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  Den 12. marts 1945 blev 
LAN RA526 skudt ned ud for 
Samsø. 
Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver: 
"12.-13. marts 1945 (kl. 21.16). Farvandet V for 
Ringebjerge på Samsø (omkring
her). Lancaster B. I, RA526 (P4-.1). 153 BS, 1 BG, Scampton, 
Lincs.  
(minering i Kattegat).   
    
    16 
    Lancasters (se
    fotos) og tre
    Halifaxes fra 1 og 6 BG 
    skulle denne nat kaste miner i den sydlige del af Kattegat, og tre 
    Lancasters gik tabt. Den lille formation blev hurtigt opdaget af det tyske 
    radarsystem, og da de nåede frem til nedkastningsområdet blev de angrebet af 
    en tysk Ju88 fra I/NJG 3. Kl. 21.16 skød den tyske pilot, 
     
    Major Werner Husemann, den første Lancaster ned. RA526, ført af F/0 Kenneth Albert Ayres, 
    DFC, styrtede brændende ned ud for Samsø's 
    vestkyst ved  
    Ringebjerge. Næste morgen blev 
    vragrester og en gummibåd fundet drevet ind på kysten. Der var 
    tilsyneladende ingen overlevende, men i løbet af dagen blev bombekasteren,
    F/0 R.Mains, fundet i et hus, hvor han havde søgt tilflugt. Han blev taget 
    til fange af tyskerne og ført 
    til en krigsfangelejr i Tyskland, hvor han blev 
     
    befriet 
    allerede en
    måned senere." (FT 91-9-47) Som krigsfange var han var på hospital til 
    han blev befriet. (Kilde: Lost Bombers, se engelsk version) 
     
    (Se
    Minelægningsområder) 
5 flyvere fra 
LAN RA526 drev ind på kysten af Samsø og blev begravet i 
Tranebjerg. 1 har ingen kendt grav og 1 blev krigsfange. 
7 flyvere.   
  On 12 March 1945 
LAN RA526 was shot down off 
Samsø.
(Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes: 
"12.-13. March 1945 (21:16). The waters W of Ringebjerge on Samsø (about
here). Lancaster B. I, RA526 (P4-.1). 153 BS, 1 BG, Scampton, 
Lincs.  
(minelaying in the Kattegat).   
This night 
16 Lancasters and 3
Halifaxes from
1 BG and
6 BG were to drop 
mines into the southern part of the Kattegat and 3 Lancasters were lost. The 
small  
formation was soon detected by the German radar system, and when they 
arrived at the target area they were attacked by a German
Ju88 from I/NJG3. At 
21:16  
the German pilot Major Werner Husemann shot down the first Lancaster. 
RA526 piloted by F/O Kenneth Albert Ayres
DFC crashed, burning, off the west coast  
of Samsø at Ringebjerge. Next 
morning pieces of wreckage and a dinghy were found drifted ashore. Apparently 
there were no survivors, but later that day Bomb  
Aimer
F/O R. Mains was found in 
a house, where he had taken refuge. He was captured by the Germans and taken to 
a POW camp in Germany.  
He was liberated a month 
later.” (FT 91-9-47) 
(See
Minelaying areas) 
  
     Lost Bombers has
this about him: 
    "F/O R.Mains was confined in Hospital due injuries until Liberation. 
    No PoW No. Returned UK 18Apr45. "
   
 
5 airmen 
from 
LAN RA526 
drifted ashore and were buried in Tranebjerg Churchyard, 1 has no known grave 
and 1 became a POW. 
See 
Lancaster-Wikipedia * Lancaster photos *
RAF Scampton Station 
homepage and
RAF 
Scampton at 
RAF-Lincolnshire.info. Lancaster I RA526 P4-J 
took off from
	RAF Scampton at 
	17:35 on 12 MAR 1945. (Source: 
Aircrew Remembered 
has this.) 7 airmen. 
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