Frank W. Fuller                                                                                      Updated: 10 SEP 2018

Airman: v996093.htm Surname: Fuller Init: FW Rank: F/Sgt Service: RAF Sqdn: 295

P_link: p429r.htm Plane: STI LK567 Operation: Drop in DK Crash_site: Plougslund Mose

Crash_d: d270445 Buried_d: v996 C_link: v996.htm At_Next: EVD in DK

STI LK567 nødlandede omkring her den 27. april 1945 nær det monument, der blev rejst i 1995. 
Adskillige RAF-våbenfly fløj med våbenforsyninger til Danmark denne nat.
STI LK567 så ingen lys fra den nedkastningsplads ved Faaborg (her), som flyet cirklede over. Flyet påbegyndte hjemturen og passerede Vandel Flyveplads (her). Pludselig åbnede flakskyts ild, og de to inderste motorer samt benzintankene blev ramt, og en voldsom brand brød ud.

Efter en nødlanding lykkedes det F/Sgt (Flight Engineer) Ronald Francis Day og F/Sgt (Rear Gunner) Edward Tate at komme fri af flyet. På trods af at Day havde beskadiget sin hånd, lykkedes det dem at trække den hårdt sårede F/Sgt (Bomb Aimer) John Ayers ud af flammerne, men de var nødt til at skynde sig væk, da tyskerne hurtigt nærmede sig. Ved Vorbasse (her) kom de i kontakt med venligtsindede danskere, og senere blev de flyttet til Vejle, hvor de oplevede befrielsen.
F/Sgt Ayres blev ført til det tyske lazaret i Fredericia (her) hvor han døde den 30. april. (Se mere ved Ayers om hans begravelse.)

W/O (Pilot) Edward A. Dax, F/Sgt (Navigator) Thomas Jones og F/Sgt (Wireless Operator) Frank William Fuller kom også fri af flyet, men til modsat side. De troede at de andre var omkommet i flammerne, og de forsvandt ud over markerne. Via Vorbasse kom de til Bække (her) hvor de var med til at fejre befrielsen. (Kilde: FT 91-10-55) Den tyske overgivelse blev oplyst i radioen fra BBC kl. 20.35 den 4. maj 1945.

Se også Skudt ned, overlevet og gift i 70 år (pdf 7.4 MB) af N.M. Schaiffel-Nielsen 10. december 2016.  6 flyvere.

STI LK567 made a forced landing about here on 27 April 1945 near the monument which was erected in 1995.
This night several planes from the RAF flew with supplies of weapons to Denmark.
STI LK567 saw no lights from the drop zone at Faaborg (here) over which the plane circled. The plane started the return flight and passed Vandel Airfield (here). Suddenly flak opened fire and the two inner engines and the fuel tanks were hit causing a vehement fire.

After the forced landing F/Sgt (Flight Engineer) Ronald Francis Day and F/Sgt (Rear Gunner) Edward Tate managed to get out of the plane. Day had hurt a hand, but they managed to pull the severely injured F/Sgt (Bomb Aimer) John Ayers out of the flame. They had to hurry away, however, as the Germans were approaching fast. F/Sgt Ayers was taken to the German Army hospital in Fredericia (here) where he died on 30 April. (More at Ayers about his funeral.)

W/O (Pilot) Edward A. Dax, F/Sgt (Navigator) Thomas Jones and F/Sgt (Wireless Operator) Frank William Fuller also got out of the plane, but at the opposite side. They thought that the others had perished in the flames, and they disappeared across the fields. Via Vorbasse they came to Bække (here) where they took part in the celebrations of the liberation. (Source: FT 91-10-55) The German surrender was announced in the BBC news at 20.35 on 4 May 1945.

See No. 295 Squadron RAF. See also  295 Squadron in Unit Histories. This Stirling took off from RAF Rivenhall.  6 airmen.