John Smith                                                                                             Updated: 09 FEB 2024

Airman: o888145.htm Surname: Smith Init: J Rank: F/Sgt Service: RAAF Sqdn: 103

P_link: p287.htm Plane: LAN ND420 Operation: Minelaying Crash_site: At Brande

Crash_d: d100444 Buried_d: o888 C_link: o888.htm At_Next: POW

  Se historien i flere detaljer ved flyet LAN ND420.
"Nordvest for Horsens (måske omkring her) blev flyet angrebet af en tysk natjager og brød i brand. Over en 10 km lang strækning forsøgte de 7 desperate besætningsmedlemmer at forlade det brændende fly. Liget af et stærkt forbrændt besætningsmedlem blev fundet ved Tykskov (Nimmo, omkring her), 10 km øst for Brande, og over Dørslund eksploderede en benzintank, hvilket spredte vragdele over et 3 kvadratkilometer stort område (forreste del af flyet landede omkring her), og yderligere 2 forbrændte lig blev fundet ved Dørslund. (Bernaldo, omkring her og Roberts omkring her. Bradley blev fundet omkring her og Thornton omkring her.)
Hovedparten af flyet styrtede dog ned på et åbent område ved sygehuset i Brande (her hvor mindestenen blev rejst.) Trods flammerne lykkedes det de to skytter, F/Sgt John Smith og F/Sgt Keith Francis Clohessy, at forlade flyet med faldskærm. (Faldskærmene blev fundet. Smiths omkring her og Clohessys omkring her.) Smith beskadigede et ben og blev hurtigt taget til fange af tyskerne, men Clohessy fik hjælp fra lokale beboere, og først noget senere blev han taget til fange ved Herning (ved Hammerum Station her)." (FT 90-102-21) (Positioner taget fra Lancaster ND420 - skudt ned 10. april 1944 s. 19. Fra s. 18: "Tårnskytten John Smith mener at maskinen blev ramt i den beholder, der indeholder hydraulikolien. Den ligger under pilotens sæde, og da alle ligene var indsmurt i olie, er det meget sandsynligt. Benzintankene var åbenbart intakte, da man samme dag kunne se, at tyskerne pumpede benzin op fra skroget i store beholdere.")

Se monument for besætningen på LAN ND420 rejst her i 1999 på nedstyrtningsstedet, afsløret af F/Sgt John Smith og F/Sgt Keith Francis Clohessy.
Se Lancaster ND420 - skudt ned 10. april 1944 (pdf, 1.13 MB, 34 sider) af Poul Westergaard Jensen via Brande Arkiv. Se også Nimmos Ur via Brande Arkiv.
Se Google Map Mine 10 APR 1944 * Minelægningsområder * p287MACR * Lancaster fotos. 7 flyvere. 

See the story in more details at the plane LAN ND420.
"Northwest of Horsens (maybe about here) the plane was attacked by a German night fighter and caught fire. Over a distance of 10 km the 7 desperate crew members tried to abandon the burning plane. The body of a severely burnt crew member was found at Tykskov (Nimmo, about here), 10 km east of Brande, and over Dørslund a fuel tank exploded, so debris were scattered over an area of 3 square kilometres (the front end of the plane crashed about here). Two more burnt bodies were found at Dørslund. (Bernaldo, about here and Roberts about here. Bradley was found about here and Thornton about here.)
The main part of the plane crashed in an open area at the hospital in Brande (here where the memorial stone was erected). In spite of the flames the two gunners, F/Sgt John Smith and F/Sgt Keith Francis Clohessy managed to bail out with their parachutes. (The parachutes were found. Smith´s about here and Clohessy´s about here.) Smith hurt a leg and was soon caught by the Germans, but Clohessy got help from residents of the area, and not until some time later was he taken prisoner at Herning (at Hammerum railway Station here)." (FT 90-102-21) (Positions taken from Lancaster ND420 - skudt ned 10. april 1944 s. 19. From p. 18: "Turret Gunner John Smith thinks that the plane was hit in the tank placed under the pilot´s seat containing oil for the hydraulic system. It is very likely, since all the bodies were messed up in oil. The fuel tanks were apparently intact, since the Germans the very same day could be seen pumping fuel from the fuselage into big tanks."

See monument to the crew of LAN ND420 erected here in 1999 at the crash site, unveiled by F/Sgt John Smith and F/Sgt Keith Francis Clohessy. See collage 2004.
See Lancaster ND420 - skudt ned 10. april 1944  (pdf, 1.13 MB, 34 pages) by Poul Westergaard Jensen - in Danish, but with photos and some documents in English
via  Brande Arkiv. See also Nimmo's Watch via Brande Arkiv.

See Lancaster photos* No. 103 Squadron RAF - Wikipedia* 103 Squadron - RAF* RAF Elsham Wolds Association* Google Map Mine 10 APR 1944* Minelaying areas
Lancaster III ND420 PM-C took off from RAF Elsham Wolds at 21:18 on 09 APR 1943. (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this)  p287MACR   7 airmen.