"Natten til den
10. april 1944 foretog RAF en stor mineudlægningsoperation ved Danzig
(Gdansk
her). I forbindelse med
overflyvningen af dansk område blev mindst 7 britiske bombefly skudt ned, mens
flere nedstyrtede i Nordsøen, i større eller mindre afstand fra Vestkysten. Fra
6 fly nedstyrtet i Midtjylland, og 2 i Nordsøen, ligger 35 omkomne flyvere
begravet i Esbjerg. Samtlige flyvere begravedes den 15. april 1944."
(FAF)
Google Map Mine 10 APR 1944 *
Minelægningsområder *
p287MACR
"Nordvest for Horsens (måske omkring
her) blev flyet angrebet af en
tysk natjager og brød i brand. Over en 10 km lang strækning forsøgte de 7
desperate besætningsmedlemmer at forlade det brændende fly. Liget af et stærkt
forbrændt besætningsmedlem blev fundet ved Tykskov (Nimmo, omkring
her), 10 km øst for Brande, og
over Dørslund eksploderede en benzintank, hvilket spredte vragdele over et 3
kvadratkilometer stort område (forreste del af flyet landede omkring
her), og yderligere 2 forbrændte lig blev fundet ved Dørslund. (Bernaldo,
omkring
her og Roberts omkring
her. Bradley blev fundet omkring
her og Thornton omkring
her.)
Hovedparten af flyet styrtede dog ned på et åbent område ved sygehuset i Brande
(her
hvor mindestenen blev rejst.)
Trods flammerne lykkedes det de to skytter, F/Sgt John Smith og F/Sgt Keith
Francis Clohessy, at forlade flyet med faldskærm. (Faldskærmene blev fundet.
Smiths omkring
her og Clohessys omkring
her.) Smith beskadigede et ben og
blev hurtigt taget til fange af tyskerne, men Clohessy fik hjælp fra lokale
beboere, og først noget senere blev han taget til fange ved Herning (ved
Hammerum Station
her)." (FT
90-102-21) (Positioner taget fra
Lancaster ND420 - skudt ned 10. april 1944
s. 19. Fra s. 18:
"Tårnskytten John Smith mener at maskinen blev ramt i den beholder, der
indeholder hydraulikolien. Den ligger under pilotens sæde, og da alle ligene var
indsmurt i olie, er det meget sandsynligt. Benzintankene var åbenbart intakte,
da man samme dag kunne se, at tyskerne pumpede benzin op fra skroget i store
beholdere.")
Se monument for besætningen på
LAN ND420 rejst
her i 1999 på nedstyrtningsstedet.
Se
Lancaster ND420 - skudt ned 10. april 1944 (pdf, 1.13 MB, 34 sider)
af Poul Westergaard Jensen via Brande-Arkiv.
Se også
PWJ 2019
fra Brande Bladet og
Nimmos Ur
via Brande-Arkiv. Se collage 2004
fra Arne Mosgaard.
Se Lancaster fotos. 7 flyvere.
"On the night before April 10
1944, the RAF carried out a big minelaying operation at Danzig (Gdansk
here). At least 7 British bombers
were shot down as they flew over Danish territory, and several crashed into the North
Sea, off the west coast of Jutland. From 6 planes crashed in the central part of
Jutland, and 2 in the North Sea, 35 airmen were buried in
Esbjerg. All of the
airmen were buried on April 15 1944." (FAF)
Google Map Mine 10 APR 1944 *
Minelaying areas *
p287MACR
"Northwest of Horsens (maybe about
here) the plane was attacked by a
German night fighter and caught fire. Over a distance of 10 km the 7 desperate
crew members tried to abandon the burning plane. The body of a severely burnt
crew member was found at Tykskov (Nimmo, about
here), 10 km east of Brande, and over Dørslund a fuel
tank exploded, so debris was scattered over an area of 3 square kilometres (the
front end of the plane crashed about
here). Two
more burnt bodies were found at Dørslund. (Bernaldo,
about
here and Roberts about
here. Bradley was found about
here and Thornton about
here.)
The main part of the plane crashed into an open area at the hospital in Brande (here
where the memorial stone was erected). In spite of the flames the two gunners, F/Sgt John
Smith and F/Sgt Keith Francis
Clohessy managed to bail out with their parachutes. (The
parachutes were found. Smith´s about
here and Clohessy´s about
here.) Smith hurt a leg and was
soon caught by the Germans, but Clohessy got help from residents of the area,
and not until some time later was he taken prisoner at Herning (at Hammerum
railway Station
here)." (FT 90-102-21) (Positions taken from
Lancaster ND420 - skudt ned 10. april 1944
p. 19. From p. 18: "Turret
Gunner John Smith thinks that the plane was hit in the tank
placed under the pilot´s seat
containing oil for
the hydraulic system. It is very likely, since all
the bodies were messed up in oil. The fuel tanks were apparently intact, since
the Germans the very same day could be seen pumping fuel from the fuselage into
big tanks."
See monument to the crew of
LAN ND420
erected
here in 1999 at the crash site. See collage
2004 from Arne Mosgaard.
See
Lancaster ND420 - skudt ned 10. april 1944
(pdf, 1.13 MB, 34 pages) by Poul Westergaard Jensen - in Danish, but with photos
and some documents in English
via Brande-Arkiv. Se også
Nimmos Ur (watch) via Brande-Arkiv. See Lancaster * Lancaster photos
* No. 103 Squadron
RAF - Wikipedia * 103
Squadron - RAF * RAF Elsham Wolds
Association
Lancaster III ND420 PM-C took off from
RAF Elsham Wolds at 21:18 on
09 APR 1943. (Source:
Aircrew Remembered has
this)
7 airmen.
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