 Brian:
Today we are gathered at the memorial ceremony at “Englændergraven”, and
Lone, can you tell the story, just in a few words?
Lone: Yes, the reason why we are gathered here today on 12 March is that
75 years ago an
English bomber crashed after having planted mines in the
Sound. It was shot down by a German
night fighter, and two airmen died,
were fetched by Danes at Tarm Hospital and later by the Germans placed in a
grave out here, that we now know as the “Englændergraven”.
There were also five crew members who survived the crash, and they were
helped by the Danish resistance movement to escape to Sweden, and then they
came back to England.
So
today we have representatives and family members of all seven crew members
present to remember the crash and remember the two airmen who died 75 years
ago.
Brian: The five crew members got help on farms in the Tarm area?
Lone: Yes, the five survivors had three different routes of evasion out of
Denmark. Eventually one of them came to a hiding place in Ølgod, and from
there he was helped by the resistance movement directly to Sweden.
Two others came to the same place, but at a different time from the first of
them, and then there were
two who walked about for many days
from farm to farm, and the got help from quite a number of local Danes, and
then they walked towards the Herning area, where they finally met the
resistance movement, so they had a long journey home. Altogether they took
three weeks
to get back to England.
Brian: Have you experienced how all five of them managed to get to safety in
Sweden without in
any way to be taken by the Germans?
Lone: Yes, with a bit of luck but also with much
help by brave local Danes all of the way. Both members of the resistance
movement that I have mentioned, but also just people in the area who helped. |
Plant
mines? Gardening operations?
See explanation at
Minelaying
areas.
LAN ME449
had dropped mines in the "Kullen Sound", N of
Nasturtium between Denmark and
Sweden, see p409MACR.
See
Account by Knud Raunkjær about the crash and more.
Notice the Danish memorial stone between
Porter and Morris.
Altogether 92 Allied
airmen made it to Sweden - all of them with
assistance
from the
Danish resistance movement - none without!
Foster had his identity carefully checked.
Slater and
Fairclough made it to Copenhagen. Their stay there
coincided
with the Shell House Attack, the
Gestapo HQ, see
Planes:
Shell House and there
About the Shell House Attack.
Source:
Group Captain Stan Slater - obituary
in
The Telegraph.
Mitchell and
Bertie made their way through Denmark carefully
described on
Lancaster ME449 Shot down in Denmark
by Gail R. Michener. the daughter of Stoney Mitchell.
You
might see
TV:
To Tarm with thanks - 70 years later
TV/MIDT-VEST
12 MAR 2015 an extra time.
Notice how Dorthea Madsen
offered food and rest without knowing
a word of English.
|
Lone
tells the story Lone tells the story to brianfratarm, see
Lone fortæller På
dansk
Updated:
25 MAR 2020