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| Date: | Sunday 28 May 1944 |
| Time: | 02:24 claim |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 550 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | JA712 |
| MSN: | BQ-H |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Rebecq-Rognon, Roosbeek, Walloon Brabant -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF North Killingholme, Lincolnshire |
Mission to Aachen.
Takeoff at 23:58 hrs for a bombing operation against the Rothe Erde railway station at Aachen in Germany.
The aircraft was shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Friedrich Thörl of the Stab I./NJG 4, who was flying from Florennes airfield. This was Thorl's 3rd credited victory.
Crew:-
Pilot : Pilot Officer Elvin Curtis Purney RCAF J/19590 [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant John Leonard Sheahan RAFVR 1800275 [Killed]
Navigator : Pilot Officer Thomas Edward Flanagan RCAF J/92033 [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Sergeant E J Molnar RCAF 168366 [Evaded]
Wireless Operator : Sergeant Peter Charles Morrell King RAFVR 1394149 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant David Yardley RAF 1583633 [PoW]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant Kenneth Harold Fontain De Lengerke RAF 517767 [Killed]
The casualties lie at the Brussels Town Cemetery, Belgium (50.870581 / 4.419909)
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 part three, page 28.
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=JA712
Google Maps
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Oct-2020 12:16 | TigerTimon | Added |
| 06-Nov-2022 11:24 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 27-May-2023 20:45 | redsix | Updated |
| 20-May-2024 12:08 | Rob Davis | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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