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Lancaster crash in Sweden, 1944

Discussion in 'Living History' started by Halldin, Oct 16, 2008.

  1. Halldin

    Halldin Member

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    On August 29, 1944 a RAF Lancaster crashed into the North sea outside of the town of Falkenberg, Halland in Sweden. Falkenberg is my mom's birthtown and my grandmom and my aunt lives there.

    Halland is located here:
    [​IMG]
    (The dark blue area, not the red dot)

    [​IMG]


    This is the info I found about RAF's history of the 29 of August, 1944:
    29/30 August 1944

    402 Lancasters and 1 Mosquito of Nos 1,3, 6 and 8 Groups ordered to Stettin. 23 Lancasters lost, 5.7 per cent of the force. This was a successful raid, hitting parts of Stettin which had escaped damage in previous attacks.
    189 Lancasters of No 5 Group carried out one of the most successful No 5 Group attacks of the war on Königsberg at extreme range. Only 480 tons of bombs could be carried because of the range of the target but severe damage was caused around the 4 separate aiming points selected. This success was achieved despite a 20 minute delay in opening the attack because of the presence of low cloud; the bombing force waited patiently, using up precious fuel, until the marker aircraft found a break in the clouds and the Master Bomber, Wing Commander J Woodroffe, probably No 5 Group's most skilled Master Bomber, allowed the attack to commence. Bomber Command estimated that 41 per cent of all the housing and 20 per cent of all the industry in Königsberg were destroyed. There was heavy fighter opposition over the target and 15 Lancasters, 7.9 per cent of the force, were lost.
    Support and 93 training aircraft on a diversionary sweep over the North Sea, 53 Mosquitos bombing Berlin, Hamburg and 4 other targets, 35 RCM sorties, 49 Mosquito patrols, 31 Lancasters and 12 Halifaxes minelaying off Baltic ports, 8 aircraft on Resistance operations. 2 OTU Wellingtons from the sweep and 1 Lancaster minelayer lost.

    Total effort for the night: 873 sorties, 41 aircraft (4.7 per cent) lost.


    One of these Lancasters crashed in Falkenberg and on their gravestones in Skogskyrkogården it says:

    [​IMG]




    I wonder if it's possible to get out any more information about these men.

    A low quality picture of a memorial in '94.
    [​IMG]


    Just sharing some pics and info, I always thought these graves were mysterious when I visited my granddads grave when I was younger.
     
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  2. Erich

    Erich Alte Hase

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    Halldin

    many thanks for this and the memorial tribute. The visciousness of the LW night fighter attacks yielded for I., III. and IV./NJG 5 some 16 Lancaster claims a very close proxy to the true losses. A Danish Author has written a special edition to commemorate this air battle

    E ~
     
  3. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    Great posting,

    Thanx Halldin!
     
  4. Halldin

    Halldin Member

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  5. Liberator

    Liberator Ace

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    29-30 August 1944.

    428 Squadron.
    Lancaster X KB709 NA-G
    Op. Stettin.

    Crew.
    F/O. L S. Plunkett RCAF. +
    Sgt. J. McFarlane +
    F/O. L H C. Gardiner DFC RCAF +
    WO1. J B. Gravelet-Chapman RCAF +
    F/O. T. Baillie RCAF +
    F/S. H. Gordon +
    Sgt. D A G. Sparkes +

    The aircraft took off at 2119 hrs from Middleton St. George. Presumed lost over the Baltic. F/O. Plunkett RCAF, a second tour pilot is commemorated on panel 247 of the Runnymede Memorial. Three, including WO1. Gravelet-Chapman RCAF the son of the Revd P Wilfred Chapman of Saanichton, rest on the Danish island of Anholt and three are buried in Sweden at Falkenberg Forest Cemetery.

    Bomber Command Losses Vol.5 - W R. Chorley
     
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  6. Liberator

    Liberator Ace

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    Sgt. D. Fallon and Sgt. P B. Aviet were both lost on 29-30 August 1944 when Lancaster III NE144 AR-F2 of 460 Squadron crashed into the Baltic on a raid to Stettin.#

    BCL. Vol.5
     
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  7. Liberator

    Liberator Ace

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    Sgt. D J K. Baron was lost on 29-30 August 1944 when Lancaster I ED327 BH-R of 300 Squadron crashed into the Baltic on a raid to Stettin.

    BCL. Vol.5
     
  8. Halldin

    Halldin Member

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  9. Erich

    Erich Alte Hase

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    the raid and LW victories will be covered in Dr. T. Boitens book this November....volume 2 on the Nachtjagd
     
  10. Skipper

    Skipper Kommodore

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    Nice posting Halldin, thank you for sharing this story.
     
