Wellington III Z1615 - Nakskov Fjord                                                  Updated: 25 MAR 2021

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
o888250.htm Bell R Sgt RAF 9 p079.htm WEL Z1615 Minelaying Nakskov Fjord d160542 o888 o888.htm POW
o888251.htm Gaum P Sgt RCAF 9 p079.htm WEL Z1615 Minelaying Nakskov Fjord d160542 o888 o888.htm POW
a096002.htm Gruchy A Sgt RAF 9 p079.htm WEL Z1615 Minelaying Nakskov Fjord d160542 b200542 c096.htm Svinø
o888248.htm Richards S Sgt RAF 9 p079.htm WEL Z1615 Minelaying Nakskov Fjord d160542 o888 o888.htm POW
o888249.htm Simpson J P/O RAF 9 p079.htm WEL Z1615 Minelaying Nakskov Fjord d160542 o888 o888.htm POW


Den 16. maj 1942 kl. 02.21 styrtede WEL Z1615 ned på Malø grunden i Nakskov Fjord (omkring her) på vej til minelægning i den sydlige del af Storebælt (her).

Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver:
"50 fly
foretog mineringer i den vestlige del af Østersøen, og 2 Hampdens og 2 Wellingtons gik tabt. Wellington Z1615 blev skudt ned af flak fra »Flugwache 6«
nær Langø (her) SV for Nakskov havn. Sgt. Albert Gruchy blev såret af flaksplinter og senere dræbt da forreste tårn knustes, idet flyet tog vandoverfladen.
De fire
overlevende blev samlet op af en fisker fra Langø og bragt til Nakskov havn, hvor det danske politi bragte to sårede til hospitalet. Liget af Sgt. Gruchy blev
næste dag bjærget af en båd fra »Falck«, og han blev begravet på Svinø kirkegård den 20. maj. Tyskerne fandt senere to miner i nærheden af vraget, og »Sperrwaffenkommando Aarhus« bragte dem til Kiel til nærmere undersøgelse. Tyskerne fandt yderligere 10 mindre brandbomber og 3 mindre vingebomber
samt 3000 skud maskingeværammunition." (FT 86-87-4)    p079MACR

Sgt R.Bell blev ført til lejrene L1 Barth / L6 Heydekrug. Sgt P.Gaum til L3 Sagan / L6 Heydekrug / L357 Fallingbostel med Sgt S.Richards.
P/O J.Simpson til L1 Barth / L3 Sagan." (Lost Bombers)
1 flyver fra WEL Z1615 blev begravet på Svinø Kirkegård. 4 flyvere blev
ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre. 5 flyvere.

On 16 May 1942 at 02.21 hours WEL Z615 crashed on the Malø shoal in the Nakskov Fjord (about here) on its way to  a minelaying operation in the southern
part of the Storebælt (here).
(Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes:
"50 planes were on minelaying operations in the western part of the Baltic Sea, and 2 Hampdens and 2 Wellingtons were lost. Wellington Z1615 was shot dowm
by flak from »Flugwache 6« near Langø (here) south west of Nakskov Harbour. Sgt Albert Gruchy was injured by splinters of flak and later killed when the front
turret broke on impact as the plane hit the water. The 4 survivors were picked up by a fisherman from Langø and taken to Nakskov Harbour where the Danish Police
took the 2 injured airmen to hospital. Next day the body of Sgt Gruchy was retrieved by a boat from the "Falck". He was buried in Svinø Churchyard on 20 May.
Later the Germans found 2 mines near the wreckage.
»Sperrwaffenkommando Aarhus« took them to Kiel for further examination. Furthermore, the Germans found
10 small incendiary bombs and 3 small wing bombs and 3,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition." (FT 86-87-4) p079MACR

Sgt R.Bell was interned in Camps L1 Barth / L6 Heydekrug. Sgt P.Gaum in Camps L3 Sagan / L6 Heydekrug / L357 Fallingbostel with Sgt S.Richards.
P/O J.Simpson in Camps L1 Barth / L3 Sagan." (Lost Bombers)

1 airman from WEL Z1615 was buried in Svinø Churchyard. 4 airmen were taken to German POW-Camps.

This Vickers Armstrong Wellington, see also Vickers Wellington, was from No. 9 Squadron RAF (Wikipedia). See also IX (B) Squadron Association.
Wellington III Z1615 WS-H  took off from RAF Honington at 23.04 hrs on 15 MAY 1942. (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this 5 airmen.