ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 302672
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| Date: | Thursday 27 April 1944 |
| Time: | 21:07 |
| Type: |  Consolidated B-24H-15-CF Liberator |
| Owner/operator: | 706th BSqn /449th BGp USAAF |
| Registration: | 41-29543 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 10 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Foreness Point, Palm Bay, Cliftonville, Margate, Kent, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Wendling, Beeston, Norfolk |
| RAF Manston, Ramsgate, Kent |
On the 27th April 1944, two B-24 Mark H Liberator aircraft of the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) returning from different pre-D-Day raids over France, attempted to make emergency landings at RAF Manston.
The first aircraft, 41-29509/'RT-E' of the 578th Bombardment Squadron of the 392nd Bombardment Group (‘The Crusaders’) based at Wendling in Suffolk made a forced landing at 6:20 PM in shallow water at Westgate on Sea after being damaged by anti aircraft fire over Dunkerque.
Shortly after this incident at 9:07pm, a second B-24H Liberator (41-29543) crashed at Foreness Point. This had flown 9 missions. It crashed while returning from a mission to bomb marshalling yards at Blainville in Nazi occupied France. 8 of 10 men aboard were killed with two having parachuted to safety just before the crash. They were picked up by the Margate lifeboat, Lord Southborough.
Aircraft flak damaged and 2 engines out, Aircraft collided with cliff tops at Palm Bay, Cliftonville, Margate, Kent. As two crew members baled out, the pilot must have known it was going to be a close call as to whether they would clear the cliffs or not. Trooper Frank Lomas and his officer Lt London saw the crash and ran to the beach and swam out fully clothed to affect a rescue, as one of the crew was entangled in his parachute lines. They kept his head out of the water until the Margate life craft arrived on scene. For his actions Trooper Lomas was awarded the British Empire Medal.
Crew of B-24H 41-29543:
Pilot 1 LT. Harold. J. Larson K.I.A
Bombadier 1 LT. Clifford. L .Denning K.I.A
Navigator 1 LT. George.M. Hafner K.I.A
Co-Pilot 1 LT. Claude.C. Lanphere K.I.A
Gunner SGT. Louis Bart K.I.A
Gunner SGT. Willburn .L.Holt K.I.A
Gunner SGT. Orval .B.Scott K.I.A
Gunner SGT. Melvin .E.Warren K.I.A
Turret Gunner SGT. Edward Hilgeman Survived
Radio Op SGT. Carl Smith Survived
A memorial plaque was erected by the Margate Charter Trustees to coincide with a Service of Remembrance at the Westgate-on-Sea war memorial, on the morning of 27 April 2010, in the presence of Mark Jacob Weinheimer, Anne Keese, Joan Ries and Dona Cox, children of the pilot of the aircraft and in the presence of one of his father’s rescuers as well as an Honour Guard from USAF Mildenhall and the United States military attaché Lt Col Jeff Price. The wording on tyhe plaque reads as follows:
"B24 – LIBERATOR
On the 27th April 1944, two mission-damaged B-24 Mark H Liberator aircraft of the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) returning from different pre-D-Day Raids over France, attempted to make emergency landings at RAF Manston, but crashed as night fell along the Thanet Coast in the same hour. This memorial serves as a tribute to all allied pilots and crew, who gave their lives in the Second World War in the struggle against fascism.
The pilots of both aircraft were recognised for their bravery and skill in avoiding the towns of Margate and Westgate and one aircraft, No. 41-29509 of the 578th Bombardment Squadron of the 392nd Bombardment Group [The Crusaders] based at Wendling in Suffolk made a forced landing at 6.20 pm in shallow water at Westgate-on-Sea near this memorial, shortly afterwards the second aircraft, No. 41-29543, piloted by 1st Lt. Harold J. Larson from the 706th Bombardment Squadron of the 449th Bombardment Group [The Bungay Buckaroos] based at Flixton, collided with the clifftop at Foreness Bay in Cliftonville and was totally destroyed on its mission.
This plaque remembers that evening in 1944, the events that took place along our shore and those brave servicemen of the United States Army Airforce, who died in both crashes while trying to reach safety following their missions over occupied Europe.
This Plaque was dedicated by the Margate Charter Trustees 27th April 2010.
__________________________
AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN AND IN THE MORNING WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"
Sources:
1. https://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=1971.0
2. https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/george-m-hafner
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) file WO-373-68-646: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7378765
4. https://www.aviationmuseum.net/706BS.htm
5. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1941_4.html
6. https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/146248-b24h-liberators-x2-within-an-hour-of-each-other-1944-d-day
7. http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=&content=B-24
8. https://themilitarianetwork.co.uk/crash-u-s-f-liberator-bomber-1944/
9. https://www.b24.net/2ndADA-Newsletters/1998-Winter.pdf
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Bay,_Kent
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