Aberdeen to overnight and refuel. The next morning, flying in ‘brilliant weather’ they tracked over the Friesian Islands before running towards Oslo at 8000 feet.

As they approached the Norwegian coastline, they dropped down to 3000 feet and discovered the fjord full of flak ships. “What a barrage!” recalled Buckley. There was five minutes between flights and as tail end Charlie, Buckley thought no one would get through, especially his aircraft. But of the eight mosquitoes only one was hit.

“I went to a very steep dive down to 1000 feet and while my bombs didn’t exactly go in the front door, we clobbered the main building of beauty”. Buckley said he was a bit late pulling out and remembered “seeing ice skaters as we flew across a frozen lake”.

Gestapo HQ in Oslo after the raid.
(Credit: NZBCA Archives)

The raid took a little over four hours until returning to Peterhead. Summing up Buckley said “It was a very dodgy do, but I was much too busy beforehand to think about it. I think the cameraman felt safer than I did”.

The page from John Buckley’s logbook showing the Oslo raid.
(Credit: NZBCA Archives)

Five group used cine cameras regularly as many raids were in daylight. Some sixty-five years after the raid the Imperial War Museum located the film and John Buckley received his own DVD copy. Film of the mission can be viewed online at https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060030038

A still image from the footage films on the raid.
(Credit: NZBCA Archives)

John Buckley had volunteered in 1940 and was accepted for aircrew training in 1941. His training marked him as a very good flyer, soloing with just 7 hours 50 minutes training. As a consequence he was posted as an Instructor to Little Rissington AFU  1942 until 1944. Along with long-time friend Bill Simpson, who was also on instruction duties, he pressed the RNZAF liaison officer for action. The result was they both went to Pathfinders, Bill to 109, John to 627.

John completed 29 ops with 627, including the Oslo raid. He took up a permanent RAF commission post war,, flying survey Lancasters in Africa with 683 squadron, retiring in the late 1950s to run a garden centre and in the 1980s eventually returned to NZ.