Texel Island

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Pocklington - Pocklington

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The airplane departed RAF Pocklington at 0041LT on an operation to Duisburg. Passing along the Dutch coast, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea off Texel Island. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
W/O James George Grainger, pilot,
Sgt. Frederick George Harris, flight engineer,
Sgt Kenneth Oatridge, navigator,
Sgt William Foley, bomb aimer,
Sgt William Alfred Willis, wireless operator,
Sgt Howard Beck, air gunner,
Sgt Thomas Alfred Wells, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Junkers JU.88A-14 off Texel Island: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 9, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.88

Operator:

Registration:

3E+FN

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Military

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Schedule:

Pontoise - Pontoise

MSN:

144514

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Crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea, probably off Texel Island. Lost without trace.
Crew:
Uffz J. Zepf, pilot,
Gefr O. Goritzka, mechanic,
Uffz M. Stieh, observer,
Ogefr G. Kipping, radio operator.

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

Date & Time: Apr 4, 1943 at 0021 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 683 Lancaster

Operator:

Registration:

W4894

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Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Schedule:

Warboys - Warboys

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The airplane departed RAF Warboys at 1948LT on April 3 on an operation to Essen. Shortly after midnight, while returning to base following an uneventful mission and while overflying The Netherlands at night, the airplane was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the Waddenzee, some 15 km east of Texel. All seven crew members were killed. Few debris of the aircraft were found in 1989.
Crew (156th Squadron):
F/Sgt Reginald Anderson Byass, pilot,
Sgt Gilbert Robert Minns, flight engineer,
F/O Gregory James Black, observer,
Sgt Norman Ray Thurecht, bomb aimer,
Sgt Russell Seymour Trigwell, wireless operator,
Sgt Donald Lawrence Robertson, air gunner,
Sgt Stanley Edward Crooks, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II off Texel Island: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 7, 1943 at 2015 LT

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Registration:

DT567

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Snaith - Snaith

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The airplane departed RAF Snaith at 1826LT to lay mines off the Frisian Islands. Along the Dutch coast, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea 5 km north of Texel Island. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Alan Lionel Holmes, pilot,
Sgt Arthur Regent Harding, flight engineer,
Sgt John George Ramshaw, navigator,
P/O Jack Eric Ulrich, bomb aimer,
F/Sgt Robert Edwin Dormon, wireless operator,
Sgt Patrick McAleese, air gunner,
Sgt George Tombe, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster III off Texel: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 5, 1943 at 2248 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 683 Lancaster

Operator:

Registration:

ED431

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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Schedule:

Fiskerton - Fiskerton

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The airplane departed RAF Fiskerton at 1920LT on an operation to Essen. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the North Sea some 15 km west of Texel Island. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew (49th Squadron):
Sgt James Myles Thom, pilot,
Sgt David Gow Fairlie, flight engineer,
F/S John Henry Prior, navigator,
W/O Alexander Manson Horne, bomb aimer,
F/S Kenneth Bolton, wireless operator,
Sgt Douglas Stuart Bratt, air gunner,
Sgt Frank Harry Liddon Vines, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress off Texel Island: 5 killed

Date & Time: Mar 4, 1943 at 1136 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

41-24464

Flight Phase:

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Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Schedule:

Bassingbourn - Bassingbourn

MSN:

3149

YOM:

1942

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The airplane departed RAF Bassingbourn on an operation to Hamm, Germany. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the North Sea some 60 km west of Texel Island. Five crew members were killed and five others were rescued.
Crew:
1st Lt Allen Brill, pilot, †
1st Lt Allan W. Lowry, copilot, †
1st Lt Roland P. Ball, navigator, †
1st Lt Robert F. Brubaker, bombardier,
T/Sgt William G. Dickson, flight engineer,
S/Sgt D. C. Wells, radio operator,
S/Sgt James E. Morgan Jr., air gunner, †
S/Sgt James M. Bechtel, air gunner, †
Sgt L. W. Wolfington, air gunner,
T/Sgt J. L. Baker, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-50-BO Flying Fortress off Texel Island: 9 killed

Date & Time: Mar 4, 1943 at 1134 LT

Type of aircraft:

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Registration:

42-5370

Flight Phase:

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Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Schedule:

Bassingbourn - Bassingbourn

MSN:

3909

YOM:

1942

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The airplane departed RAF Bassingbourn on an operation to Hamm, Germany. Over the Netherlands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into Waddenzee some 10 km east of Texel Island. Nine crew members were killed and one became PoW.
Crew:
1st Lt Harold H. Henderson, pilot, †
2nd Lt Leslie B. Zubiri, copilot, †
2nd Lt James S. La Rock, navigator, †
1st Lt Williiam J. B. Simpson, bombardier, †
T/Sgt R. E. Nettles, flight engineer,
T/Sgt Edward Corrigan, radio operator, †
Sgt John F. Howorusz, air gunner, †
S/Sgt James D. Burton Jr., air gunner, †
Sgt Hymen Phillips, air gunner, †
S/Sgt Donald L. Marx, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling I off Texel Island: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 3, 1943 at 2232 LT

Type of aircraft:

Short S.29 Stirling

Operator:

Registration:

N6123

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Site:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Schedule:

Newmarket - Newmarket

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The airplane departed RAF Newmarket at 2003LT on a mine laying operation. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea some 20 km west of Texel Island. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Raymond Cyril Going, pilot,
Sgt Emrys Herbert Weaver, flight engineer,
P/O Arthur Mervyn Bridgman, navigator,
F/Sgt Frederick Arthur William Willis, bomb aimer,
Sgt Kenneth Cedric Eyre, wireless operator,
Sgt Francis Barkhouse Stewart, air gunner,
Sgt Clarence Sydney Burton, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II off Texel Island: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 2, 1943 at 0105 LT

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Registration:

DT767

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