Info about 16 other Lancasters

who did not return on 13 June 1944.

Below is a brief summary of the 16 other Lancasters, 13 of which crashed in the Netherlands on 13 June 1944, two in Germany and one that has not yet been found.

PA986. 12 squadron. On June 12 at 11.01 pm we departed from the base at Wickenby, Lincolnshire. On the home flight on 13 June, a night fighter from Eelde airbase severely damaged the tail piece at 1:30 am, after which it crashed in the Mastenbroek polder near IJsselmuiden. Six crew members left the plane by parachute, but the Germans broke the parachutes, so they did not survive the fall. They were buried in the IJsselmuiden cemetery. During salvage work, the 7th crew member - pilot Williams - was found and on 8 December 1992, in the presence of his widow, he was also buried in IJsselmuiden.

LM156. Squadron. On June 12 at 11.12 pm we departed from base Mildenhall, Suffolk and on June 13 at 1.24 am shot by Oblt in the vicinity of the target. Dietrich Schmidt from Fliegerhorst Twenthe and crashed at Rheine. The crew was buried in a local cemetery and reburied after the war on the Reichswald Forest War Cemetry near Kleve. The aircraft had 7 flying hours and crashed during the 2º mission. Oblt Schmidt shot a total of 43 aircraft from March 1943 to 1945. He survived the war and died on March 6, 2002 at the age of 82

LM465. 15 squadron. On June 12 at 11:15 pm we left the base at Mildenhall, Suffolk. The Dutch coast was crossed on June 13 at 5.53 am, but were attacked over Limburg at 1.15 am by the Uffz night fighter. Sarzio Gustav, after which the plane was on fire and crashed in Tienray near Meerlo. Six kites were killed and buried on the R.K. cemetery in Venlo and reburied after the war at the British Military War Cemetery Jonkerbos near Nijmegen. Jack Trend - the radio telegrapher - was the only survivor, escaped and came through the local resistance behind the allied lines and returned to his base in England in September. the aircraft had 169 flight hours.

PA969. 100 squadron. On June 12 at 11.07 pm we left Grimsby, Lincolnshire. It is unknown where this device crashed. Possible in the IJsselmeer or the North Sea. The aircraft had 39 flight hours. The names of the seven crew members are engraved on the stone walls of the Air Forces Memorial, Englefield Green, near Egham, Surrey (by country of origin and squadron). This memorial is dedicated to 20,456 men and women of the air force and other operations in the 2º world war, who died or disappeared without a trace and who have no known grave.

The seven names - Maurice Hennessy, Kenneth Biggs, Wilfred Joseph Massey, Ronald Willis, John Booth, James Dew and Henry Newcombe - are on the panels. 211, 213, 220, 223, 225, 228 and 235.

HK545. 115 squadron. On June 12 at 11.32 pm we departed from the Witchford base, Cambridgeshire. Shot on 13 June by anti-aircraft guns and crashed 3 kilometers west of Gelsenkirchen. The seven crew members were killed, buried locally and reburied after the war on the Reichswald Forest War Cemetry in Kleve. The aircraft had 90 flight hours

LM581. 166 squadron. Departed from Kirmington, Lincolnshire base on June 12 at 10.38 pm and was shot down by the Uffz night fighter on June 13 at 1.34 am. Karl Pfeiffer and in Tongeren, 4 km. crashed west of Epe, killing the seven kites. They were buried in the cemetery of Epe. The aircraft had 83 flight hours. Pfeiffer himself had to leave his Messerschmidt three times per parachute, but did survive the war and died in 1999 at the age of 79. He also shot down the ME 785 that same night.

ME777. 166 squadron. On June 12 at 10:16 pm departed from the Kirmington, Lincolnshire base and on the way back on June 13 at 1:23 am knocked down by a night fighter and crashed in Zelhem, killing the entire crew. Five charred bodies were found on the plane and two unburned bodies were found near the crashed plane. They are buried in the cemetery of Zelhem. The aircraft had 59 flying hours.

ND399. 166 squadron. Departed from Kirmington, Lincolnshire base on June 12 at 22.23 and fired at H30 on night on June 13 at 02.30 am. Modrow, after which the plane crashed at Ugchelen. The seven kites were killed and are buried at "Heidehof" in Ugchelen. The aircraft had 300 flight hours. Hptm. Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow (1908-1990) has shot down 34 allied planes. From 1933 he was a civil aviation pilot with a Colombian company SCADTA and from May 1937 he flew mail routes with Lufthansa in South America.

