Herbert Bell                                                                                       Updated: 04 OCT 2021

Airman: v999088.htm Surname: Bell Init: H Rank: Sgt Service: RAF Sqdn: 460

P_link: p218.htm Plane: LAN W4988 Operation: Bomb G Crash_site: NW of Helsingborg

Crash_d: d040943 Buried_d: v999 C_link: v999.htm At_Next: EVD to S

Den 4. september 1943 styrtede LAN W4988 ned ved Laröd som er her 5 km NNV for Helsingborg i Sverige på tilbagevejen fra et bombetogt til Berlin.
Den korte version:
Flyet faldt fra hinanden i 200 fods højde og vragstykker blev spredt over et stort område. F/O Greenway sprang ud med faldskærm over Tyskland og blev taget til fange.
F/Sgt Ward, Sgt O’Brien og Sgt Johns landede alle i Danmark. To førstnævnte blev taget til fange af tyskerne, men Sgt Johns klarede at flygte til Sverige.
F/Sgt Conway druknede, mens F/O Randall og Sgt Bell blev samlet op af en svensk trawler og blev interneret.

Den 29. september 1943 blev F/O Randall og Sgt Bell repatrieret til England. (Sendt tilbage som led i udveksling af syge fanger, nok arrangeret af Svensk Røde Kors.) Kilde: p218MACR – rapport om savnet besætning.
Se også fra den lange version: "Piloten Randall, navigatøren, F/ Sgt Norman James Conway og mid-upper gunner, Sgt. Herbert Bell, sprang alle tre ud med faldskærm over Øresund. Conway's faldskærm foldede sig ikke ud og han blev dræbt. Hans lig er aldrig blevet fundet. Randall og Bell blev samlet op af et svensk marinefartøj og efter nogle ugers ophold i interneringslejren i Framby, returnerede de til England den 29. september 1943. Randall fik tildelt Distinguished Flying Cross, medens Johns og Bell fik tildelt Distinguished Flying Medal."

1 flyver fra LAN W4988 har ingen kendt grav og 3 flyvere blev krigsfanger og blev taget til Tyske krigsfangelejre. 3 flyvere blev ført til Sverige. Se Lancaster fotos. 7 flyvere.

On 4 September 1943 LAN W4988 crashed near Laröd which is here 5 km NNW of Helsingborg, Sweden on the return flight from a bombing raid on Berlin.
The short version:
Aircraft disintegrated at 200 feet, wreckage spread over wide area. F/O Greenway bailed out over Germany and was captured.

F/Sgt Ward, Sgt O’Brien and Sgt Johns all landed in Denmark. The first mentioned were taken prisoners by the Germans, but Sgt Johns managed to escape to
Sweden. F/Sgt  Conway drowned, whereas F/O Randall and Sgt Bell were picked up by a Swedish trawler and became interned.

On 29 September 1943 F/O Randall and Sgt Bell  were repatriated to England. (A number of times severely injured POWs were exchanged via the Swedish Red Cross) Source: p218MACR.
See also from the long version: "Pilot F/O Randall, Navigator F/ Sgt Norman James Conway and Mid Upper Gunner Sgt. Herbert Bell all bailed out over the Øresund. Conway’s parachute failed to open up and he was killed. His body has never been found. Randall and Bell were picked up by a Swedish naval vessel, and after some weeks in the internment camp Framby they returned to England on 29 September. Randall was awarded DFC, the Distinguished Flying Cross while Johns and Bell were awarded DFM, the Distinguished Flying Medal."

1 airman from
LAN W4988 has no known grave. 3 airman became POWs and they were taken to German POW-Camps. 3 airmen were taken to Sweden.

See No. 460 Squadron RAAF - Wikipedia * 460 Squadron RAAF * Lancaster photos * p218MACR.
Lancaster III W4988 AR-Q took off from RAF Binbrook at 1957 hrs on 03 SEP 1943. (Source: Aircrew Remembered has this.)  7 airmen.