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| Date: | Tuesday 15 August 1944 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 207 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | LM263 |
| MSN: | EM-N |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 3km south-west of Deelen Airfield -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Spilsby, Lincolnshire |
Lancaster LM263/N: Took off at 09:59 hrs for attack to Deelen Airfield in Holland. 15/08/1944
The Bomber fleet approached from the west-northwest. The 'N for Nan' flew at the front of the bomber fleet. During the bombing, it appeared that the concentration of the bombing started to shift to the southern part of the airfield, which may have been caused by the explosion of the tragic 'N for Nan'. The bombsight of the Lancaster 'N for Nan' failed to drop the bombs from this aircraft. A direct hit in the fully loaded bomb bay caused the aircraft to explode in midair. This happened near the Kompagnieberg. On August 15, the aircraft carried 11 bombs of 1000 lbs (rounded 350 kg) and 4 bombs of 500 lbs, including some time bombs. The aircraft came down on the Oud Reemsterveld. More or less straight down. The wing went down in a twisting motion. Parts of the plane came down in a large circle on the grounds of the Hoge Veluwe. A heather fire that arose as a result could be extinguished with the help of the Schaarsbergen forest fire brigade, among other things.
The aircraft was probably hit by artillery from the position in the middle of the Oud Reemsterveld. A huge position with dozens of artillery pieces and many concrete shelters and facilities. A complete village. The 428. Bataillon, which was spread with four sections in the FLAK positions around Deelen, claimed the shooting down of a Lancaster on August 15, 1944.
Crew:-
Pilot: 102525 Flt Lt Geert Adrianus Cornelis Overgaauw (Dutch) - Arnhem (Moscowa) General Cemetery Grave 37.
Flight Engineer: 936016 Sgt Percy Arthur Wildsmith - Arnhem (Moscowa) General Cemetery Grave 35.
Navigator: 183918 Flt Sgt Anthony Leonard Brett - Arnhem (Moscowa) General Cemetery Grave 34 (NCO:1390096 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 10 October, 1944)
Bomb Aimer: J/25057 Fg Off William Auld Swinton RCAF - Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery Plot XV Row C Grave 7.
Wireless Operator: 56034 Flt Sgt Huntley Shaw Mann Jack Mackay - Arnhem (Moscowa) General Cemetery Grave 8 (NCO:654715 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 10 October, 1944)
Mid Upper Gunner: 1890818 Sgt Ronald Lee Coaker - Arnhem (Moscowa) General Cemetery Grave 33.
Rear Gunner: J/89063 Plt Off Alick Watt RCAF - Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery Plot XV Row C Grave 10.
Sources:
Ancestry
CWGC
https://www.beleefdehogeveluwe.nl/vliegtuigcrashes/lancaster-mk-i-lm-263-em-n.html
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-May-2023 06:08 | Anon. | Added |
| 03-May-2023 16:47 | Nepa | Updated |
| 29-Nov-2024 13:08 | Rob Davis | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ] |
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