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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