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| Date: | Sunday 31 May 1942 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 9 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | X3469 |
| MSN: | WS- |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 5 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Retie, Antwerp -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Honington, Suffolk |
Takeoff at 23:22 hrs for participation in the first 1000 bomber raid with target Köln, Germany.
As a result of a petrol shortage the port engine failed. The aircraft crash-landed at Retie 10km SE of Turnhout Belgium. Sgt Langton and Flt Sgt Welsh were badly injured as they were thrown from the iarcraft as it came down. It was discovered that when help arrived Sgt Pexman had died from the severe head wounds that he had received. The three others managed to initially evade capture for a few days, but were eventually taken prisoner of war.
Crew:-
1267633 Sgt Stanley Alfred John Langton - Suffered head and arm injuries. After a long stay in hospital he was repatriated after a few months
138016 Flt Sgt Graham 'Tiny' Trevor Welsh PoW Stalag Luft 3 Zagan & Belaria. PoW Number 536 (Officer:138016 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 09 February, 1943)
1100470 Sgt John Haworth PoW Stalag Luft 6 Heydekrug. PoW Number 504.
1111985 Sgt John Johnson PoW Stalag Luft 6 Heydekrug. PoW Number 511
Air Gunner:1202557 Sgt Kenneth Richard Pexman - Schoonselhof Cemtery II. H. 39.
Sources:
CWGC
https://luchtvaartgeschiedenis.be/content/wellington-bij-retie
Google Maps
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Dec-2017 22:50 | Red Dragon | Added |
| 12-Nov-2018 15:03 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator, ] |
| 21-Apr-2020 14:36 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 26-Jun-2022 02:55 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 21-May-2024 17:46 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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