Ved
LAN R5679
citerer jeg fra FT 90-46-6 Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift teksten om
Lancasteren ved Grønhøj, men jeg udelod fortsættelsen:
"En anden episode denne nat giver en god beskrivelse
af de engelske bombeflys problemer denne nat.
Lancaster R5724 kastede sine miner i Fehmarn Bælt (her),
og på hjemturen blev flyet ca. kl. 02.00 beskudt
af tysk flak fra et
område nær Viborg (som er
her
nord for Grønhøj). Flyet blev ramt ved bageste bombelem
og brød øjeblikkelig i brand. Flyets næse blev også ramt, alt glas i
cockpittet blev trykket ind, og kort
og papirer blev suget ud af flyet. Umiddelbart efter angreb to
tyske
natjagere og de to skytter, Sgt. S. Smith og Sgt. S. J. Thompson, blev
såret. Flyet stallede, men det lykkedes piloten,
F/Sgt. P. Campbell, og 2nd piloten,
Sgt. L. D. Gunnell, at få kontrol over flyet i nogle skyer i ca. 4.000
fods højde.
De to tyske
natjagere var forsvundet, men problemerne var
langt fra løst. Efter et stykke
tid fik besætningen slukket branden, og uden instrumenter og kort
fortsatte
den lange og kolde tur hjem til England. Kl. 04.30 foretog de to piloter
en perfekt mavelanding på Wittering flyvepladsen. R5724 måtte afskrives,
men Sgt. Campbell
blev med øjeblikkelig virkning forfremmet til
Pilot Officer, og hele besætningen modtog et DFM.
Natten til den 11. november 1942 fløj 12 Lancasters på mineringsopgaver
langs den franske kyst. I mellemtiden sænkede
tågen sig over de engelske flyvepladser,
og på hjemturen ramte Lancaster W4244 en bakke ved Exeter. P/O P. Campbell
og hans besætning blev dræbt."
Se også pdf-fil 5,28 MB på engelsk fra Mike
Brewser 15. december 2013 Accounts
of R5724 and R5679 og teksten til højre på
Lancaster R5679, 25 SEP 1942.
On
LAN R5679 I quote from FT 90-46-6 (Danish)
Aviation Historical Review the text about the Grønhøj Lancaster, but I
left out the continuation:
"Another episode that night gives a good description of problems for the
British bombers that night. Lancaster R5724 dropped its mines in
the Fehmarn Belt (here)
and on
the return flight it was shot at by German flak from an area near Viborg
(which is
here north of Grønhøj)
at about 0200 hours. The plane was hit at the bomb
door to the rear and
immediately burst in
flames. The nose of the plane was also hit, all glass in the cockpit was
pressed in, and maps and papers were sucked out
of the plane. Immediately
after that two
German night fighters attacked, and the two Air Gunners Sgt S. Smith and
Sgt S.J. Thompson were wounded. The plane
stalled, but Pilot F/Sgt P.
Campbell and
2nd Pilot Sgt L.D. Gunnell managed to regain control over the aircraft in
some clouds at an altitude of about 4,000 feet.
The two German night fighters had disappeared,
but the problems were far from solved. After some time the crew managed to
extinguish the fire, and without
instruments and maps the long and cold flight back to England continued.
At 0430 hours the two pilots made a perfect belly landing at
RAF Wittering.
R5724 had
to be given up, but Sgt Campbell was immediately promoted Pilot Officer
and all of the crew were awarded the
DFM.
On the night before 11 November 1942 12
Lancasters flew on minelaying operations along the coast of France. In the
meantime fog descended over the airfields in England, and on the return
flight Lancaster W4244 hit a hill near Exeter. P/O P. Campbell and his
crew were killed."
See also a pdf-file 5.28 MB from Mike Brewser
on 15 DEC 2013 Accounts of R5724 and
R5679 and the text on the right side of
Lancaster R5679, 25 SEP 1942.
Aircrew Remembered has
this.