Zone
Finistère

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-20-VE Flying Fortress off Brest: 10 killed

Date & Time: May 1, 1943 at 1354 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Operator:
Registration:
42-5784
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Thurleigh - Thurleigh
MSN:
17-6080
YOM:
1943
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
9
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Thurleigh on an operation to Saint-Nazaire. While returning to base in the afternoon, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea off Brest. All 10 crew members were killed.
Crew:
1st Lt Bart Wigginton, pilot,
1st Lt Ralph L. Denny, copilot,
S/Sgt John M. Cybulski, flight engineer,
Sgt Abraham L. Cogen, radio operator,
2nd Lt Robert C. Farmer, navigator,
2nd Lt David J. Nordberg, bombardier,
Sgt William J. Dyakovich, air gunner,
Sgt Robert W. Gordon, air gunner,
Sgt Cleston K. Harrison, air gunner,
Sgt Ralph W. Wallace, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Lockheed PV-1 Ventura II off Brest: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed PV-1 Ventura
Operator:
Registration:
AE852
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Portreath - Portreath
MSN:
4295
YOM:
1942
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Portreath at 1649LT to attack an oil tanker at Brest (Operation Ramrod 63). Over the target area, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea some 30 km off Brest, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
Sgt Eric James Andrew, pilot,
F/Sgt Gerald Baird McKennie,
F/Sgt Joseph Stanley Laidlaw,
Sgt George Charles Garner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Lockheed PV-1 Ventura I off Brest: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 5, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed PV-1 Ventura
Operator:
Registration:
AE715
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Portreath - Portreath
MSN:
4058
YOM:
1942
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Portreath at 1641LT to attack an oil tanker at Brest (Operation Ramrod 63). While leaving the area, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea off Brest. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Melvyn Alexander McDonald, pilot,
F/O Lloyd George Girty,
Sgt Robert Clifton Milliken,
F/Sgt Bruce Herbert May.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 424 Wellington IV off Brest: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jan 29, 1943
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 424 Wellington IV
Operator:
Registration:
Z1415
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Hemswell - Hemswell
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Hemswell at 1614LT to lay mines off Lorient. Passing over Brest, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into sea off the city. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O Adam Pankiewicz, pilot,
Sgt Edmund Jerzy Malinowski, navigator,
Sgt Tadeusz Glowczynski, radio operator,
F/O Tolimir Władysław Kozlowski, observer,
Sgt Wiktor Sroka, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress off Brest

Date & Time: Oct 21, 1942 at 1300 LT
Type of aircraft:
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Operator:
Registration:
41-24443
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Polebrook - Polebrook
MSN:
3128
YOM:
1942
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Polebrook on an operation to Lorient. While cruising at an altitude of 13,000 feet just below the cloud layer, it was attacked by a German fighter and the German Flak that shot away one engine, the ball turret, the top turret, the intercom system and the elevator controls. The airplane was ditched into the sea some 15 km off Brest and floated for about 30 seconds. All 10 crew members were rescued by a French fishing boat and turned over to the Germans as PoW. The airplane sank and was lost.
Crew:
1st Lt Milton Stenstrom, pilot,
1st Lt Robert L. Carlberg, copilot,
1st Lt Harold Spire, navigator,
1st Lt Ewart T. Sconiers, bomb aimer,
T/Sgt Roy T. Nalley, flight engineer,
S/Sgt William A. Adams, radio operator,
Sgt William E. Schimke, air gunner,
Sgt Thomas C. Calhoun, air gunner,
Sgt John M. Hughes, air gunner,
Sgt James C. Simmons, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter and the German Flak.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V off Brest

Date & Time: Aug 13, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley
Operator:
Registration:
Z9300
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Saint Eval - Saint Eval
MSN:
2364
YOM:
1941
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF St Eval on a seven-and-a-half hour patrol flight over the Atlantic Ocean. The port engine failed, forcing the crew to ditch the airplane off Brest. All five crew members were able to get into the dinghy and were picked up by a Royal Navy destroyer three days later.
Crew:
Sgt F. Boyd,
Sgt W. G. Wishart,
Sgt T. Parker
Sgt R. F. Crouch
Sgt A. J. Hendry.
Probable cause:
Failure of the left engine in flight.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley VII off Brest: 6 killed

Date & Time: Mar 27, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley
Operator:
Registration:
Z6964
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Thorney Island - Thorney Island
MSN:
2981
YOM:
1941
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Thorney Island on an operation to Brest. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed into the sea off Pointe des Espagnols, southwest of Brest. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O William Desmond Stuart Bow, pilot,
P/O Douglas Murray Stein, pilot,
F/O John Wheatley Goldsmith Potter, observer,
Sgt Leonard Kitchener Newman, wireless operator,
Sgt Harold Malcolm Tookey, wireless operator,
Sgt Douglas Arthur Young, wireless operator.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Brest: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 31, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden
Operator:
Registration:
AT149
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
North Luffenham - North Luffenham
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF North Luffenham on an operation to Brest. It crashed for unknown reason while approaching the target area, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
W/O Arthur Norman Mowlam, pilot,
Sgt George James Linegar, observer,
Sgt William Black, wireless operator,
Sgt Clarence James Stringer, wireless operator.

Crash of an Avro 679 Manchester I off Brest: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 18, 1941 at 1403 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 679 Manchester
Operator:
Registration:
R5795
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Waddington - Waddington
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Waddington at 0934LT on an operation to Brest. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by a Me.109 and crashed into the sea some 7 km off Brest. Four crew members were killed and three others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt John Robert Conn, †
Sgt George Gardiner Fell, †
Sgt Morton Ralph Heinish, †
P/O Neville George Stokes, †
Sgt Isaac Hewitt,
Sgt Gwynne Pryce Thomas,
Sgt Thomas Michael Wade.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling I off Brest: 8 killed

Date & Time: Dec 18, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Short S.29 Stirling
Operator:
Registration:
W7428
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Wyton - Wyton
Location:
Brest
Finistère
Country:
France
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Wyton on an operation to Brest. Over the target area, it was shot down by a Me.109, caught fire and crashed into the sea. All eight crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O Gordon Bunce,
P/O Roland Niall Chancellor,
Sgt David Ferguson,
Sgt Kenneth Ainslie Jeffreys,
Sgt Patrick George Osman,
F/Sgt James Lloyd Ruthven,
Sgt Robert Shearer,
F/Sgt Wilfred Wooldridge.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.
Subscribe to Brest