Dale Helmer                                                                                             Updated: 15 JUN 2018

Airman: o888314.htm Surname: Helmer Init: D Rank: T/Sgt Service: USAAF Sqdn: 406

P_link: p309r.htm Plane: B24 42-40530 Operation: Drop in DK Crash_site: Vognbjerg at Skjern

Crash_d: d070544 Buried_d: o888 C_link: o888.htm At_Next: POW

  "Natten til den 7. maj 1944 nedkastede "Liberator" B-24DSA (B24 42-40530) en sending våben til den danske modstandsbevægelse på en plads ved Rugård
(Rugaard Gods  her, Paddesøvej 7, 5474 Veflinge) på Fyn.

Under returflyvningen over Jylland blev flyet ramt af tysk flak, brød i brand og nedstyrtede nordvest for Skjern." (FAF)
Flystyrtet var her, overblik her og her omkring 400 m nord for Kvembjergevej 15, 6900 Skjern. (Kilde: Keld Vinther).

Af de resterende 7 besætningsmedlemmer blev 5 taget til fange. (2nd Lt (Co-Pilot) Israel Barron, Lt (Pilot) George Pipkin, S/Sgt (Tail Gunner) James McCaskey,
S/Sgt (Right Waist Gunner) Vincent Gallozzi og T/Sgt (Top Turret Gunner) Dale Helmer.)" (FAF) De blev ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre.
Dale Helmer blev ført til Stalag Luft 3. (Kilde: WWII POWs)

69 omkomne flyvere
fra dette og 14 andre fly mindes på Mindetavlen i Rebild. De mistede livet under nedkastningsoperationer til modstandsbevægelsen.
Af samme grund mindes de i London. Se 69 flyvere - St. Clement Danes. Se Google Map Rebild med 15 fly mistet med tab af 69 liv + 3 fly mistet uden tab af liv.
8 flyvere.

 On the night before 7 May 1944 "Liberator" B-24DSA (B24 42-40530) dropped a load of weapons for the Danish resistance movement at a site at the
Rugaard estate
(Rugaard Gods here, Paddesøvej 7, DK-5474 Veflinge) on Fyn.

The plane was hit by German flak, burst into flames and crashed northwest of Skjern on the return flight over Jutland. (FAF) 
The air crash was here, overview here and here about 400 m north of Kvembjergevej 15, 6900 Skjern. (Source: Keld Vinther)

5 crewmembers were captured (2nd Lt (Co-Pilot) Israel Barron, Lt (Pilot) George Pipkin, S/Sgt (Tail Gunner) James McCaskey, S/Sgt (Right Waist Gunner)
Vincent Gallozzi and T/Sgt (Top Turret Gunner) Dale Helmer.) (Source: FAF) They were taken to
German POW-Camps.
Dale Helmer
was taken to Stalag Luft 3. (Source: WWII POWs)

69 perished airmen from this and 14 other planes are commemorated on the Memorial Tablet in Rebild. They lost their lives in supply operations to the Danish resistance. For the same reason they are commemorated in London. See 69 airmen - St. Clement Danes. See Google Map Rebild with 15 + 3 planes lost.

This B-24 from 406 BS, 801 BG, 8 AF took off from RAF HarringtonHarrington Aviation Museum has more about the 801st / 492nd Bomb Group. 8 airmen.