Date:	Saturday 17 March 1945
Time:	night
Type:	Avro Lancaster Mk I
Owner/operator:	460 Sqn RAAF
Registration:	PB816
MSN:	AR-E2
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Neiderstetten, Main-Tauber district, in Baden-Württemberg -   Germany
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	Target: Nuremburg, Germany

Narrative:
Avro Lancaster B.Mk.1 PB816/AR-E2, 460 Squadron RAAF: Missing (destroyed) on mission to Nurnberg on the night of 16-17 March 1945. The aircraft reportedly came down near Neiderstetten, Main-Tauber district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Six of the seven crew on board were killed

In south-eastern Germany, but without direct relevance to the Russian campaign, Bomber Command, on the night of 16th-17th March 1945, attacked both Nuremberg (for the eighth time) and Wurzburg (for the first time). Sixteen RAAF Lancasters from Binbrook went to Nuremberg and 33 from Waddington bombed Wurzburg, one crew failing to return from each raid; both attacks were successful. These raids in Bavaria were of importance to the transportation plan and reflected Bomber Command opinion that as the Wehrmacht retreated into Germany strategic and tactical threads of the bombing offensive must become more closely interwoven than ever before. Natural selection and the factor that heavier bomb-loads could be carried on shorter journeys had already influenced Harris, however, in seizing the opportunity of improving weather during March to strike with unprecedented fury at transportation targets on the Western front, both by night and day.

Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Page 422

"Lancaster PB816 took off from RAF Binbrook at 17:27 hours on the night of 16 March 1945 to bomb Nurnberg, Germany. The bomb load was 1 x 4000 lb (pound) (1,800 kg) bomb and various incendiaries. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after takeoff and it did not return to base. Nineteen aircraft from the squadron took part in the raid and of these PB816 failed to return. It was later established that six crew members had been killed and one was a prisoner of War".

In a later statement, Flight Sergeant Halls (the sole survivor) reported, "At 19,000 feet hit in the bomb bay. A few seconds earlier the Bomb Aimer reported seeing an aircraft below, but no evasive action taken. Aircraft immediately caught fire from ignited incendiaries and went into spin out of control. I was thrown into Bomb Aimer's compartment with the Flight Engineer and as far as I know no order was given to abandon aircraft. I came back and saw W/Op in his seat unconscious and in the centre of the fire. I managed to get to him but unable to move him and he appeared dead. I then placed my chute on and left by the window next to the flight engineer. I did not notice anyone in the pilot's compartment. The chute opened just before I hit the ground and must have been about 1,000 feet when I left. The aircraft crashed near Neiderstetten. I hid for an hour and then gave myself up as unable to assist myself due to burns and injuries. Did not see any others leave the aircraft".

Flying Officer Vernon Hedley also bailed out safely and was shot by a German member of the home guard. It appears that Hedley was not captured and that the German who shot him stated that he did so when Hedley was still endeavouring to evade capture and after he had ignored a command to surrender.

Crew:
Pilot: Flying Officer Vernon James Hedley RAAF Aus/409303 [Killed]
Flight Sergeant Alick John MacDonald RAFVR 1567916 [Killed]
Flight Sergeant Kenneth William Binder RAAF Aus/431194 [Killed]
Flight Sergeant Alan Webster Halls RAAF Aus/429151 [Sole survivor - taken as PoW]
Flight Sergeant Milton Keith Jurd RAAF Aus/435564 [Killed]
Flight Sergeant Morgan James Parry RAAF Aus/428877 [Killed]
Flight Sergeant James William Prouse RAAF Aus/431468 [Killed]

Note that the CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) gives the dates of death of the six crew members lost as '16 March 1945', which implies that Lancaster PB816 was lost before midnight on the night of 16-17 March 1945. All of the six crew members lost are commemorated at the Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany. The reported crash location of Niederstetten is a town and a municipality in the Main-Tauber district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 14 km southeast of Bad Mergentheim, and 19 km west of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

1. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
2. The Lancaster File (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985 p 108)
3. Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr)
4. Department of Veteran's Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
5. National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/17/1083
6. Firkins, P. C. (Peter Charles) (441386) Strike and Return, Westward Ho Publishing City Beach WA, 1985
7. Herington, J. (John) Air War Over Europe 1944-1945, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1963 – Page 422
8. 460 Squadron RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force): Operations Record Book for the period 1 January 1945 to 31 October 1945: National Archives (PRO Kew) Reference: AIR 27/1910/6 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2504552
9. https://www.lancasterbombers.net/loss-cards/march-1945/
10. https://gordonstooke.com/460squadron/aircraft_record.htm
11. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/lancaster.htm
12. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18602129/vernon_james-hedley
13. https://aviationmuseumwa.org.au/afcraaf-roll/hedley-vernon-james-409303/
14. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2101841/vernon-james-hedley/
15. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2102297/alick-john-macdonald/
16. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2079787/kenneth-william-binder/
17. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2102090/milton-keith-jurd/
18. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2102757/morgan-james-parry/
19. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2102868/james-william-prouse/
20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niederstetten

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Aug-2013 02:27	JINX	Added
04-Jun-2015 07:57	INV	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, ]
14-Jan-2025 23:05	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Location, Country, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ]
14-Jan-2025 23:11	Dr. John Smith	Updated