George H. Gill                                                                                       Updated: 08 MAR 2021

Airman: o888018.htm Surname: Gill Init: G H Rank: F/O Service: RCAF Sqdn: 433

P_link: p338.htm Plane: HAL MZ808 Operation: Minelaying Crash_site: Near Langøre, Fyn

Crash_d: d160844 Buried_d: o888 C_link: o888.htm At_Next: POW

  Se mindesmærke for besætningen på HAL MZ808 rejst her i 1950 på landtangen Langøre mellem Fyn og Helnæs. Flyet styrtede ned nær dette sted.

"Under en mission til Kiel natten til den 17. august 1944 blev en Halifax bomber ramt over dansk område. Besætningen sprang ud med faldskærm over den sydlige del
af Lillebælt, på strækningen mellem Torø (her) og Helnæs. Flyet styrtede ned ved Langøre, der fra fastlandet fører over til Helnæs." (FAF)

Flyet styrtede ned på Langøre den 16. august 1944 kl. 23:52. Omkring kl. 01:00 hørte folk, der boede i området ved Sønderby Klint råb om hjælp fra havet, og en
motorbåd ført af skipper Jørgen Hansen fra Assens, gik ud for at prøve at redde flyverne. Motorbåden fandt navigatør F/O George H. Gill og skytte F/O
Philippe R. Marchildon 1 km ud for gården Strandlyst (omkring her) og tog dem til sygehuset i Assens. De blev undersøgt, og bortset fra at de var trætte efter deres
ophold i vandet fejlede de ikke noget. De blev så taget til den tyske kaserne i Assens. Om eftermiddagen blev de sendt til krigsfangelejren Dulag Luft Oberursel til
afhøring. Efter nogle få dage blev Gill sendt til Stalag Luft I Barth, og Marchildon blev sendt til Stalag Luft III Sagan. (Kilde: AOD)
Se Halifax Print og folk bag en Halifax klar til en mission.

5 flyvere fra HAL MZ808 begravet i Sønderby og 4 navne er indgraveret på Mindemur på BC Museum, 2 krigsfanger blev ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre. 7 flyvere.

See memorial stone to the crew of HAL MZ808 erected here in 1950 on the isthmus of Langøre between Fyn and Helnæs. The plane crashed near this spot.

"On a mission to Kiel on the night before 17 August 1944 a Halifax was hit over Danish territory. The crew bailed out with parachutes over the southern part of Lillebælt, between Torø (here) and Helnæs. The plane crashed near Langøre, which connects Fyn and Helnæs.

Around 01:00 hours people living in the area of Sønderby Klint heard shouts for help from the sea and a motor boat was launched to try to rescue the flyers.
It found Navigator F/O George H. Gill and Air Gnr. F/O Philippe R. Marchildon 1 kilometre off the farm “Strandlyst” (about here) and took them to the hospital in Assens. They were examined and apart from being tired from the time in the water found to be otherwise all right. They were then taken to the German barracks in town. In the afternoon they were sent to Dulag Luft Oberursel for questioning. After a few days Gill was sent to Stalag Luft I Barth and Marchildon was sent to Stalag Luft III Sagan. (Source: AOD)

5 airmen from HAL MZ808 were buried in Sønderby and 4 of the names are engraved on the Memorial Wall at the BC Museum of Canada,
2 POWs were taken to German POW-Camps.

No. 433 (Porcupine) Squadron was formed within No. 6 Group, see No. 6 Group and the Canadian Squadrons
Halifax *  Halifax-BC Museum.Canada * Halifax-RAF Museum * Halifax-The Yorkshire Air Museum * Halifax Print and Halifax - Bless 'Em All.
Halifax III MZ808 BM-P took off from RAF Skipton-on-Swale at 21.27 hrs on 16 AUG 1944. (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this + Archive Report.) 
While an attack was made on Kiel  15 aircraft of No. 433 Sqdn. were detailed to drop mines in the Kiel Harbour area. (Forget-me-not, see Minelaying areas)
HAL MZ863 and HAL MZ899 also lost from squadron. (Source: p338MACR)                                                                                                               7 airmen.