Lancaster III JB412 - Near Varnæs SDBG * Google Map SDBG-AirmenDK*Crew photo and Tree-photos  Updated:  17 APR 2023

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
o888039.htm Fell J A F/S RAF 83 p258.htm LAN JB412 Bomb G Near Varnæs d290144 o888 o888.htm POW
o888038.htm Livesay W Sgt RAF 83 p258.htm LAN JB412 Bomb G Near Varnæs d290144 o888 o888.htm POW
a113094.htm Martin J J F/Sgt RAF 83 p258.htm LAN JB412 Bomb G Near Varnæs d290144 b020244 c113.htm Aabenraa
a113093.htm McCash T K Sgt RAF 83 p258.htm LAN JB412 Bomb G Near Varnæs d290144 b020244 c113.htm Aabenraa
o888036.htm Pilgrim R P/O RAF 83 p258.htm LAN JB412 Bomb G Near Varnæs d290144 o888 o888.htm POW
o888037.htm Simpson W P/O RAF 83 p258.htm LAN JB412 Bomb G Near Varnæs d290144 o888 o888.htm POW
a113095.htm Tree J R F/Sgt RAAF 83 p258.htm LAN JB412 Bomb G Near Varnæs d290144 b220644 c113.htm Aabenraa


"Natten til den 29. januar 1944 var RAF´s bombemål i Tyskland, som så ofte før, Berlin. Ruten både ud og hjem gik over Danmark. 4 fly nedstyrtede denne nat
over Sønderjylland, heraf 2 efter at være stødt sammen i luften over Als." (FAF)
Det var HAL JD273 nær Kliplev, LAN JB412 nær Varnæs samt efter kollision LAN JA967 nær Broballe her og LAN HK537 nær Mjels her.

LAN JB412 styrtede ned spredt over et stort område nordøst for Varnæs med midten her, vest for Blåkrogvej 5, 6200 Aabenraa, se også kortet Flystyrt ved Varnæs.
"To besætningsmedlemmer, antagelig T.K. McCash og J.J. Martin sprang ud med faldskærm fra for lav højde og blev dræbt. De blev begravet den 2. februar 1944.
J.R. Tree blev fundet druknet ved Sønderborg i juni 1944. Begravelsen fandt sted den 22. juni. Fire besætningsmedlemmer overlevede og blev taget til fange." (FAF) 
PS. Liget af J.R. Tree drev ind nær Ballebro Fyr, Ballebrovej 21, 6400 Sønderborg, luftfoto her. 250 m fra Ballebro Havn.
Lancaster JB412 og dens besætning. Jeg kender nogle detaljer, som måske har interesse. Som jeg forstår det, blev deres Lancaster (JB412) med en besætning på 7 angrebet af en natjager (JU 88C) snart efter at de nåede Danmarks kyst omkring 02:30. De sprang alle sikkert ud med faldskærm, og min onkel John Tree landede i Als Fjord i live, da en fisker hørte hans råb om hjælp, men han omkom og drev ind nær Ballebro Fyr. Efter at de alle havde forladt flyet, eksploderede det omkring 02:37 med vragstykker spredt over et stort område lige nord for Varnæs. Ligene af Flight Engineer Thomas McCash og Navigator John Martin blev fundet nær Bovrup. De fire andre overlevede, inklusive John Fell, som bankede på døren på en gård i Rufus, nær Ullerup, Pilot William Simpson, som landede på taget af et hus ved siden af telefoncentralen Skovtoften 12 i Blans. Ronald Pilgrim landede nær Ullerup og gemte sig i et skur ved præstegården og Bill Livesay landede nær gården Ballegaard i Blans. De prøvede alle at gemme sig, men blev til sidst taget af Værnemagten. På grund af disse overlevende har vi en masse af disse detaljer.
Bill Livesay var en god ven af vores onkel og han og hans familie kontaktede vores familie og vi har stadig kopier af noget af korrespondancen.
Jeg brugte også mange andre kilder til denne beretning.   Lorelle.
Google Map p258 LAN JB412 har detaljer om hvor flyverne landede fra Lorelle og andre pårørende til John Robert Tree.

Se en personlig beretning om dette flystyrt fra Hans Brandt om Bomberen. Dengang en vaks dreng på 11 år, i 2009 aktiv pensionist i Børkop. Død 2. januar 2017.
Se også Drengen og bombeflyet med omtrent samme beretning til Kristeligt Dagblad 4. februar 2009.

