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| Date: | Wednesday 22 September 1943 |
| Time: | 22:37 LT |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 9 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | R5700 |
| MSN: | WS-N |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Bad Münder am Deister, Niedersachsen -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Bardney, Lincolnshire |
Takeoff at 18:56 hrs (local time) for an operation against Hannover.
The aircraft was coned by a searchlight and hit by heavy (schwere) Flak. Feldwebel Rudolf Frank of the 2./NJG 3, flying in Ju 88 C-6 D5+LK, also submitted a claim for the destruction of this aircraft, but his claim was not confirmed by the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe/RLM.
Crew:-
Pilot : Pilot Officer Edward Jeptha Crabtree RAAF Aus/409385 [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant Malcolm John MacRitchie RAFVR 1560316 [Killed]
Navigator : Warrant Officer Class II Nelson Albert Noble RCAF R/119448 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 23 June, 1942) [Killed]
Navigator : Sergeant George Alastair Sales RAFVR 1803655 [Killed]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Vincent Hirst-Gee RAFVR 1451452 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant Dennis Everest RCAF R/173859 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant Victor James Lander RAF 611578 [Killed]
All lie at the Hanover War Cemetery, Germany (52.377026 / 9.654365)
This aircraft previoulsy operated on 106 Sqdn as ZN:H and was badly damaged on 13/14 January 1943 after belly landing at Hardwick on return from an operation to Essen, during which an attack by a Fw190 inflicted bad damage. However the Lancaster was repaired.
Sources:
http://aircrewremembered.com/crabtree-edward.html
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part two
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=R5700&qand=&exc1=&exc2=&search_only=&search_type=exact
Google Maps
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Apr-2019 10:54 | gerard57 | Added |
| 05-Apr-2019 10:57 | gerard57 | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, ] |
| 19-May-2019 07:12 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 25-Jun-2021 15:28 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Cn, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 17-Aug-2024 06:29 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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