Royal Air Force - RAF | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 2115LT on April 16 on an operation to Plzeň. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Goyencourt, killing all seven crew members.
Crew:
Sgt William Illingworth, pilot,
Sgt Ronald Woodhall, flight engineer,
Sgt Clifford George West, navigator,
F/O Herbert Donald Dixon, bomb aimer,
Sgt Edwin Gordon Thomas, wireless operator,
Sgt Sydney William Patton, air gunner,
Sgt David Aubrey Watkins, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Septmonts: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0213 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 417 Wellington III

Operator:

Registration:

BK162

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

East Moor - East Moor

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The airplane departed RAF East Moor at 2123LT on April 16 on an operation to Mannheim. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Septmonts. Five crew members were killed and one evaded.
Crew:
S/L Frederick Arthur Holmes, pilot, †
Sgt J. R. Milne,
F/O John McMaster, navigator, †
F/Sgt Douglas Samuel Ritchie, bomb aimer, †
F/Sgt George Gill, wireless operator, †
F/Lt Gerald Alfred Lunn, air gunner. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling III in Commenchon

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0212 LT

Type of aircraft:

Short S.29 Stirling

Operator:

Registration:

BK725

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Schedule:

Ridgewell - Ridgewell

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The airplane departed RAF Ridgewell at 2200LT on April 16 on an operation to Mannheim. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Commenchon. All seven crew members parachuted to safety, six evaded and the pilot became PoW.
Crew:
P/O Peter Dunk White, pilot,
Sgt Wallace E. Phillips, pilot,
Sgt A. Smith, flight engineer,
P/O Stanley Ford Everiss, navigator,
P/O Donald Graham Ross, bomb aimer,
Sgt Reginald George Gaisford, wireless operator,
Sgt John B. Ford, air gunner,
Sgt W. J. Fitzgerald, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

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

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0210 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 683 Lancaster

Operator:

Registration:

R5622

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Wyton - Wyton

Location:

Dobřany

Plzeň Region (Plzeňský kraj)

Country:

Czech Republic

Region:

Europe

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The airplane departed RAF Wyton at 2129LT on April 16 on an operation to Plzeň. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Dobřany, 10 km southwest of Plzeň. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Frank Cyril Milton, pilot,
F/Sgt Roy Beaven, flight engineer,
F/O Norman Milton McLellan, navigator,
F/Lt Walter Basil Wells, navigator,
Sgt Alex Podolsky, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Jack Rodgers, air gunner,
Sgt Maurice Kleinhorn, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

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 Couvron-et-Aumencourt: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 0209 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 440 Wellington X

Operator:

Registration:

HE387

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Leconfield - Leconfield

Location:

Couvron-et-Aumencourt

Aisne

Country:

France

Region:

Europe

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The airplane departed RAF Leconfield at 2109LT on April 16 on an operation to Mannheim. While returning to base the following night, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Couvron-et-Aumencourt. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Ivor Malcolm Payne Morgan, pilot,
F/Sgt Roy Hill, navigator,
F/O Albert William Arnold Trevarthen, bomb aimer,
Sgt Norman Bruce, wireless operator,
Sgt Leslie Pickford, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

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:

Survivors:

Site:

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

Flight Phase:

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Schedule:

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

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

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.

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