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| Date: | Wednesday 22 September 1943 |
| Time: | 22:35 |
| Type: |  Short Stirling Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 90 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | BF566 |
| MSN: | WP-G |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Gestorf, Springe, Niedersachsen -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Wrattling Common |
Coned by a searchlight, shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptmann August Geiger of the 7./NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Twente airfield, the Netherlands.
Takeoff time: 18:52
Crew:-
Pilot : Flying Officer William Birdsall RAFVR 124844 (NCO:1319368 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 08 September, 1942) [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant Benjamin James Thomas RAF 623547 [Killed]
Navigator : Flight Sergeant John Hudson RAFVR 1145881 [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Sergeant Douglas Edward John Hobbs RAFVR 1338119 [Killed]
Wireless Operator : Sergeant Edward George Truman RAFVR 977703 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant Gordon Charles Arthur Bradshaw RAFVR 1313652 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant Richard Charles Luke Cummins RAFVR 1653296 [Killed]
All lie at the Hanover War Cemetery, Germany (52.377026 / 9.654365)
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part two
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=BF566
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/raf_bc
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Sep-2018 07:59 | TigerTimon | Added |
| 31-Oct-2018 19:56 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Operator, ] |
| 14-Jul-2025 06:28 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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