Villeneuve-les-Vertus

The crew left Villeneuve-les-Vertus Airfield at 1640LT bound for RAF Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, with three other similar aircraft in a V formation. After crossing The Channel and flying over England, the weather conditions worsened and the crew encountered poor visibility. The captain decided to reduce his altitude from 1,500 feet to 1,200 feet. Few seconds later, he descended 200 feet more when the aircraft struck the Leith Hill and was destroyed. All five crew members were killed. Two other aircraft in the formation crashed at the same time, in the same area and in similar circumstances.

The crew left Villeneuve-les-Vertus Airfield at 1640LT bound for RAF Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, with three other similar aircraft in a V formation. After crossing The Channel and flying over England, the weather conditions worsened and the crew encountered poor visibility. The captain decided to reduce his altitude from 1,500 feet to 1,200 feet. Few seconds later, he descended 200 feet more when the aircraft struck the Leith Hill and was destroyed. Three crew members were killed while two others were injured. Two other aircraft in the formation crashed at the same time, in the same area and in similar circumstances.

The crew left Villeneuve-les-Vertus Airfield at 1640LT bound for RAF Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, with three other similar aircraft in a V formation. After crossing The Channel and flying over England, the weather conditions worsened and the crew encountered poor visibility. The captain decided to reduce his altitude from 1,500 feet to 1,200 feet. Few seconds later, he descended 200 feet more when the aircraft struck the Leith Hill and was destroyed. All five crew members were killed. Two other aircraft in the formation crashed at the same time, in the same area and in similar circumstances.

The crew was returning to his base in Villeneuve-les-Vertus following a leaflets dropping mission over Frankfurt. En route, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field located in Bouxurulles, 6 km southwest of Charmes. All five crewmen were killed.
Crew:
S/L James Aldo Bartlett, pilot,
Sgt Richard Walsh, pilot,
AC1 Harry Laybourne, wireless operator and gunner,
AC1 Harry Taylor, wireless operator and gunner,
Sgt Charles Thomas, observer.

The aircraft departed Villeneuve-les-Vertus at the end of the day bound for Frankfurt on the 'Nickel' mission (leaflet dropping). While overflying east part of France, the crew encountered severe icing conditions and an engine fired. The captain attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crash landed in a field. The airplane was damaged beyond repair and all five crewmen were unhurt.
Crew (51st Squadron):
F/A J. H. P. Wynton,
Sgt D. C. Hide,
Sgt W. Foster,
Cpl E. Short,
AC1 A. J. Heller.

The aircraft departed Villeneuve-les-Vertus at the end of the day. Few hours later, it crash landed in Triaucourt-en-Argonne, 17 km north of Revigny. All five crewmen of the 51st Squadron were slightly injured. The exact circumstances of the accident remains unknown.

The aircraft departed Villeneuve-les-Vertus at 1805LT on 27 October, taking part to the operation 'Nickel' over Munich. On the return flight, while overflying the east part of France at night and in severe icing conditions, the captain instructed the crew to abandon the aircraft. Four crewmen bailed out while the air gunner did not hear the order and was still in his turret when the aircraft crashed in an open field. The air gunner was slightly injured while all four other crew were unhurt.
Crew (51st Squadron):
Sgt T. W. Bowles,
Sgt A. A. Emery,
Sgt E. J. Barber,
AC1 R. Jackson,
Sgt A. Griffin, air gunner, injured.

The airplane departed Villeneuve-les-Vertus at 1850LT on October 15 with Munich as target (leaflet dropping mission). En route, the aircraft went off course and was overflying Frankfurt at night when it was shot down by the German Flak. The crew attempted to make an emergency landing in a field when the aircraft crashed in Geinsheim am Rhein, about 30 km southwest of Frankfurt. Four crew members became PoW and the captain was killed.
Crew (77th Squadron):
F/O Roland Williams, pilot, †
LAC Reginald Enrath Fletcher,
Cpl A. R. Gunston,
Sgt James William Lambert,
F/O John Tilsley.

The twin engine airplane departed Villeneuve-les-Vertus Airfield on a reconnaissance mission over the Ruhr. En route, the airplane was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Kenneth George Sheldon Thompson, pilot,
Sgt George Walton Marwood, observer,
AC1 Alexander Lumsden, wireless operator and air gunner.