Stettin + Rostock 20 - 21 April 1943 20 fly tabt over Danmark  20 planes lost over Denmark     Updated: 10 JUN 2022

P_link Plane Force Sqdn Operation Crash_d Crash_site    Luftgaukdo Mon Year
p149.htm HAL JB930 RAF 010 Bomb G d200443 Near Esbjerg          1) No y1000
p150.htm LAN ED620 RAF 049 Bomb G d200443 Near Stadil             2) No y1000
p156.htm LAN ED557 RAF 100 Bomb G d200443 Storebælt No y1000
p165.htm STI BK698 RAF 149 Bomb G d200443 The North Sea No y1000
P_link Plane Force Sqdn Operation Crash_d Crash_site Mon Year
p151.htm LAN ED614 RAF 103 Bomb G d210443 Vester Vedsted No y1000
p152.htm HAL DT628 RAF 051 Bomb G d210443 Lost without trace     4) No y1000
p152x.htm LAN X RAF 999 Bomb G d210443 At Halskov No y1000
p153.htm STI BK714 RAF 149 Bomb G d210443 Tarp, Esbjerg            5) No y1000
p154.htm STI BF508 RAF 090 Bomb G d210443 Fænøsund                8) No y1000
p155.htm HAL DT747 RAF 102 Bomb G d210443 Hjertingvej, Esbjerg  10) No y1000
p157.htm STI R9261 RAF 007 Bomb G d210443 Kongsmark Yes y1993
p158.htm HAL HR722 RAF 158 Bomb G d210443 Off Drøsselbjerg Klint No y1000
p159.htm HAL HR712 RAF 102 Bomb G d210443 Slipshavn, Storebælt 15) No y1000
p160.htm STI BF463 RAF 090 Bomb G d210443 Off Halskov No y1000
p161.htm LAN ED818 RAF 012 Bomb G d210443 Vresen Ø (Island)     16) No y1000
p162.htm STI BF506 RNZAF 075 Bomb G d210443 At Bøgballe Yes y1971
p163.htm LAN W4330 RAAF 460 Bomb G d210443 Vestbirk Yes y1951
p164.htm HAL HR714 RAF 077 Bomb G d210443 Sea off Mandø No y1000
p166.htm STI BF476 RAF 010 Bomb G d210443 Kragelund Fælled No y1000
p167.htm LAN ED709 RAF 100 Bomb G d210443 Ringkøbing Fjord No y1000


Se Google Map p149-167. 8 Halifax mistet. 6 af dem her. HAL JB804 styrtet 38 km WNW for Stettin. HAL JB912 styrtet 47 km NW for Stettin. (AR:HAL DT628)
9 Stirlings mistet. 7 af dem her. STI BK596 Ved Stralsund, STI BF442 Østersøen. 13 Lancasters mistet. 6 af dem her.  LAN ED326 Sporløst, LAN W4254 Sporløst
LAN ED770 Stettin, LAN W4795 Ved Renik, LAN ED312 Ved Malmø, LAN W4956 Østersøen,  LAN W4325 Sporløst. (Aircrew Remembered-Allied Losses database)
Se LAN W4325 i AirmenDK. Siden flyet startede kun 2 timer og 19 min. før midnat, kan det fastslås at det styrtede ned et sted mellem "West Slagelse", Stettin og
basen i England.
Nogle tal: 20 fly tabt over dansk område med 145 flyvere. 84 af dem begravet i Danmark, 35 har ingen kendt grav, 25 krigsfanger og 1 mand nåede Sverige!
Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver:
"Natten mellem den 20. og den 21. april 1943 angreb 339 RAF bombefly Stettin. Vejret var klart, og markeringen fra Pathfinders var perfekt. Ca. 40 ha af den centrale bydel blev ramt, og 13 fabrikker og 380 huse blev totalt ødelagt. 580 personer blev dræbt ved angrebet. Samtidig angreb 86 Stirlings Heinkel fabrikkerne uden for
Rostock, men på grund af et kraftigt skydække over målområdet, blev angrebet ændret til Neptun ubådsværtet i selve Rostock. Samtlige fly fløj ind over Danmark ved Esbjerg, fortsatte over Jylland og Fyn, og ved Fyns Hoved kastede Pathfinders gule markeringslys, idet Rostock-formationen skulle ændre kurs ned langs Storebælt, hvorimod Stettin-formationen skulle dreje ned over Sjælland til Rügen. Flyvehøjden var givet til 500-1000 fod eller lavere over Danmark.

