ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 50614
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| Date: | Tuesday 23 January 1945 |
| Time: | 19:40 LT |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk XIII |
| Owner/operator: | 69 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | NC607 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near 'Kloosterhof' farm, Maasniel, Roermond, Limburg -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | B.58 Melsbroek, Belgium |
| B.58 Melsbroek, Belgium |
Wellington NC607 was relatively new, taken on by the Squadron in January 1945 as one of the replacements for aircraft destroyed on the ground at Melsbroek during the Boddenplotte raids on 1st January 1945; It was on its third flight when it undertook this special night reconnaissance of the area Maasneil – Krüchten on the 23rd January 1945.
It is recorded Wellington NC607 took off from Melsbroek, Belgium (ALG B.58), at 18.40 hours. Equipped to use flares to locate enemy troop positions, this night reconnaissance flight was briefed to cover Maasneil (a heavily fortified district in the German-held Roermond) to Neiderkruchten. The aircraft crashed at Kloosterhof at Maasniel (Roermond). Four of the six crew were killed, two were taken as POW.
Crew:
F/O (Pilot) K.G. Booth - PoW
F/Sgt C.G. Brand - PoW
F/O (Nav/Bombaimer) G. Hill - 179368 - KIA, buried Roermond
F/O (Nav/Bombaimer) J.K. Turner - 175060 - KIA, buried Roermond
Sgt (Airgunner) W.E. Ranger - 1895135 - KIA, buried Venray War Cemetery.
F/O John William Lowrie (158987) - KIA, buried Roermond,
NC607 was Shot down by AAA whilst carrying out Photo Recce over Massniel. Time unknonw, but pasted as FTR (Failed to Return) at 05:30 am local time. 69 Squadron was part of the Photographic Reconnaissance Wing that worked for the Headquarters of 21st Army Group, their Vickers Wellington Mk XIIIs equipped for specialised night visual tactical reconnaissance and low-level photography. Their radar was removed and they had a clear perspex nose fairing in place of turret for visual observation, and could use flares in the fuselage generally dropped at about 3000 feet and had an open-shutter moving film camera to be used at 1000 feet. The only armament two twin Browning machine-guns in the rear turret.
Sources:
1. http://www.nimh.nl/nl/images/1945%20sec_tcm5-7286.pdf
2. http://www.john-lowrie.com/grave.html
3. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/06307.php
4. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/flight-sergeant-joseph-thompson-69-squadron-r-a-f-v-r-08-02-1945.38715/
5. http://www.john-lowrie.com/69_squadron.html
6. SGLO database - https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/ahome/lossregister/results?sglo=T5168B
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2008 11:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Oct-2011 04:41 | steg | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 21-Apr-2017 17:59 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Apr-2017 18:01 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 26-Dec-2017 06:37 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative] |
| 28-Apr-2019 10:46 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 21-Jan-2020 20:38 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 23-Jun-2022 09:50 | TigerTimon | Updated [Source, Category] |
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