Landing at Volkel, north of Eindhoven (1), the aircraft were refuelled and rearmed and soon took off again to do a similar job on another set of canal gates in north eastern Holland. No. 439, again led by Jimmy Hogg, was assigned one pair of gates while W/C  Grant led No. 438 against the second pair. Repeating their previous tactics, the pilots did so accurate a job that the first section demolished the gates, and the second section were able to release their bombs on No. 438' s target just to make sure. 

(1) This more advanced base was used because the targets were
close to the maximum operational range of the Typhoon.

The third show that day, against the very familiar network of rail lines leading to Zwolle, resulted in several hits on an embankment and at least one crater that severed the tracks. All in all a very good day's work. But it was a week before the weather permitted any further Ops.

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In addition to the two casualties on operations in the first
fortnight of November the squadron had suffered another loss in the death of F/O R.N. MacDonald, one of the Debert veterans. Mac was carrying out an airframe and engine test on 3 November when, in the course of some practice dog fighting with another pilot, his aircraft "flicked" as it came out of a tight turn and crashed into a house. He had completed 41 operational sorties.

Of the 31 pilots who formed No. 439 Squadron on its reconstitution overseas in January 1944 only eight now remained on its strength. The number was further reduced a few days later when F/O A.L.  Henderson was repatriated on compassionate grounds (serious illness in the family) and F/O J. Stelter became tour expired (97 sorties). Johnny Stelter was the fourth member of the squadron to complete a tour and the first of the original group to reach that goal. (1) To fill the gaps in the ranks came several new recruits, F/O J.D. Sweeney (an American), P/O B.E. Bell, F/O W. Anderson, F/O L.C. Shaver, and P/O S. Anglini.

(1) The other three, S/L Norsworthy, F/L Burton and F/O Marcoux, had come to No. 439 after service with other units overseas

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