Date:	Monday 3 January 1944
Time:	02:00 LT
Type:	Avro Lancaster Mk III
Owner/operator:	619 Sqn RAF
Registration:	LM423
MSN:	PG-H
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Ankum, Niedersachsen -   Germany
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Takeoff at 23:43 hrs for an operation to Berlin.
The aircraft was shot down by night fighter pilot Leutnant Kurt Matzak of the 12./NJG 1, who was flying Bf110 G-4 G9+IZ from Leeuwarden airfield in the Netherlands.

Crew:-
Pilot : Flight Lieutenant John Kevin Cox RAFVR 118138 (NCO:1312864 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 21 April, 1942) [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant Godfrey James Hawkins RAF 1582297 [PoW]
Navigator : Flying Officer George Mallory Braid RAF 144048 (NCO:1562446 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 25 May, 1943) [PoW]
Bomb Aimer : Flying Officer Robert Williamson Braid RCAF J/22623 [PoW]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Cyril George Payne RAFVR 1337267 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant Daniel Burden RAFVR 1439217 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant Joseph Cooksey RAFVR 1591119 [Killed]

The four casualties lie at the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Germany (51.740880 / 6.082017)

Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 part one
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=LM423the exact crash site (Eggermühlen-Basum) was found by the German historian Volker Urbansky v.urbansky@t-online.de
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/raf_bc

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Nov-2019 09:52	TigerTimon	Added
26-Nov-2019 09:54	TigerTimon	Updated [Narrative, ]
18-Jun-2025 06:32	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]