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| Date: | Monday 21 December 1942 |
| Time: | 23:53 LT |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 106 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | R5914 |
| MSN: | ZN-? |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Schaapbalie, Langemark-Poelkapelle, West Flanders -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Syerston, Nottinghamshire |
Takeoff at 17:10 hrs for a bombing operation against München in Germany.
Homeward-bound, the aircraft was shot down by the night fighter crew of Leutnant Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer & Unteroffizier Fritz Rumpelhardt of the Stab II./NJG 1, who were flying Bf 110 F-4 G9+CC from St Trond (Sint-Truiden) airfield.
The Luftwaffe patrols found human remains between the debris and secured them in two crates. These paltry remains were given two crosses. Two 'Unnbekannter Fliegern' were not buried until ten days later, probably because of winter conditions. It was only in 1947 that the CWGC had found out that there were actually three dead.
Crew:-
Pilot : Flight Sergeant John Derrick Brinkhurst DFM RAFVR 917837 [Killed]
Flight Engineer : Sergeant Harry John Elsom RAF 1282475 [PoW]
Navigator : Flight Sergeant John Alexander Shepherd RNZAF NZ/404582 [PoW]
Bomb Aimer : Flight Sergeant Stanley Percival Leedham RAF 907623 [PoW]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Trevor Mellors RAFVR 940704 [Killed]
Mid-Upper Gunner : Sergeant Cecil Ward RAF 1330635 [PoW]
Rear Gunner : Flight Sergeant Victor Greenwood RAF 543208 [Killed]
The casualties lie at the Wevelgem Communal Cemetery, Belgium (50.808380 / 3.177653)
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part three
https://luchtvaartgeschiedenis.be/content/lancaster-r5914-te-poelkapelle
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=R5914
Google Maps
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Nov-2020 21:06 | TigerTimon | Added |
| 04-Nov-2022 22:09 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 03-Oct-2024 17:49 | Rob Davis | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ] |
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