Uncategorised Early 1945 Bomber Command plane crash, Northern Germany

[PeteT]

I am in the process of documenting the history of No. 35 Squadron (non commercial, educational project) and wondered if any further details have emerged regarding this loss since the original postings last year.

I can confirm that the CWGC records show that the crew were initially buried at Rotenburg Cemetery (Map M4 1/100,000 series Ref. 123027),  although there are no original burial records for Vickery.

Wilce's POW Liberation Questionnaire shows that he was captured at Wohlsdorf (which is N/E of Rotenburg).

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Regards

PeteT

[Bernhard H.Holst]

Hello Pete.

Thank you for updating this posting. From my end nothing could be added. I appreciate that my account was essentially correct so my memory still served me well.

The Wohlsdorf locale is known to both my wife and me.  Now I wonder how he escaped from the plane? Was it still high enough for crew to use a chute? And that followed by a more severe failure causing the plane to crash? We may never quite know.

I wish you much success with your endeavor and wish that you would be so kind to advise the interested readership when  your work may be completed and the possibility to view it also.

Bernhard H. Holst

[AndyGPR]

Thank you gentlemen for posting such an incredible story...  just goes to show the importance of forums like this.

 

[PeteT]

I am in the process of updating the relevant page on my No 35 Squadron website https://35squadron.wordpress.com/world-war-two-years/aircraft-wwii/avro-lancaster/lancaster-incidents-and-losses-1945/avro-lancaster-ng440-tl-c/ and wondered if anyone has photographs of the headstones of Vickery and Ranalow as I would like to include these (along with the photographs of the other headstones) on the page [assuming that this is acceptable]

Regards

Pete

[peter monahan]

Pete

There is a site, origiannly run by a British couple, i believe, which contains hundreds if not thousands of CWGC headstone photographs.  Not sure whether or  ot they do WWII, but here is the site associated with the CWGC itself: https://www.twgpp.org/photograph/search/

[Bernhard H.Holst]

Hello Pete.

Thank you for posting the additional information. Nightfighter may have possibly caused the downing of this plane or antiaircraft fire, we will never know. But somehow a closing to this one event among uncounted othersis arrived at. Tragically so near to the end of the war.

Bernhard H. Holst

Edited February 17, 2017 by Bernhard H.Holst

[peter monahan]

I have just printed a book on 70 WWI soldiers from my area who died in that conflict.  One was a pilot cadet who crashed his plane on Nov.9 and died on the 11th, the last day of the war and another was a boy who enlisted underage 3 times  and only got to go to France in July 1918 when he 'officially' turned 19.  I'm not convniced he was 19 even then.  He was part of a regiment marching through Belgian villages being fteted with wine and food, wounded by a stray shell and also died on Amrstice Day.  

All tragic deaths.  Thank you both for caring to remember!