"682 fly deltog i angrebet på Berlin og 43 gik tabt. Formationen blev observeret allerede NV for Texel (Se Google Map p256 - zoom ud), og vest for Rømø og Sild blev
de første natjagerangreb observeret. Herfra og til Berlin formodes 12 fly at være gået tabt, og mindst 5 gik tabt i det danske område." (FT 86-64-20) HAL HX294 i havet,
HAL JD273 nær Kliplev og LAN JB412 nær Varnæs. Efter kollision: LAN JA967 nær Broballe og LAN HK537 nær Mjels. (Se Google Map p256 - zoom ud)

3 flyvere fra LAN JB412 blev begravet i Aabenraa og 4 blev ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre. Se Lancaster fotos. 7 flyvere. Se p258MACR. .

"On the night before 29 January, 1944, the target for a RAF bombing raid was, as so often before, Berlin. The route both out and home was over Denmark.
4 planes crashed this night over Southern Jutland, 2 of them after a collision in the air over Als." (FAF)
It was HAL JD273 near Kliplev, LAN JB412 near Varnæs and after the collision LAN JA967 near Broballe here and LAN HK537 near Mjels here.

LAN JB412 crashed over a great area north east of Varnæs with the centre here west of Blåkrogvej 5, 6200 Aabenraa, see also the map Air crash near Varnæs.
Two crew members, presumably T.K. McCash and J.J. Martin bailed out with their parachutes too near the ground and were killed. They were buried in Aabenraa
on 2 February 1944. J.R. Tree was found drowned at Sønderborg in June 1944. The burial took place on 22 June 1944.
Four crew members survived and became POWs. (Source: FAF)
Lancaster JB412 and its crew. I do know some of the details which might be interesting.... It is my understanding, that their Lancaster (JB412) with a crew of 7 was attacked by night fighter (JU 88C) soon after they reached the Danish coast at about 2.30 am. They all safely parachuted out and my uncle John Tree landed in Als Fjord alive as fisherman heard his calls for help but perished and was washed up near Ballebro Lighthouse. After they had all left the aircraft, it exploded at about 2.37 am with the wreckage spread over 2 and a half mile just north of Varnaes. Flight engineer Thomas McCash and navigator John Martin's bodies were found near Bovrup. The four others survived including John Fell who knocked on a door at a farm in Rufus, near Ullerup, pilot William Simpson who landed on the roof of a house next to the telephone exchange at Skoletoften 12 in Blans. Ronald Pilgrim landed near Ullerup and hid in a shack belonging to the vicarage and William Livesay landed near the farm Ballegaard in Blans. They all attempted to hide but were eventually picked up by the Wehrmacht. Because of these survivors, we have a lot of these details. Bill Livesay was a good friend of our uncle and he and his family made contact with our family and we still have copies of some of the correspondence.
I also used many other sources for this account.                                     Lorelle.
Google Map p258 LAN JB412 has details of where the airmen landed from Lorelle and other relatives of J.R. Tree.

The body of J.R. Tree was washed ashore near the lighthouse Ballebro Fyr, Ballebrovej 21, 6400 Sønderborg, aerial photo here. 250 m from Ballebro Havn.
See a personal account of this air crash from Hans Brandt about the Bomber. Then a bright schoolboy, 11, in 2009 an active retired teacher. He died on 2 Jan. 2017.

"682 planes took part in the raid on Berlin and 43 were lost. The formationen was observed as early as north west of Texel (see Google Map p256 HAL HX294 -
zoom out). The first attacks by night fighters were observed west of Rømø and Sylt. 12 planes are presumed lost from here and to Berlin. At least 5 were lost in
Danish territory." (FT 86-64-20) HAL HX294 at sea, HAL JD273 near Kliplev and LAN JB412 near Varnæs.
After a collision: LAN JA967 near Broballe and LAN HK537 near Mjels. (See Google Map p256 - zoom out)

3 airmen from LAN JB412  were buried in Aabenraa and 4 were taken to German POW-Camps. See No. 83 Squadron RAF * Lancaster Photos * p258MACR.
Lancaster III JB412 OL-B took off from RAF Wyton at 00:19 on 29 JAN 1944. (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this.)  7 airmen.