Photo: Arne Rosenkvist                  4 May 2006
 Mindesten for flyvere fra LAN ME663. Se 47 navne i London og Horsens og Google Map HorsensEH47.
Memorial stone to airmen of LAN ME663. 47 names in London and Horsens and Google Map HorsensEH47.

"Natten til den 10. april 1944 foretog RAF en stor mineudlægningsoperation ved Danzig (Gdansk). 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.
LAN ME663 blev skudt i brand omkring kl. 03.30 over Østjylland af en tysk natjager i 23.000 fods højde. "Efter en undvigelsesmanøvre ned til 18.000 fod gav piloten Peter Crosby ordre til at forlade maskinen. Alle bekræftede
ordren, da flyet i det samme krængede over og først fladede ud i 6.000 fods højde. Piloten gentog ordren og nu
hastede det, idet flyet igen dykkede. Det brændte fra begge vinger, og flammer slikkede hen langs kroppen, da det lykkedes agterskytten Stanley Hodge at slippe ud af tårnet. Han landede på en ejendom umiddelbart nord for Bjerregaard, mens flyet fortsatte og eksploderede 1 km nord for Aale by." (Fra Jens Thomsen, Tørring) Se Hodge.

"Vragdele blev spredt ud over et par kilometer. (Omkring her.) En vinge faldt ved Aale-Mattrupvejen, og to motorer
faldt på en nærliggende mark, hvor også et par flyvere lå dræbt. Flykroppen havde pløjet sig ind i den sydlige ende
af Mattrup plantage, hvor man fandt endnu et par besætningsmedlemmer. Ved otte-tiden stødte man langt inde i plantagen på den sjette flyver i nærmest livløs tilstand. Det var navigatøren F/O Charles Edward "Ted" Suffren.
På sin vandpose havde han skrevet: "Kl. 3.40 angrebet af jager, slynget ud af flyet. Brækket ryggen. Hils min
familie, Ted - kl. 5.10 smerter ulidelige." (FT 90-104-24) Gå til Charles E. Suffren og læs mere.

5 flyvere fra LAN ME663 begravet i Esbjerg 15. april 1944. 2 blev krigsfanger. Den ene af dem var hårdt såret og døde i Tyskland 16. februar 1945. Se p289MACR.
Se avisartikel fra 1994 Omsorg for de faldne og Krigsminder sendt hjem til Australien. Se Om mindeceremonier 4. maj 2011 og tale af Anders Straarup. 7 flyvere.

"On the night before April 10 1944, the RAF carried out a big minelaying operation at Danzig (Gdansk). 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.
See also Care for the fallen 1994 * About memorial ceremonies 2011 and speeches in Korning * Bøgballe * Aale.

LAN ME663 caught fire about 03.30 over East Jutland, hit by a German night fighter at an altitude of 23,000 feet. "After an evasive manoeuvre down to 18,000 feet
Pilot Peter Crosby gave the order to abandon the plane. They all confirmed the order, but the plane turned over and went down to 6,000 feet before he regained
control.The pilot repeated the order and now it was urgent, as the plane dived again. Both wings were burning and flames were licking along the fuselage, when
Rear Gunner Stanley Hodge managed to get out of the tower. He landed at a farm just north of Bjerregaard, while the plane went on and exploded 1 km north of the
village of Aale." (From Jens Thomsen, Tørring) Go to Stanley F. Hodge to read more.

"Debris was scattered over a couple of kilometres. (About here.) A wing fell at the Aale-Mattrup road, and two engines fell on a field nearby, where also a couple of deceased airmen were found. The fuselage had ploughed itself into the southern part of Mattrup plantation, where another couple of crew members were found.
Way into the plantation about 8 a.m. the search party found the sixth airman nearly lifeless. It was Navigator F/O Charles Edward "Ted" Suffren. He had written on
his water bag, "Attacked at 03.40 10/4/44. Thrown out of a/c. Have broken back. Give my love to my family. Jod. 05.10 pain unbearable." (FT 90-104-24)
Go to Charles E. Suffren and read more.

5 airmen from LAN ME663 were buried in Esbjerg on 15 April, 1944. 2 became POWs. One of them badly injured, so he died in Germany on 16 February, 1945.
See p289MACR * 460 Squadron RAAF * No. 460 Squadron RAAF * RAF-Lincolnshire.info has this. Lancaster Photos. 7 airmen.
Lancaster I ME663 AR-M took off from RAF Binbrook at 21.20 hrs on 09 APR 1944. (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this including an extensive Archive Report.)