DV286. 300 Polish squadron. On June 12 at 11.20 pm we left Faldingworth, Lincolnshire. June 13 at 1.43 am shot on the way back by night fighter and crashed in IJsselmeer. Of the seven crew members, Morski and Bladowski jumped out of the burning aircraft, of which Bladowski was drowned and Morski was rescued and captured by fishermen and later transferred to a German naval ship and eventually transferred to Sagan, Stalag Luft3, as a prisoner of war. The wreck was discovered by Volendam fishermen in 1998, after which the salvage was carried out in 2003 and the bodies of the five pilots were salvaged. They were buried on October 25, 2003 at the Polish Military Field of Honor in Breda. The body of the drowned kite was reburied here from the cemetery in Wijdenes as early as 1962. On October 25, 2003, the only survivor - Morski - was also present.

JA683. 300 Polish squadron. On June 12 at 11.21 we departed from the Faldingworth base, Lincolshire. On June 13 at 02.56, shot by a night fighter and exploded in the air and crashed at Sondern 3 kilometers north of the Radevormwald. Flight Sergeant Klucha, who was wounded, was killed by police and party officials after he was found civilians a few days after the crash in the Radevormwald area. The seven crew members, initially buried in the Remlingade cemetery, were reburied after the war on the Reichswald Forest War Cemetry in Kleve. The aircraft had 164 flight hours.

LL807: 300 Polish squadron: Leaving Faldingworth, Lincolnshire on June 12 at 11:16 PM. On the way back hit by defenses and crashed on June 13 at 1.43 am in the IJsselmeer near Urk. The entire crew died and six of them washed up after a few weeks near Urk, while Sgt. Pacula has never been found. The kites were buried in the cemetery near the church in Urk. In 1947, five of them were reburied at the Allied War Cemetery in Oud Leusden and 1 at the cemetery in Elburg. The aircraft had 39 flight hours.

ME785. 460 squadron. On June 12 at 11.05 pm we departed from base Binbrook, Lincolnshire and on the way back on June 13 at 1.30 am shot by Uffz. Karl Pfeiffer and crashed at Wesepe, killing the entire crew. They are buried in the cemetery of Olst. The aircraft had 15 flight hours. Pfeiffer also shot down the LM581 on the same night.

DS818. 514 squadron. On June 12 at 11.11 pm we departed from the base Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire. June 13 at 02.00 on the way back shot by night fighter and crashed on the Oosteinderweg in Nunspeet. Of the seven crew members, four were killed and buried in Ermelo's cemetery, two were captured and one escaped. The aircraft had 305 flight hours.

LL678. 514 squadron. On June 12 at 11.12 pm we departed from the base Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire. On the way back on 13 June at 01.24 hrs shot by Oblt. Dietrich Smidt and crashed at Zuidloo 3 kilometers Z.O. van Bathmen. Of the eight kites (also a co-pilot), five died and were buried in Bathmen's cemetery, while the other three escaped. the aircraft had 192 flight hours.

LL812: 622 squadron. Departed from the Mildenhall, Suffolk base on June 12 at 11 p.m. The seven kites are buried in the cemetery of Eindhoven (Woensel). The aircraft had 135 flight hours.

ED938. 625 squadron. On June 12 at 10:43 p.m. departed from the base Kelstern, Lincolnshire. June 13 at 1.50 am crashed on the way back in Zandwerven near Spanbroek. Of the seven crew members, five were killed and buried in the cemetery of Spanbroek, while the remaining two were taken prisoner. When the plane crashed it had 580 flight hours.

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Of the 17 planes that crashed during the bombing of Gelsenkirchen, 109 crew members died, 6 were taken prisoner of war and 5 escaped.

The places where the 17 planes crashed:

ALL THE YOUNG MEN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES, DO NOT CRY FOR THEM

THEY ARE NOT REALLY GONE, YOU KNOW.

IT’S JUST A BODY WHICH THEY LEFT BEHIND.

THEY WILL ONLY BE GONE FOREVER WHEN WE NO LONGER REMEMBER THEM.

Free translation into English from a tekst by Bram Vermeulen

(1946-2004)

Bron: Uit de archieven van J.Zengerink

For more information about the LM158 and the crew:

www.kinderen-in-eerbeek.nl/Information-LM158.htm

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