Lancaster I RA526 - The Kattegat west of Samsø                                   Updated:  15 JAN 2023

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
a103003.htm Ayres K A F/O RAF 153 p407.htm LAN RA526 Minelaying Kattegat W of Samsø d120345 b170345 c103.htm Tranebjerg
a103004.htm Cox D Sgt RAF 153 p407.htm LAN RA526 Minelaying Kattegat W of Samsø d120345 b230745 c103.htm Tranebjerg
a103005.htm Head D F/Sgt RAF 153 p407.htm LAN RA526 Minelaying Kattegat W of Samsø d120345 b170345 c103.htm Tranebjerg
o888372.htm Mains R F/O RAF 153 p407.htm LAN RA526 Minelaying Kattegat W of Samsø d120345 o888 o888.htm POW
e777329.htm McMinn R J F/Sgt RAF 153 p407.htm LAN RA526 Minelaying Kattegat W of Samsø d120345 e777 e777.htm NO KNOWN
a103006.htm Taylor W C Sgt RAF 153 p407.htm LAN RA526 Minelaying Kattegat W of Samsø d120345 b150645 c103.htm Tranebjerg
a103007.htm Wilson R Sgt RAF 153 p407.htm LAN RA526 Minelaying Kattegat W of Samsø d120345 b290445 c103.htm Tranebjerg


Den 12. marts 1945 blev LAN RA526 skudt ned ud for Samsø. Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver: "12.-13. marts 1945 (kl. 21.16). Farvandet V for Ringebjerge på
Samsø (omkring her). Lancaster B. I, RA526 (P4-.1). 153 BS, 1 BG, Scampton, Lincs. (minering i Kattegat).  (Se Minelægningsområder)

16 Lancasters (se fotos) og tre Halifaxes fra 1 og 6 BG skulle denne nat kaste miner i den sydlige del af Kattegat, og tre Lancasters gik tabt. Den lille formation blev hurtigt opdaget af det tyske radarsystem, og da de nåede frem til nedkastningsområdet blev de angrebet af en tysk Ju88 fra I/NJG 3. Kl. 21.16 skød den tyske pilot,
Major Werner Husemann, den første Lancaster ned. RA526, ført af F/0 Kenneth Albert Ayres, DFC, styrtede brændende ned ud for Samsø's vestkyst ved Ringebjerge. Næste morgen blev vragrester og en gummibåd fundet drevet ind på kysten. Der var tilsyneladende ingen overlevende, men i løbet af dagen blev bombekasteren, F/0 R.Mains, fundet i et hus, hvor han havde søgt tilflugt. Han blev taget til fange af tyskerne og ført til en krigsfangelejr i Tyskland, hvor han blev befriet allerede en måned senere."  (FT 91-9-47) p407MACR har detaljer om nedskydningen.

5 flyvere fra LAN RA526 drev ind på kysten af Samsø og blev begravet i Tranebjerg. 1 har ingen kendt grav og 1 blev krigsfange. 7 flyvere. 

On 12 March 1945 LAN RA526 was shot down off Samsø. (Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes: "12.-13. March 1945 (21:16). The waters W of Ringebjerge
on Samsø (about here). Lancaster B. I, RA526 (P4-.1). 153 BS, 1 BG, Scampton, Lincs. (minelaying in the Kattegat). (See Minelaying areas)

This night 16 Lancasters and 3 Halifaxes from 1 BG and 6 BG were to drop mines into the southern part of the Kattegat and 3 Lancasters were lost. The small
formation was soon detected by the German radar system, and when they arrived at the target area they were attacked by a German Ju88 from I/NJG3. At 21:16
the German pilot Major Werner Husemann shot down the first Lancaster. RA526 piloted by F/O Kenneth Albert Ayres DFC crashed, burning, off the west coast of
Samsø at Ringebjerge. Next morning pieces of wreckage and a dinghy were found drifted ashore. Apparently there were no survivors, but later that day Bomb Aimer
F/O R. Mains was found in a house, where he had taken refuge. He was captured by the Germans and taken to a POW camp in Germany. He was liberated a
month later.” (FT 91-9-47) p407MACR has details of the shooting down.

5 airmen from LAN RA526 drifted ashore and were buried in Tranebjerg Churchyard, 1 has no known grave and 1 became a POW.

See Lancaster-Wikipedia * Lancaster photos * RAF Scampton Station homepage and RAF Scampton at RAF-Lincolnshire.info.
Lancaster I RA526 P4-J took off from RAF Scampton at 17:35 on 12 MAR 1945. (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this.) 7 airmen.