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Auction: 25003 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 223

A fine Second World War D.F.C. awarded to Flying Officer D. F. W. Mansfield, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, who flew 37 operational sorties as a Navigator in No. 578 Squadron, many of them of a daylight nature

In one sortie - whilst returning from Magdeburg in a flak damaged Halifax on 21 January 1944 - his pilot had to ditch in the North Sea: just Mansfield and two of his crew survived the ordeal, eventually being plucked from their dinghy unconscious and covered in ice; they took Membership of the Goldfish Club for their troubles

Distinguished Flying Cross, G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated '1945', in its Royal Mint case of issue, extremely fine


D.F.C. London Gazette 20 February 1945. The original recommendation states:

'Pilot Officer Mansfield has just completed a fine tour of 37 operations totalling 157.04 hours during which he has taken part in attacks upon such well known targets as Berlin, Magdeburg, Bottrop and Munster.

On return from the second sortie of his tour on an attack against Magdeburg on the night of 21-22 January 1944, his captain was forced to ditch in the North Sea through shortage of fuel resulting probably from flak damage.

Although after this accident this Navigator was off operations for three months, his high morale and keenness assisted him materially in getting back into good physical trim and he returned to operations to complete a fine tour with his captain, an achievement which must be attributed to this officer's dogged determination, keenness and devotion to duty.

He has set a magnificent example to other navigators, and he is strongly recommended for the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross.'

Denis Frederick William Mansfield was born in Lambeth, London on 10 April 1922 and qualified as a Navigator after joining the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Posted to No. 578 Squadron, a Halifax unit operating out of Burn, near Selby, in Yorkshire, he flew his first sortie - a strike against Berlin - on the night of 21 January 1944. The very next night - on returning from a sortie against Magdeburg - he and his crew had to abandon their ditched Halifax in the North Sea. Amidst harrowing scenes, just four of them managed to board their dinghy, the non-swimmers being swept away. Mansfield tried to hold on to one of them but eventually had to let go. Adrift throughout the following day, they used a Very pistol to attract attention when it grew dark, but only three of them were still alive when rescue eventually arrived. Mansfield returned to an operational footing in May 1944, by which time No. 578 Squadron's C.O. was Wing Commander D. S. S. 'Wilkie' Wilkerson, D.S.O., D.F.C., one of Bomber Command's more colourful characters.

And so commenced a flurry of operational sorties in the period May-September, 18 of them of a daylight nature and the majority to France, although German targets featured too, including Aachen, Bottrop, Homburg, Kiel and Munster. On D-Day the squadron attacked the marshalling yards at Chateaudun, the first of numerous strikes against enemy communications in support of the Normandy campaign, including 'Totalizer 3', a strike made south of Caen to help close the Falaise gap. And the onset of Hitler's V-weapon offensive likewise occupied the squadron's operational agenda, Mansfield and his crew undertaking several related attacks, including three trips to launch sites in the Foret de Nieppe.

Tour-expired by the end of September 1944, he was awarded the D.F.C.

Sold with a quantity of original documentation, comprising Buckingham Palace forwarding letter for his D.F.C., in the name of 'Flying Officer Denis F. W. Mansfield, D.F.C.', his Goldfish Club membership card, in the name of 'Sgt. D. F. W. Mansfield', dated 22 January 1944, and several photographs, including a portrait in uniform.


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Estimate
£1,000 to £1,400

Starting price
£800