Planes – Lancaster Nose Art

A² – Aussie

Aussie Emblems Emblems on Lancasters manned by Australians: a foaming tankard for each "op"; code letter changed from "U" to "M" on Jose; Plt. Off. D. J. Sullivan flew with Olive Oyl of Popeye fame; the new "U" from Uncle; Sqn. Ldr. E. K. Sinclair's joker; a devil that, by the cone symbols, operated over Italy; Disney characters with a bone for each opeartion by Pluto.

The seed of an idea of the nose art for K2 "Killer".

K2 "Killer" - The photo above of Vic Neal leaning from the pilot's window was taken a short time before "K2 Killer" was flying over the landing area 11 minutes before the actual D – Day landing.

H2 of 460 Squadron which flew as Gardner's Flying Circus. The 32 raid symbols include three ice cream cones representing raids on Italian targets

JB 607 - The plane was called "Leader" and had a bagpipe playing kangaroo as nose art. The pilot is believed to be  Pilot Officer S. J. Ireland

The JB 607 'Leader' of the 460 Squadron of the RAAF crashed on the 29th of december 1943 at 22.30h over Kerkrade (Netherlands). All crew but one died. The plane started from Binbrook at 17.03h for a raid on Berlin. They start with 712 bombers that day; 22 of the RAAF. 1200 4–pounder firebombs, 56 30–pounder firebombs and a cookie of 4000–pound are to be delivered. They flew in the first wave.

The plane was attacked on their returnflight by a nightfighter over Aachen (Germany) and it crashed in nearby Kerkrade in the courtyard of the Friars of Sint Franciscus in Kerkrade–Bleijerheide.

The survivor was flight sergeant Frank Seery who spent the rest of the war in Stalag IVD near Torgau at thee Elbe river.

The crewmembers that died are:

• Stan Ireland (Stanley James / age 30 / Australian / Pilot Officer / RAAF)
• Ambrose Blight (Ambrose, Edward / age 29 / Australian / Pilot Officer / RAAF)
• Max Squires (Maxwell Hope / age 20 / Australian / Flight Sergeant / RAAF)
• Cyril Seddon (Cyril / UK / age 22 /  Sergeant W.Op./ Air Gnr. / RAF Volunteer Reserve)
• Reg Poulter (Reginald James / UK / Sergeant Air Gnr./ RAF Volunteer Reserve)
• Billy Squire (William Albert Henri / UK / age 19 / Sergeant Flt. Engr. / RAF Volunteer Reserve

They were at first buried in the friars cemetery in Kerkrade. After the war they all were reburied in cemetery of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission 'Reichswald' in Kleve (Germany). Stan Ireland, Ambrose Blight, Cyril Seddon, Reg Poulter and Billy Squire are buried at coll. grave 27. C. 1–12 at the CWGC–cemetery 'Reichswald' in Kleve (Germany). Max Squires is buried at grave 15. A. 12. at the CWGC–cemetery 'Reichswald' in Kleve (Germany).

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