Accident Vickers Wellington Mk IA N2888,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 141368
 
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Date:Monday 18 December 1939
Time:12:30 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic well model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Vickers Wellington Mk IA
Owner/operator:37 Sqn RAF
Registration: N2888
MSN: LF-A
Fatalities:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:off Borkum Island -   Germany
Phase: Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Feltwell, Thetford, Norfolk
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating: Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources
Narrative:
Wellington N2888 failed to return from an operational flight, believed to have crashed at sea, 18 December 1939. Shot down by Me 110 during raid on Wilhelmshaven. 12 out of 22 Wellingtons shot down on this mission.

Crew of Wellington N2888
Flight Lieutenant P A Wimberley: prisoner of war.
Pilot Officer M Radcliffe,
Aircraftman 1st Class A M Hill,
Acting Sergeant L A Sheppard and
Leading Aircraftman A W W Lane:

All but Wimberely were posted as "missing presumed dead"; according to a published account on the demise of Wellington N2888 (see link #4)

"Oberstleutnant Schumacher personally shot down F/O Lewis whose N2889 ploughed into the mudflats off Spiekeroog leaving no survivors before moving in on Flying Officer Wimberley and heavily damaging his aircraft too. Leutnant Lent then closed in on F/O Wimberley and fired a coup d’grace into the stricken N2888 which came down onto the sea and promptly sank with only Wimberley himself being picked from the water."

Sources:

1. Air Britain: RAF Aircraft L1000 - N9999, published 1991
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/75: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141876
3. http://aircrewremembered.com/wimberley-peter.html
4. http://boredhistorian.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-battle-of-heligoland-bight-december.html

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
02-Jan-2012 10:51 Uli Elch Added
04-Jun-2019 21:04 Dr. John Smith Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative]
05-Jun-2019 14:15 Dr. John Smith Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
08-Jun-2019 10:44 stehlik49 Updated [Operator]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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