Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

A fine Second World War Pathfinder’s D.F.M. group of four awarded to Pilot Officer D. M. C. Silverman, Royal Air Force, a Jewish serviceman who was killed in action over Berlin in November 1943, weeks after being recommended for his decoration for gallant work as an Air Gunner in Lancasters of No. 156 Squadron - he had earlier participated in the Hamburg “firestorm” raids and in the celebrated attack on Peenemunde, when his pilot acted as Deputy Master Bomber

Distinguished Flying Medal, G.VI.R. (1234969 Act. F./Sgt. D. M. C. Silverman, R.A.F.); 1939-45 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; War Medal 1939-45, these three privately engraved, ‘Pilot Officer D. M. C. Silverman, D.F.M., 156594’, cleaned and polished, generally very fine or better (4) £1600-1800

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Medals to the Coldstream Guards, R.F.C., R.N.A.S. and R.A.F. formed by the late Tom Baugh.

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D.F.M. London Gazette 22 October 1943. The original recommendation states:

‘As an Air Gunner, Flight Sergeant Silverman has displayed outstanding keenness and determination at all times. On the night of 27-28 July 1943, whilst over Hamburg, the aircraft was hit by flak and his turret badly damaged. Although inter-communication was completely severed, he carried on his job by means of signals under very difficult conditions, and contributed in no small way towards successfully beating off an attack by a enemy night fighter and thus bringing his aircraft safely home.

Flight Sergeant Silverman has taken part in 35 operations against the enemy, including many against the best defended targets in Germany and enemy occupied territory. By his great keenness and cheerfulness he has set a very fine example to the rest of the Squadron, and I can strongly recommend him for the immediate award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.’

David Mark Claude Silverman commenced his operational career as an Air Gunner in No. 156 Squadron, a Lancaster unit operating out of Warboys, and a component of No. 8 Group, Path Finder Force, in early 1943, when he joined the crew of Squadron Leader (afterwards Wing Commander) John White, D.F.C. Completing his first sortie, a strike against Essen on the night of 5 March, he participated in at least another 40 sorties prior to his death in action over Berlin that November.

Judging by relevant entries in 156’s Operational Record Book, many of the targets were of a heavily defended nature, White regularly reporting on witnessing losses to our own aircraft - on one raid no less than six of them; so, too, of close encounters with flak and night fighters - thus Hamburg on 27 July when Silverman’s turret was damaged by rocket time flak over the target.

By way of summary, Silverman participated in two trips to Duisberg, Nuremburg and Stuttgart, three trips to Berlin, Hamburg and Munich and four trips to Mannheim, with equally hazardous attacks against such cities as Cologne and Dortmund in between. He also took part in two strikes against both Milan and Spezia, his guns going into action against a train on returning from one of the latter operations.

His most significant mission, however, transpired to be the celebrated strike against the enemy rocket research station at Peenemunde on 17 August, on which occasion his pilot, John White, acted as a Deputy Master Bomber to Group Captain John Searby.

‘The activities of the two reserve Master Bomber crews should also be mentioned. Wing Commander John White had intervened at a crucial moment and placed his markers near the correct point when other marking was going badly astray. He had then remained in the area in case the Master Bomber was shot down’ (The Peenemunde Raid, by Martin Middlebrook, refers)

Recommended for his D.F.M. on 21 September, after 35 sorties, and commissioned as a Pilot Officer, Silverman participated in raids on Hanover and Mannheim before the month’s end, and in October was allocated to strikes against Munich and Kassel. Having then returned to Mannheim on 17 November, he was killed in action over Berlin on the following night, his Lancaster crashing north of the city at Doberitz after being hit by flak - there were no survivors, and only the bodies of White and his two gunners were recovered. They now lie buried in the Berlin 1939-45 War Cemetery, where Silverman’s headstone bears the Star of David. He was the son of Maurice and May Silverman of Bishopston, Warwickshire.