ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 50384
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| Date: | Saturday 17 June 1944 |
| Time: | 01:43 LT |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk X |
| Owner/operator: | 419 (Moose) Sqn RCAF |
| Registration: | KB728 |
| MSN: | VR-V |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Middelweg road near Elden, Arnhem, Gelderland -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Middleton St.George, County Durham |
Took off from RAF Middleton St. George at 23:08 hrs for a bombing operation against the synthetic oil plant at Sterkrade/Holten in Germany.
Homeward-bound, the aircraft exploded following combat with night fighter pilot Unteroffizier Hans Schadowski of the 3./NJG 3 based at Vechta airfield in Germany, who was flying a Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4; crashed alongside the Hulssensedijk and close to the Dutch Reformed Church at Elden (Gelderland), 4 km SW of Arnhem. All seven crew killed - no survivors.
From local sources the following was found out post-war; the aircraft crashed around 01:30 hours into Middelweg with the wreckage burning and ammunition exploding so no one could get close. A local farmer's eye witness account was that he saw three bodies in the aircraft and had found two more bodies in the field. Yet another body was found in a near by ditch. An open parachute was also found with no body nearby. There was a delay of several days before the Germans allowed the bodies to be removed from the crash scene. The local church was Roman Catholic and the pastor refused to have the bodies in his cemetery. Eventually arrangements were made to have the bodies interned in the Reformed Church's cemetery in Huissensedijk.
Only four coffins were used. One containing the remains of the three bodies from the aircraft. The remaining coffins contained the bodies found away from the aircraft. Only these three bodies were identified at that time. When the post-war exhumation of the graves there were only five bodies found. The open parachute remained a mystery. They were very experienced crew who all were close to completing their first tour of thirty operations. The crew members had logged from 27 to 29 operations.
All were buried locally, since then their remains have been taken to Grossbeek Canadian War Cemetery:
Flying Officer D Morrison RCAF (KIA)
Pilot Officer E Fahy (KIA)
Flying Officer A P Hupman RCAF (KIA)
Flying Officer A F Quinn RCAF (KIA)
Pilot Officer H Fletcher (KIA)
Pilot Officer P J McManus (KIA)
Pilot Officer C S Johnston RCAF (KIA)
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Bomber Command losses of the Second World War 1944 Page 286.
2. https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T3810&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
3. https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/20767/Memorial-Lancaster-KB728.htm
4. http://www.419squadron.com/KB728.html
5. http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/lancavro.html#indexkb728
6. http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RAF_owned_JP100.html
7. Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 part three
8. Google Maps
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2008 11:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 16-Jun-2016 15:32 | Red Dragon | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Oct-2018 23:36 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 10-Oct-2018 12:29 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Operator] |
| 07-Oct-2020 19:04 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Oct-2020 19:04 | TigerTimon | Updated [Narrative] |
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