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| Date: | Friday 31 March 1944 |
| Time: | 00:39 claim |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 166 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | ME638 |
| MSN: | AS-B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 8 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Weidenhahn, Rheinland-Pfalz -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire |
Takeoff at 21:35 hrs for an operation to Nürnberg in Bayern.
Outward-bound, the aircraft was shot down by night fighter pilot Hauptmann Berthold Ney of the Stab III./NJG 2, who had taken off from Deelen airfield in the Netherlands, in a Ju 88.
Crew:-
Pilot : Flight Lieutenant Fred Taylor RAF 143724 (NCO:1196435 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 25 May, 1943) [PoW]
2nd Pilot : Sergeant Allen Wakley Hughes RAFVR 921975 [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant Eric Norman Whitfield RAFVR 1622364 [Killed]
Navigator : Flight Sergeant Leonard Francis McCarney RAF 1532536 [PoW]
Bomb Aimer : Flight Sergeant William Watson RAF 1822508 [PoW]
Wireless Operator : Flight Sergeant Sidney Nicholas Whitlock RAF 1393909 [PoW]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Pilot Officer Harold Arthur Standen RAF 171924 [PoW]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant Frank Alexander Thrower RAF 1304914 [PoW]
The two casualties lie at the Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany (51.529254 / 6.564161)
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 part two
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=ME638
Google Maps
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database http://robdavistelford.co.uk/webspace/raf_bc
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Mar-2020 08:15 | TigerTimon | Added |
| 24-Aug-2025 06:28 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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