Date:	Sunday 2 January 1944
Time:	16:30
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb
Owner/operator:	349 (Belgian) Sqn RAF
Registration:	BL565
MSN:	GE-E
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Somme Estuary -   France
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:

Narrative:
On 2 January 1944 bad weather over England grounded Allied bombers and activity was reduced to two Mosquito raids on Noball targets and to Rhubarb operations by Typhoons and Spitfires.

In the afternoon, a small flight of the Belgian 349 Sqn RAF was flying such a Rhubarb op. when it was intercepted by a Fw 190 flown by Fw Gerd Wiegand of 4./JG 26, who shot down at 1630 hrs into the Somme Estuary the Spitfire Vb BL565 -E of Flt Sgt Albert E Van Den Broeck, who was killed. It was Wiegand’s 12th victory.

Albert Etienne Van Den Broeck is missing, believed killed and commemorated at Runnymede Memorial (panel 223)

"The JG 26 War Diary. Volume Two 1943-1945", by Donald Caldwell. ISBN 1-898697-86-8
"The Fighter Command War Diaries. Volume Four. July 1943 to June 1944", by John Foreman. ISBN 1-871187-43-5
"Fighter Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 3: 1944-1945", by Norman L R Franks. ISBN 1-85780-093-1
http://www.belgian-wings.be/Webpages/Navigator/Literature/Broken%20Wings%20index-1.xls
Luftwaffe claim lists by Tony Wood and Jim Perry (http://lesbutler.co.uk/claims/tonywood.htm)
CWGC

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Jan-2017 15:42	Laurent Rizzotti	Added
13-Jan-2018 08:01	angels one five	Updated [Narrative, ]
09-May-2025 16:53	MMR	Updated [Cn, Source, Narrative, ]