Germany | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 2041LT on April 16 on an operation to Plzeň. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Hassloch, 20 km southwest of Mannheim. Six crew members were killed and an air gunner became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Kenneth Ernest Webb, pilot, †
Sgt Stanley Braybrook, flight engineer, †
Sgt Kenneth Rees George Williams, navigator, †
Sgt Jack Kay, bomb aimer, †
F/Sgt Allen Roderick Ross, wireless operator, †
Sgt Leslie Bernard Mitchell, air gunner,
F/Sgt Geoffrey Brown, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Kirf: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0210 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 440 Wellington X

Operator:

Registration:

HE547

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Schedule:

Croft - Croft

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The airplane departed RAF Croft 2115LT on April 16 on an operation to Mannheim. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Kirf, 25 km southwest of Trier. The pilot was killed and four other crew members became PoW.
Crew:
F/Sgt Steve Tomyn, pilot,
Sgt Geoffrey William Hall,
Sgt Anthony Frederick Johnson,
Sgt Albert Thomas Symons,
Sgt William Ostaficiuk, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Sankt Thomas: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0151 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 440 Wellington X

Operator:

Registration:

HE591

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Dishforth – Dishforth

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The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2115LT on April 16 on an operation to Mannheim. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Sankt Thomas, 12 km north northeast of Bitburg. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Leslie Thompson, pilot,
W/O John Clayton Kennedy, navigator,
F/O Raymond George Wood, bomb aimer,
Sgt James Parkinson, wireless operator,
W/O Edward Ambrose Whalen, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in Grossbottwar: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0144 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II

Operator:

Registration:

JB800

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse

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The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 2001LT on April 16 on an operation to Plzeň. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Grossbottwar, 17 km south southeast of Heilbronn. Five crew members were killed and two others became PoW.
Crew:
F/Sgt George Clifford Wright, pilot, †
W/O Albert George Charles Read, flight engineer,
F/O Alexander Nicholson Cooper, bomb aimer, †
F/O Harold Eric Smith, bomb aimer, †
F/O James Frederick Webb, wireless operator, †
Sgt Dennis Bert Wombwell, air gunner,
F/Sgt Fraser Allan Robb, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I in Nuremberg: 6 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0128 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 683 Lancaster

Operator:

Registration:

ED379

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Holme-on-Spalding-Moor - Holme-on-Spalding-Moor

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The airplane departed RAF Holme-on-Spalding-Moor at 2121LT on April 16 on an operation to Plzeň. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Dutzendteich, in the southeast suburb of Nuremberg. Six crew members were killed and the wireless operator became PoW.
Crew:
F/Sgt Colin Kerr Menzies, pilot, †
Sgt Harold Albert Upton, flight engineer, †
Sgt Henry Evans, navigator, †
F/O Thomas Maxwell Taylor, bomb aimer, †
Sgt Lionel Green, wireless operator,
F/Sgt James Henry Fitch, air gunner, †
Sgt Jack Monks, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling I in Katzenbach: 6 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0115 LT

Type of aircraft:

Short S.29 Stirling

Operator:

Registration:

W7469

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Schedule:

Newmarket - Newmarket

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The airplane departed RAF Newmarket at 2217LT on April 16 on an operation to Mannheim. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Katzenbach, 23 km north of Kaiserslautern. Six crew members were killed and the flight engineer became PoW.
Crew:
P/O Kevin Frederick Debenham, pilot, †
Sgt Donald Wainwright, flight engineer,
W/O Raymond James Barnes, navigator, †
Sgt David Michael Turner Watts, navigator, †
Sgt Peter Braithwaite Pearson, wireless operator, †
Sgt John Leslie Marlow, air gunner, †
Sgt Jim Jack Davis, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster III in Nalbach: 7 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0110 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 683 Lancaster

Operator:

Registration:

ED564

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Grimsby - Grimsby

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The airplane departed RAF Grimsby at 2120LT on April 16 on an operation to Plzeň. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Nalbach, 21 km northwest of Saarbrücken. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt Robert Eric Milliken, pilot,
Sgt Thomas Evan Jones, flight engineer,
F/Sgt William Harris George, navigator,
P/O William Highmoor Walton, bomb aimer,
Sgt Raymond Edward Joseph Hunt, wireless operator,
Sgt George James Good, air gunner,
Sgt Maxwell Whitby, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Hochspeyer: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0108 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 440 Wellington X

Operator:

Registration:

HE379

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

Burn - Burn

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The airplane departed RAF Burn at 2110LT on April 16 on an operation to Mannheim. Over Kaiserslautern, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Hochspeyer. The air gunner was killed and four other crew members became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Harry Sutterby, pilot,
P/O William Edgar Paton, navigator,
Sgt Ralph Gustav Rudd,
Sgt Peter Francis Cartwright, wireless operator,
Sgt Maurice Richard Hadland, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 440 Wellington X in Lötzbeuren: 2 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0049 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 440 Wellington X

Operator:

Registration:

HE475

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Dishforth – Dishforth

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The airplane departed RAF Dishforth in the evening of April 16 on an operation to Mannheim. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Lötzbeuren. Two crew members were killed and three others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Paul Laurent Bujold, pilot,
Sgt William Harris, navigator,
F/O Harry Gray, bomb aimer, †
Sgt William Frank Redding, wireless operator,
F/Sgt John Maurice Leblanc, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

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

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0034 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 683 Lancaster

Operator:

Registration:

W4942

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Breighton - Breighton

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The airplane departed RAF Breighton at 2106LT on April 16 on an operation to Plzeň. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Horchheim, southwest of Worms. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Sgt John Norman Williams, pilot,
Sgt John Courtney Bell, flight engineer,
F/Sgt Edwin Cyril Ebbott,
F/Sgt Edwin Robert King,
Sgt Leslie Charles Smith, wireless operator,
Sgt Edward John Ablewhite, air gunner,
Sgt Alfred William Clark, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

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