Accident Avro Lancaster Mk I R5740, Saturday 26 June 1943
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Date:Saturday 26 June 1943
Time:02:17 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic LANC model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Avro Lancaster Mk I
Owner/operator:44 (Rhodesia) Sqn RAF
Registration: R5740
MSN: KM-O
Fatalities:Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:North Sea 31 miles west of Texel, Noord-Holland -   Netherlands
Phase: Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Dunholme Lodge, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Takeoff at 22:51 for an operation to Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
Shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptmann Franz Buschmann of the 12./NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 G-4 from Bergen or Leeuwarden airfield.

Crew:-
Pilot : Pilot Officer Derek Minden Sharp RAFVR 145476 (NCO:1336634 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 29 June, 1943) [Killed]
2nd Pilot : Pilot Officer Donald MacLean Struthers RAFVR 149534 (NCO:1217632 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 14 September, 1943) [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Flight Sergeant Thomas Johnstone RAF 530175 [Killed]
Navigator : Sergeant Rowland Josiah Dash RAFVR 1316701 [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Sergeant Reginald Herbert William Thompson RAFVR 1385570 [Killed]
Wireless Operator : Sergeant Norman Henry Morris RAFVR 1271185 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant Ernest Reginald Hylton Griffiths RAFVR 1399828 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant Kenneth William Langstaff RAFVR 1455580 [Killed]

All are remembered at the Runnymede Memorial, United Kingdom (51.437693 / -0.564745)

Sources:

Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part two
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=R5740
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/raf_bc

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
28-Dec-2018 20:06 TigerTimon Added
29-Dec-2018 19:22 Nepa Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator, ]
15-Jan-2019 12:22 TigerTimon Updated [Narrative, ]
15-Jun-2022 05:38 Ron Averes Updated [Location, ]
02-May-2025 06:36 Rob Davis Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, ]

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