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| Date: | Saturday 26 June 1943 |
| Time: | 02:17 LT |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk X |
| Owner/operator: | 196 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | HE412 |
| MSN: | ZO- |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 5 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Alphen aan den Rijn, Zuid-Holland -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Leconfield, Yorkshire |
Takeoff at 23:41 for an operation to Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
Hit by the night fighter pilots Hauptmann Hans-Dieter Frank of the 2./NJG 1 (flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Gilze-Rijen airfield) and Major Fritz Schaffer of the Stab/NJG 5. In the end, Hptm. Frank was credited with the victory.
Crew:-
Pilot : Pilot Officer Noel Bentley Smythe RAF 143667 (NCO:1389984 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 25 May, 1943) [Killed]
Navigator : Pilot Officer George William Pollard RAFVR 143577 (NCO:1131647 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 01 June, 1943) [Killed]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant George Herbert William Peach RAFVR 1379768 [Killed]
Air Gunner : Sergeant Ronald Alfred Barlow RAFVR 1318256 [Killed]
Pilot Officer Edward Horace Sandell RAF 148587 (NCO:1238289 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 10 August, 1943) [PoW]
All lie at the Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery, Netherlands (52.158212 / 5.369235)
P/O Sandell's commission was effective from 15th April 1943, although he is listed in some records as Sgt at the time of the aircraft loss.
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part two
https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=&date=&location=&pn=HE412&unit=&name=&cemetry=&Airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
Air Britain: RAF Aircraft HA100 - HZ999, published 1989
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/raf_bc
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2008 11:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 30-Dec-2011 03:14 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 24-May-2014 17:27 | Anon. | Updated [Time, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Dec-2018 20:17 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 29-Dec-2018 19:33 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator, ] |
| 21-Jul-2025 06:37 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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