Den 29. marts 1942 kl. 02.45 nødlandede
HAM AE246 i Kattegat nordøst for Grenaa efter bombeangreb på
Lübeck. Se
p061MACR om redningen.
De 4 flyvere overlevede
og blev krigsfanger.
Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver:
"234 bombefly fra RAF foretog natten til Palmesøndag det hidtil mest succesfulde
angreb på et tysk mål.
Lübeck blev angrebet under skyfrie
forhold og ved fuldmåne, og det lykkedes 191 af flyene at kaste deres bombelast
på næsten 400 tons, hvoraf 2/3 var
brandbomber. 1425 bygninger blev totalt
ødelagt, og næsten 10.000 blev beskadiget. 320 personer blev dræbt, og næsten
800 blev såret, hvilket var de hidtil største
tyske
mennesketab ved et enkelt bombeangreb. 12 bombefly gik
tabt, og blandt disse var Hampden AE246, der blev ramt af flak over
målet. Piloten, S/L George
Roger
Tench, forsøgte at nå til Sverige,
men NØ for Grenå måtte han opgive. Kl. 02.45 foretog han
en perfekt nødlanding på vandet, og hele besætningen nåede at komme
i
gummibåden, før flyet sank. Denne morgen målte man
-6°C ved Anholt, så det var fire stærkt forkomne flyvere,
som den danske fiskekutter L31 »Maagen«
fra
Thyborøn fandt kl. 10.00. Fiskerne
sejlede til Grenå, hvor tyskerne overtog de fire
flyvere." (FT 90-45-3)
Efter forhør i
Dulag Luft Oberursel ved Frankfurt blev de sendt til andre lejre, se
Tyske krigsfangelejre.
Sgt F.A. Durnan var fange i lejrene 8B/344 med
Sgt K.T. Hyde. S/L G.R. Tench var i L3/21B/L3 og F/S H. Thorne i 8B/344/L3. (Kilde:
Lost Bombers) 4 flyvere.
On 29 March 1942 at 02.45 hours
HAM AE246 ditched in the Kattegat north east of Grenaa
after a bombing raid on Lübeck.
The 4 airmen
survived and became POWs. (Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes:
"On the night before Palm Sunday 234 bombers from the RAF carried out the most successful attack
so far on a German target.
Lübeck was attacked from a cloudless sky and at
full moon, and 191 of the planes managed to drop their bomb load of nearly 400
tons of which 2/3 were incendiaries. 1,425 buildings were completely destroyed
and nearly 10,000 were damaged. 320 persons were killed and nearly 800 were
wounded. This was the greatest
loss of German lives till then in a single bombing raid. 12 bombers were lost. One of them was Hampden AE246 which
was hit by flak over the target. S/Ldr (Pilot) George
Roger Tench tried to reach
Sweden, but he had to give up north east of Grenå. At 02.45 hours he made a
perfect forced landing on the water, and all of the crew
managed to get into the
dinghy before the plane sank. This morning it was only -6°C at Anholt, so at
10.00 hours the Danish fishing cutter L31 »Maagen« of Thyborøn found the 4
airmen perishing with cold. The fishermen sailed to Grenå, where the 4
airmen were handed over to the Germans." (FT 90-45-3)
After interrogation in
Dulag Luft Oberursel near
Frankfurt they were taken to other camps, see
German POW-Camps. See
Bombing of Lübeck in World War II and the
Baedeker Raids.
Sgt F.A. Durnan was interned in Camps
8B/344 with Sgt
K.T. Hyde. S/L G.R. Tench in Camps L3/21B/L3
and
F/S H. Thorne in Camps
8B/344/L3.
(Lost Bombers)
See No. 420
Squadron RCAF - Wikipedia * RCAF 420 Snowy
Owl Squadron *
This
Hampden took off
from RAF Waddington.
Hampden I AE246 PT-V took off from
RAF Waddington on 28
MAR 1942. (Source: Aircrew Remembered
has
this.) See
p061MACR
about the rescue. 4 airmen.
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