  11. Jake Drummond

    Jake Drummond recruit

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    Sgt. Charles Burton Hill was wireless operator/air gunner when his plane Lancaster HK594 shot down on the same raid. Initially a Swedish anti aircraft ground crew were credited with the 'kill' but it was later claimed that a nightfighter from 28 Stab1/NJG3 actually finished the plane off. This ties in with an interesting post elsewhere on the site about 'neutral' gun crews aiming off deliberately.
    Charlie bailed out over the Baltic Sea with Sgt JP Callaghan, Flt Sgt J Fitzgerald, Flt Sgt WD Watson, and Sgt DLD Moon. Tail Gunner Sgt HW Causley was still in his turret, likely dead, while Flt Sgt DAS King kept the plane aloft long enough to let them out. He jumped when they were clear, and landed over Swedish territory, being home again by October from what we can see.
    All the others died, and only the bodies of Charlie and Donald Moon were recovered and buried with full military honours by the Swedes.

    If any relatives of these men read this please get in touch as I'm working with others, Tom Moffett from Methil Heritage Centre in Fife, and Kevin King of the Friends of 75 Sqn Association, and we hope to have an exhibition up and running soon to mark Charlie Hill's war service.
    There's a lot of stuff from his family being collated and copied and I think there'll be a real interest in the exhibition as it shows so much of Charlies life before and during WW2.

    Any information on the Lancaster or the crew would be much appreciated.

    Charlie had done 6 trips, and HK594 had done just 65hrs, so crew and Lanc were new. I wonder if any photographs survive of either?
     
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  12. Jake Drummond

    Jake Drummond recruit

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    An error I should have spotted in that is the name Sgt JP Callaghan, should read JP CALLAN.

    I copied this from another report, and assume that others have too as it is given elsewhere, but the Squadron ORB gives the correct name.
    Sergeant John Patrick CALLAN Son of John and Annie Callan, of Gateshead, Co. Durham, confirmed by the CWGC website.

    Apologies for not spotting this earlier.
     
  13. lynne

    lynne recruit

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    My mother married Dennis Fallon in 1944, it seems that he was killed 2 months after the wedding. I have recently been researching his family
     
  14. Nicola McKeown

    Nicola McKeown New Member

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    My great uncle Thomas S Brady was shot down lost without trace over the Baltic Sea on the night of 29th/30th Augustus on the Stettin raid on Lancaster ND131 he served with 635 squadron at the time. I have been researching his missions and time in the war. He was bomb aimer. Any further info is always welcome
     
  15. lwd

    lwd Ace

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    Especially given the age of this thread I'd advise posting the above over on WW2talk as well. They are more UK oriented so you may get a response quicker there. PLS do let us know if you find out anything and where.
     
  16. Rick Rice

    Rick Rice New Member

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    I found a crash site in southern Sweden - looks like it was from the raid on 29 August 1944. Apparently they had struck their target. Does anyone know what their target was? The Swedes have put up a memorial with part of one propeller. The crew all died according to the sign. On a plaque they are listed as:
    FLYING OFFICER ANTHONY HUGH CARVER
    SERGEANT RAYMOND WALTER BYSOUTH
    SERGEANT ERNEST MUTCH
    SERGEANT RONALD HENRY CLIFFORD
    SERGEANT DONALD ALISTAIR MACDONALD
    SERGEANT F. G. PLOWMAN
    SERGEANT WR. CAMPBELL

    Other text in Swedish:
    MINNESMÄRKE
    DENNA PROPELLER TILLHÖRDE DET ENGELSKA BOMBPLAN SOM DEN 29 AUGUSTI 1944 FULLASTAT STÖRTADE I HÖJALENS SKOG
    FÖLJANDE BESÄTTNING OMKOM
    (see Google maps Google Maps Höjalens+minnesmärke).
     
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  17. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    This might be what you're looking for. Even though it's Wikipedia, it seems to address the correct information.

    No. 5 Group carried out the first RAF attack on Königsberg on the night of 26/27 August 1944, using 174 Avro Lancasters. The target, which was at the extreme range for the planes, demanded a round trip of 1,900 miles (3,100 km) from bases in England. Planes from RAF Skellingthorpe (Lincs) could not return to base and diverted to RAF Tain in northern Scotland after 10 hours and 35 minutes' flying time (cf. 11 hours and 20 minutes' return to base three days later.[7]) Despite losing only four aircraft, the first attack was not particularly successful because most bombs fell on the eastern side of Königsberg, missing the city centre.

    The next RAF raid occurred three days later on the 29/30 August. This time No. 5 Group dropped 480 tons of high explosive and incendiaries on the centre of the city. RAF Bomber Command estimated that 20% of industry and 41% of all the housing in Königsberg was destroyed. Out of a force of 189 Lancasters, German night fighters shot down 15 RAF bombers.[8] The historic city centre suffered severe damage and the districts of Altstadt, Löbenicht, and Kneiphof were nearly destroyed. The city's 14th-century cathedral was reduced to a shell. Extensive damage was also done to the castle, all churches in the old city, the university, and the old shipping quarter.
     

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