Cromer

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Site:

Vickers 424 Wellington IV

Schedule:

Newmarket - Newmarket

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The airplane departed RAF Newmarket at 1943LT on a mine laying operation off the Frisian Islands. While returning to base in the late evening and approaching the British coast at an altitude of 1,500 feet, it caught fire and crashed into the sea some 3 km off Cromer. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt R. E. Redding, pilot,
Sgt R. C. Legge,
Sgt A. J. D. Barton,
Sgt H. Dennis,
Sgt C. G. Phillips,
Sgt Wesley William Wilson,
Sgt P. P. D. Freeman, air gunner.

Probable cause:

In-flight fire of undetermined reason.

Crash of a Vickers 424 Wellington IV off Cromer: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 10, 1942 at 2155 LT

Type of aircraft:

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Registration:

R1695

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Site:

Vickers 406 Wellington II

Schedule:

Breighton - Breighton

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The airplane departed RAF Breighton at 2022LT on an operation to Düsseldorf. It suffered an engine failure and crashed into the sea some 24 km north of Cromer. Three crew members were killed and two others were injured.
Crew:
Sgt J. C. Pearson, †
Sgt L. M. J. Evans,
P/O E. C. Parton, †
Sgt R. W. Lawton,
Sgt J. H. Murphy. †

Probable cause:

Engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Vickers 406 Wellington II off Cromer: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 5, 1942 at 0230 LT

Type of aircraft:

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Registration:

Z8595

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Site:

Vickers 417 Wellington III

Schedule:

Binbrook - Binbrook

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The airplane departed RAF Binbrook at 0025LT on an operation to Bremen. Approaching the Dutch coast, the crew encountered engine problems and decided to return to base. Despite getting rid of the bomb load, height could not be maintained and the airplane crashed at 0230LT into the North Sea some 32 km off Cromer. Four crew members were killed and the pilot was rescued.
Crew:
Sgt T. C. Smith, pilot,
Sgt Stanley Bland, †
F/Sgt Russel Wilbert Lewis Mills, †
P/O Arthur Sidney Needham, †
Sgt Frank Smith. †

Probable cause:

Engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III off Cromer: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 18, 1942 at 2330 LT

Type of aircraft:

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Registration:

Z1562

Flight Phase:

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Site:

Vickers 406 Wellington II

Schedule:

Mildenhall - Mildenhall

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The airplane departed RAF Mildenhall at 2309LT to lay mines off the Frisian Islands. It is believed that it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed into the sea off Cromer, Norfolk. Lost without trace.
Crew:
F/Sgt Frank Pikula, pilot,
W/O Kenneth Lendon McDowell, navigator,
Sgt Gordon Clelland, wireless operator,
Sgt William Thomson, wireless operator,
Sgt Walter Hopkins Webster, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Vickers 406 Wellington II off Cromer

Date & Time: Apr 11, 1942 at 0310 LT

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Registration:

W5519

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Schedule:

Lindholme - Lindholme

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The airplane departed RAF Lindholme at 2223LT on an operation to Essen. After being badly damaged by a German fighter near the Dutch coast, the crew decided to return to base but was eventually forced to ditch the airplane off Cromer. All six crew members were injured and rescued.
Crew:
F/O Tadeusz Mieczysław Czołowski, pilot,
Sgt Brunon Maleika, pilot,
F/O Jan Jezycki, observer,
Sgt Marian Zajac, wireless operator,
Sgt Czesław Poniatowski, air gunner,
Sgt Kazimierz Wziątek, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Junkers JU.88D-1 off Cromer: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1942 at 0901 LT

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.88

Operator:

Registration:

S4+CK

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Site:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Schedule:

Leeuwarden - Leeuwarden

MSN:

1159

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The airplane departed Leeuwarden Airport on an operation to England. Approximately 20 miles northeast off the coast of Norfolk, while flying in heavy snow falls, it was approaching the HMT Flydea that was on patrol when it crashed into the sea. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Uffz Alois Orth, pilot,
Ogfr Fritz Eckhardt, observer,
Uffz Adolf Betz, radio operator,
Ogfr Gerhard Bardeleben, air gunner.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC off Cromer: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 26, 1941 at 2210 LT

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Registration:

W5720

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Lindholme - Lindholme

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The airplane departed RAF Lindholme at 1755LT on an operation to Hamburg. While returning to base in the evening, it suffered an engine failure and ditched in the sea some 12 miles off Cromer. A crew was killed and five others were rescued.
Crew:
F/O S. Stenocki, †
P/O E. A. Ladro,
P/O T. S. Skarzynski,
F/O Z. B. Sokolowski,
P/O T. Krzywon,
P/O L. K. Assmann.

Probable cause:

Failure of the port engine while approaching the British coast at night.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV off Cromer: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

R3814

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

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Site:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Schedule:

Upwood - Upwood

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The crew was completing a navigational exercise out from RAF Upwood. In unknown circumstances, the airplane crashed into the sea off Cromer. Two crew members were killed and a third was injured.
Crew:
Sgt Dennis Henry Farley, pilot, †
F/Sgt William Frederick Jeffery, observer, †
Sgt T. F. Heron, wireless operator.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I off Cromer

Date & Time: Sep 12, 1941

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Registration:

AD981

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