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| Date: | Thursday 11 May 1944 |
| Time: | 00:15 LT |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 463 Sqn RAAF |
| Registration: | LL882 |
| MSN: | JO-J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Dumoulin Brickworks 2 km W of Langemark, West Flanders -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire |
Takeoff at 22:20 hrs for an operation to railway yards at Lille in France.
Homeward-bound, the aircraft was shot down by Leutnant Hans Schmitz, Ogefr. Gerhard Pannen (Bf) & Uffz. Rudi Beyer (Bs) of the 4./NJG 1, who had taken off from Deelen airfield in the Netherlands at 23.09 hrs in a Bf 110 G-4.
The bomber exploded in mid-air, all seven crew members perishing:
Pilot : Squadron Leader Mervyn Powell DFC RAAF Aus/402817 [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant Harry Law Molyneux RAFVR 1802369 [Killed]
Navigator : Flying Officer Ronald Jacques RAFVR 134697 (NCO:964803 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 09 February, 1943) [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Flight Sergeant Bertram Fraser RAFVR 1443752 [Killed]
Wireless Operator : Flight Lieutenant William Neil Read RAAF Aus/406700 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Flying Officer Robert McKerlie Croft RAAF Aus/407199 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Flying Officer David Payne Croston RAAF Aus/407821 [Killed]
Looking on Google Earth with the historical imagery set to 2016, there are extensive workings at GPS 50.904646 / 2.886544 which corresponds to this crash location; there is even a rectangular water store.
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 part two
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/powell-mervyn.html
Google Maps
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Kriegstagebuch II./NJG 1
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Apr-2020 08:14 | TigerTimon | Added |
| 06-Nov-2022 12:52 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 09-May-2024 07:12 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 19-Aug-2024 13:36 | TigerTimon | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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