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.
|