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| Date: | Thursday 2 April 1942 |
| Time: | 04:14 |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 57 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | X3425 |
| MSN: | DX- |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | west of Opoeteren, Maaseik, Limburg (claim location) -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Feltwell |
| RAF Feltwell |
Takeoff at 21:55 hrs local time for an operation to railway junctions at Hanau-Lohr in Hessen, Germany.
Homeward-bound, the aircraft was shot down by the night fighter crew of Oberleutnant Ludwig Bietmann & Unteroffizier Wolfgang Reinicke of the 6./NJG 1, who were flying a Bf 110 from St Trond (Sint-Truiden) airfield.
The crew were initially buried at the Allied Cemetery on the airfield of St-Trond ( Belgium ) by the Germans on 4 April 1942. They were re-interred at Heverlee War Cemetery after the war:
Pilot: 991771 Flt Sgt Thomas Roper - Heverlee War Cemetery Coll. grave 7. H. 1-6.
Pilot: 1290876 Sgt Alan Frederick Logan - Heverlee war Cemetery Coll. grave 7. H. 1-6.
Observer: 1175892 Sgt John Southy Palmer - Heverlee War Cemetery Coll. grave 7. H. 1-6.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 13760432 Sgt Wilfred Thorpe - Heverlee War Cemetery Coll. grave 7. H. 1-6.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 986416 Sgt George Eltringham - Heverlee War Cemetery Coll. grave 7. H. 1-6.
Air Gunner: 1113588 Sgt John Kay Sharp - Heverlee War Cemetery Coll. grave 7. H. 1-6.
Sources:
CWGC
https://luchtvaartgeschiedenis.be/content/wellington-boven-noord-belgi%C3%AB
RAF Commands Archive
Bomber Command Losses 1942
Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part two
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=X3425
Google Maps
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Nov-2017 17:24 | Red Dragon | Added |
| 29-Jun-2018 09:17 | ehren69 | Updated [Location, Country, Destination airport, Narrative, ] |
| 07-Nov-2018 19:20 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
| 16-Apr-2020 15:28 | TigerTimon | Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
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