Date:	Friday 21 January 1944
Time:	23:10-50
Type:	Avro Lancaster Mk I
Owner/operator:	15 Sqn RAF
Registration:	W4852
MSN:	LS-B
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	between Wörmlitz and Ziepel at Möckern, Sachsen-Anhalt -   Germany
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk
Destination airport:	Magdeburg, Germany

Narrative:
Takeoff at 20:20 hrs for an operation to Magdeburg in Sachsen-Anhalt.

To the east of Magdeburg, the aircraft collided with He 219 A-0 G9+BB of the Stab I./NJG 1, flown by night fighter pilot Hauptmann Manfred Meurer, who had taken off from Venlo airfield in the Netherlands.

There were no survivors amongst the two crews, the wreckages lying only a few hundred metres apart.

German crash report states aircraft crashed south of Wormlitz in the area of Jerichow, 1. on 21st January,
1944 at 23:50 hours. Wormlitz is 15 km. east of Magdeburg. Per NAA W4852 Bomb Aimer RAAF File below.

For the Lancaster crew, see Aircrew Remembered. However, NAA also has a W4852 Lancaster crew record.

NAA W4852 Lancaster casualty file for RAAF Bomb Aimer dated 23 Nov 1946 lists all W4852 crew members:-
Pilot : Pilot Officer Robert John Butler RAFVR 170230 [Killed] (NCO:1332075 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 22 February, 1944)
Flight Engineer : Sergeant Cyril Edward Smith RAFVR 1202361 [Killed]
Navigator : Flight Sergeant Joseph Stanley Bergin RNZAF NZ/402533 [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Flight Sergeant William Russell Jager RAAF Aus/409923 [Killed]
Wireless Operator : Flight Sergeant Richard Frank Bernard Holborow RAFVR 1191808 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant Andrew Bernard Summers RAF 547067 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Flight Sergeant Kenneth Alexander Porteous RAFVR 1506078 [Killed]

Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 part one
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=W4852
Google Maps
NAA has W4852 Lancaster Bomb Aimer RAAF Casualty File. W4852 RAF Lancaster Aircrew manifest is on page 14.
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1071037
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
11-Dec-2019 18:12	TigerTimon	Added
16-Dec-2019 11:39	TigerTimon	Updated [Time]
23-Oct-2022 06:41	Maurice	Updated [Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
21-Jan-2024 08:12	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative]