Mosquito FB IV RS619 De fandt en vej   They found a way     Updated:  05 APR 2011

Den 5. april 1945 styrtede MOS RS619 ned ved Tandrup Mark, der er her. Det lykkedes Raymond Harington og Bert Winwood at nå Sverige.
Mange danskere hjalp dem! Se historien om dem i
De fandt en vej fortalt af Anders Bjørnvad.

"To RAF-flyvere, der med deres Mosquito-maskine den 5/4 1945 ramte en bakketop i Thy, slap levende fra episoden. De må vist være de eneste, som slap fra et styrt med en Mosquito med livet i behold. Disse to flyvere kom i gode hænder, og om det videre forløb af deres ophold i Danmark fortæller den daværende chef for Thisted-distriktet, oberst Ejby Nielsen: »Jeg blev adviseret og gav ordre til, at de snarest under iagttagelse af normale sikkerhedsregler skulle bringes til Nykøbing. Der var kun en lille vanskelighed ved denne transport, nemlig at den bekvemmeste rute gik over den bevogtede Vildsundbro, hvor man normalt skulle vise legitimationskort. Alt gik glat. De to herrer blev bragt over broen i hestevogn, og russerne, der havde vagttjeneste der, var nemme at have med at gøre. Senere opdagede jeg, hvad der var tidstypisk, at mine folk ikke havde gidet fremstille regulære legitimationskort, men mellem venner og bekendte havde fundet to billeder, der »lignede nogenlunde« — hvad de absolut ikke gjorde. Jeg indkvarterede flyverne på Markvardsens Hotel, hvor jeg selv havde kvarter. Stuepigen syntes, det var et par pæne fyre, men kunne ikke begribe, at hun ikke kunne slå et ord af dem. Opholdet på hotellet indskrænkede sig til en eller to nætter, så blev de bragt ud til Niels Schmidts kolonihavehus, hvor de i de påfølgende dage blev brugt som en selvfølgelig anledning til små fester. Jeg tror, vi lovede dem, at de skulle få lov at være med til en våbenmodtagelse, hvis en sådan skulle blive aktuel under deres ophold i Nykøbing. Desværre fik de ikke den oplevelse.

Alt imens havde jeg kontaktet hovedkvarteret og fik aftalt den videre transport, der foreløbig skulle gå til Aalborg. De blev sendt af sted med toget (via Hvalpsund) med ledsager ... piloterne nåede sikkert til Sverige, derimod tror jeg ikke, de nåede til England før kapitulationen.«

Netop i april 1945 blev flere andre allierede flyvere hjulpet fra Jylland til Sverige. Den 11/4 blev to australske flyvere udsejlet fra Ebeltoft, og den 24/4 indkom RAF-flyverne Harington og Winwood til Göteborg — efter at være opsamlet i Jylland."

On 5 April 1945 MOS RS619 crashed at Tandrup Mark which is here.  Raymond Harington and Bert Winwood managed to reach Sweden.
Many Danes helped them! See their story as told by Anders Bjørnvad in
De fandt en vej (They found a way p.145)

”On 5 April 1945 two airmen of the RAF hit a hilltop in Thy with their Mosquito and survived. They may be the only airmen who got away from a crash with a Mosquito alive. These two airmen were taken care of. The then leader of the Thisted District, Colonel Ejby Nielsen told about the further course of events, ”I was advised and ordered that they should be taken to Nykøbing as soon as possible with normal security procedures. There was only one difficulty with this transport. The most convenient route passed the guarded Vildsund Bridge where you normally had to show an identity card. Everything went smoothly.  The two gentlemen were taken over the bridge in a horse-drawn carriage, and the Russians who had the guard duty there were easy to deal with. Later I found out (typical for that time) that my people had not cared to make regular identity cards. Among friends and acquantancies they had found two photos looking more or less like the two men - here definitely less!  I accommodated them at Markvardsen’s Hotel where I was quartered.  The chambermaid thought they were nice guys, but she did not comprehend why it was impossible to make them  say just one word. They only stayed at the hotel for one or two nights. Then they were taken to Nis Schmidt’s house in an allotment garden. In the next days they were the obvious occasion for small parties. I think that we promised them that they could join us to a drop zone to receive weapons, if there was an opportunity during their stay. Unfortunately they did not have that experience.

In the meantime I had contacted our HQ and arranged further transport. The first leg was to Aalborg. They were taken by train via Hvalpsund with a companion . . . the pilots safely reached Sweden, but I do not think they made it to England before the surrender."

Just in April 1945 a number of Allied airmen were helped from Jutland to Sweden. On 11 April two Australian airmen were shipped from Grenaa and on 24 April the airmen Harington and Winwood of the RAF arrived in Sweden after having been picked up in Jutland.”