Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I off Gdańsk: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 19, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
R5899
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Location:
Gdańsk
Pomeranian Voivodeship (Pomorskie)
Country:
Poland
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 1910LT on September 18 to lay mines in the Privet area. It was hit by the German Flak at 800 feet off Gdańsk and set on fire. Put down in the sea, though the rear fuselage broke away and sank. The forward section remained afloat for 10 minutes, thus enabling the survivors to reach their dinghy. Two crew members were killed and five others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt E. H. Stamp,
Sgt H. J. Campbell,
P/O F. S. McWhirter,
Sgt G. S. Habkirk,
Sgt F. M. McGregor,
Sgt A. E. Hiscock, †
Sgt R. Payne. †
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I near Datteln: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
R5681
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Location:
Datteln
North Rhine-Westphalia
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 2030LT on September 16 on an operation to Essen. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Datteln, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
P/O W. O. Williams,
Sgt J. R. Roberts,
P/O F. C. Smith,
Sgt E. H. Henderson,
Sgt F. T. P. Jones,
Sgt P. Witcomb,
Sgt B. W. Williams.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I off Zandvoort: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
W4178
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Location:
Zandvoort
North Holland
Country:
Netherlands
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 2020LT on September 16 on an operation to Essen. It crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea off Zandvoort. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Richard Bell,
P/O Robert Fleming Chase,
Sgt Lennox Ashton Crossley,
Sgt Francis Arthur Digby,
P/O Desmond James Downer,
F/Sgt Hubert Clodomir Johnston,
Sgt Alcwyn Williams, air gunner.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I in Laurensberg: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 16, 1942 at 2345 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
W4179
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Location:
Laurensberg
North Rhine-Westphalia
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 2030LT on an operation to Essen. Approaching Aachen, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Laurensberg, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
S/L Cecil Moreton Howell, pilot,
P/O Henry William Long, pilot,
Sgt Leslie Tate, flight engineer,
Sgt Joseph Smillie Balfour, observer,
F/Sgt Terence George Clark, wireless operator,
P/O Michael Joseph O'Sullivan, wireless operator,
P/O John Donald MacLeod, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I in Düsseldorf: 7 killed

Date & Time: Sep 11, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
R5638
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Location:
Düsseldorf
North Rhine-Westphalia
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 2045LT on September 10 on an operation to Düsseldorf. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed near the central station of Düsseldorf. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt A. G. Smith,
Sgt J. Russell,
P/O J. F. Nicolle,
Sgt R. D. McPherson,
Sgt W. M. Andrews,
Sgt A. P. Jamieson,
Sgt Gerald Graham Chalmers.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I off Koksijde: 6 killed

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1942 at 0222 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
R5684
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Location:
Koksijde
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 2120LT on August 24 on an operation to Frankfurt. While returning to base the following night, it crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea off Koksijde. Six crew members were killed and a seventh became PoW.
Crew:
W/O Rodney Frederick Harling Young, pilot, †
Sgt James Canniff, flight engineer, †
Sgt Eric Collingwood, wireless operator, †
F/O Canon Frederick Isaacs, †
Sgt Norman Francis Johnson, wireless operator, †
P/O Stanley Rosenberg, air gunner, †
Sgt Stanley James Livingstone.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I in Düsseldorf: 8 killed

Date & Time: Aug 16, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
R5678
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Location:
Düsseldorf
North Rhine-Westphalia
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 0020LT on an operation to Düsseldorf. Over the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
F/O John Edward Coates, pilot,
F/Sgt James Daniel O'leary Cooney, pilot,
Sgt Thomas Allen Reid, flight engineer,
P/O Andrew Maxwell, observer,
Sgt Charles Albert Holmes, wireless operator,
F/Sgt John Arthur Williams, wireless operator,
Sgt Stanley Topham, air gunner,
Sgt John Dundas Dickie, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I in Waldesch: 7 killed

Date & Time: Aug 12, 1942 at 0130 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
W4109
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Location:
Waldesch
Rhineland-Palatinate
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 2300LT on August 11 on an operation to Mainz. After passing Koblenz, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Waldesch, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
P/O Bernard Edward Grein, pilot,
Sgt Derek Humphrey Glover, flight engineer,
Sgt Howard James, observer,
F/Sgt Henry Wright Shepherd, observer,
F/Sgt Robin William Caskey, wireless operator,
Sgt Stanley Arthur Carter, air gunner,
Sgt John Warren Badley, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Avro 679 Manchester I at RAF Coningsby

Date & Time: Aug 10, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Avro 679 Manchester
Operator:
Registration:
L7431
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Location:
Coningsby AFB
Lincolnshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
For unknown reasons, the crew missed the approach and the aircraft landed very hard. Upon touchdown, all landing gears were torn off and the airplane slid for few dozen metres before coming to rest. While all seven crew members escaped unhurt, the airplane was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
Hard landing.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I in Lövenich: 7 killed

Date & Time: Aug 1, 1942 at 0247 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
R5604
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
Location:
Lövenich
North Rhine-Westphalia
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 0055LT on an operation to Düsseldorf. South of the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Lövenich, some 9 km west of Cologne. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
W/O Peter Ernest Merralls, pilot,
Sgt Henry Elliott Gaskell, flight engineer,
Sgt Kenneth John Cooper, observer,
F/Sgt Arnold George Smith, bomb aimer,
Sgt Ernest Frank Holmes, wireless operator,
Sgt Basil Lionel Ellis-Buxton, air gunner,
Sgt Leslie Thomas Grimshaw, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.
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