Saint-Omer | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane departed RAF Oulton at 1256LT on an operation to Saint-Omer. Over the target area, it crashed in unknown circumstances near the Saint-Omer Airfield and was destroyed. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O Donald Kenneth Hulme, pilot,
Sgt Leonard Charles Willey, navigator,
Sgt Eric Bradley, wireless operator and air gunner.

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress off Saint-Omer: 6 killed

Date & Time: Oct 9, 1942 at 1200 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Operator:

Registration:

41-9018

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Bovingdon - Bovingdon

MSN:

2490

YOM:

1941

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The airplane departed RAF Bovingdon at 0900LT to attack the Compagnie de Fives steel plant in Lille. While returning to base, it was shot down by a German fighter. Three crew members were able to bail out from an altitude of 18,000 feet while six others were killed when the airplane crashed in flames into The Channel some 8 km north of Saint-Omer.
Crew:
1st Lt Francis H. Chorak, pilot, †
2nd Lt Joseph J. Fracchia, copilot,
S/Sgt Donald E. Buckland, radio operator, †
S/Sgt John J. Dolan, radio operator, †
S/Sgt Paul E. Gordon, mechanic, †
M/Sgt James E. Lane, mechanic, †
2nd Lt Grady Wayne Roper, navigator,
2nd Lt Charles G. Kolodzinski, bomb aimer,
S/Sgt Malcolm Culpepper, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Saint-Omer

Date & Time: Aug 7, 1941 at 0555 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 416 Wellington IC

Operator:

Registration:

Z8704

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Schedule:

Feltwell - Feltwell

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The airplane departed RAF Feltwell at 2225LT on August 6 on an operation to Mannheim. It was shot down by enemy fire and crashed near Saint-Omer in the early morning of the following day. All six crew members became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Basil Cleaver,
Sgt Norman Charles Davies,
Sgt Eric Lloyd,
Sgt Raymond Parish,
Sgt Michael Picton Whitworth,
Sgt D. McCraig.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Saint-Omer: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jun 21, 1941 at 1335 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

V6450

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

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Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Watton - Watton

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The airplane departed RAF Watton at 1315LT to attack the airport of Saint-Omer. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by an Me.109 and crashed. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Peter Brown, pilot,
Sgt Leslie Redvers Wilson, observer,
Sgt Maurice Dudley Brooker, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV near Saint-Omer: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 28, 1940 at 1400 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L8744

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Watton - Watton

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The airplane departed RAF Watton at 1230LT on a bombing mission over Clairmarais. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in the Clairmarais Forest located about four km east of Saint-Omer. A crew was killed and two others were injured.
Crew:
Sgt R. G. Bailes, pilot,
Sgt Arnold Edward Desmond Twamley, observer,
AC1 S. C. Thompson, wireless operator and air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Saint-Omer

Date & Time: May 23, 1940

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

R3691

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Schedule:

Poix-Croixrault - Poix-Croixrault

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The crew bailed out and abandoned the airplane that crashed in Saint-Omer. All three crew members became PoW.
Crew:
F/O S. G. L. Pepys, pilot,
Sgt A. J. Haygteen, observer,
AC2 H. Spear, wireless operator and air gunner.