Lancaster III ND420 - At Brande                                          Updated: 09 FEB 2024

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
a014213.htm Bernaldo J F/Sgt RAAF 103 p287.htm LAN ND420 Minelaying At Brande d100444 b150444 c014.htm Esbjerg
a014214.htm Bradley T W P/O RAAF 103 p287.htm LAN ND420 Minelaying At Brande d100444 b150444 c014.htm Esbjerg
o888144.htm Clohessy K F F/Sgt RAAF 103 p287.htm LAN ND420 Minelaying At Brande d100444 o888 o888.htm POW
a014215.htm Nimmo JAH P/O RAAF 103 p287.htm LAN ND420 Minelaying At Brande d100444 b150444 c014.htm Esbjerg
a014216.htm Roberts J M Sgt RAF 103 p287.htm LAN ND420 Minelaying At Brande d100444 b150444 c014.htm Esbjerg
o888145.htm Smith J F/Sgt RAAF 103 p287.htm LAN ND420 Minelaying At Brande d100444 o888 o888.htm POW
a014217.htm Thornton A T P/O RAAF 103 p287.htm LAN ND420 Minelaying At Brande d100444 b150444 c014.htm Esbjerg


"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. See also Nimmo's 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.