13 Lancasters, 8 Halifax og 9 Stirlings gik tabt, og heraf gik ca. 20 fly tabt over Danmark og danske farvande. Ca. 20 fly gik tabt pga. flak, medens 66 fly blev
beskadiget af hovedsagelig let flak (2 cm), og 80% af disse havde fløjet lavere end 500 fod, da de blev ramt. Ca. 30 kontakter og angreb fra tyske natjagere blev rapporteret. Me 109 og Me 110 havde været aktive over målområdet, medens Ju88 var aktive over Danmark på både ud- og hjemturen. 2 Ju88 blev rapporteret
nedskudt af Lancasters fra 5 BG ved Odense og Vejle. Danske og tyske rapporter har dog ingen oplysninger om sådanne 2 nedskydninger, men tyskerne
rapporterer dog om en beskadiget Ju88 fra 11 /NJG3, der måtte nødlande på Grove (Karup), medens 4 beskadigede Do217 fra 4/NJG3 nødlandede på Westerland
på Sylt." (FT 88-32-0)

See Google Map p149-167. 8 Halifaxes lost. 6 of them here. HAL JB804 crashed 38 km WNW of Stettin and HAL JB912 47 km NW of Stettin (AR:HAL DT628)
9 Stirlings lost. 7 of them here. STI BK596 Stralsund, STI BF442 The Baltic Sea. 13 Lancasters lost. 6 of them here. LAN ED326 No trace, LAN W4254 No trace,
LAN ED770 Stettin, LAN W4795  At Renik, LAN ED312 At Malmø, LAN W4956 The Baltic Sea, LAN W4325 No trace. (Aircrew Remembered-Allied Losses database)
See LAN W4325 on AirmenDK. Since it took off only 2 hours and 19 minutes before midnight it can be established that it crashed somewhere between "W. Slagelse", Stettin and the base in England.
Some figures: 20 planes lost over Danish territory with 145 airmen. 84 of them are buried in Denmark, 35 have no known grave, 25 POWs and 1 man got to Sweden!
(Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes:
In the night between 20 and 21 April 1943 339 bombers from the RAF attacked  Stettin - Szczecin. The sky was clear and the marking made by the Pathfinders was perfect. About 40 ha of the city centre was hit, and 13 factories and 380 houses were totally destroyed. 580 persons were killed in the attack. At the same time 86 Stirlings attacked the Heinkel factories outside Rostock, but due to a heavy cloud cover over the target area the attack was changed to the Neptun U-boat shipyard in the city of Rostock. All planes flew over Denmark from Esbjerg to Fyns Hoved, where the Pathfinders had dropped yellow target indicators. The Rostock formation then were
to fly to the south along the Storebælt, while the Stettin formation was to pass Sjælland to Rügen. The flight level was indicated to 500-1000 feet or lower over Denmark.

13 Lancasters, 8 Halifaxes and 9 Stirlings were lost - and about 20 of them were lost over Denmark and Danish waters. About 20 planes were lost due to flak, while
66 planes were damaged by mainly light flak (20 mm) and 80% of them had flown lower than 500 feet, when they were hit. About 30 engagements and attacks from
German night fighters were reported. Me 109s and Me 110s had been active over the target area, while Ju88s were active over Denmark when the formation was
outbound and also during the return flight. 2 Ju88s were reported shot down by Lancasters from 5 BG at Odense and Vejle. However, Danish and German records
have no information about these 2 shotdowns, but the Germans report of a damaged Ju88 from 11 /NJG3 that made a forced landing at Grove (Karup), while 4
damaged Do217 from 4/NJG3 made forced landings at Westerland on Sylt."  (FT 88-32-0)