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| Date: | Thursday 17 December 1942 |
| Time: | 20:38 |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 97 (Straits Settlements) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | ED333 |
| MSN: | OF-B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Noordoostpolder, 4 km E of Urk, Overijssel -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire |
Lancaster ED333 ("OF-B" of 97 Sqn). The aircraft took off at 17:22 from Woodhall Spa for a mission to Neustadt in Germany.
The aircraft was intercepted by the night fighter crew of Hauptmann Helmut Lent & Feldwebel Walter Kubisch of the Stab IV./NJG 1, who had taken off from Leeuwarden at 19:45 hrs, in Bf 110 G-4 G9+AF.
Plane crashed 4 km east of Urk in the IJsselmeer.
Crew:
F/O. - Pilot - Samuel Lorne McBurney - RCAF - Age 21 - CAN - KIA J/8785
W/O. - Air Observer - Leonard Everett Thorneycroft - RCAF - Age 29 - Wilcox, SK, CAN - KIA R/78983
Sgt. - W.Operator / Air Gunner - William Henry Paul Kelleher - RAF - Age 26 - Cardiff, UK - KIA RAFVR/1006928
Sgt. - Flight Engineer - James Izatt - RAF - Age 22 - Camberwell, London, UK - KIA RAFVR/960182
F/Sgt. - Bomb Aimer - Stanley Finace Mattoon - RCAF - Age 20 - Hardisty, AB, CAN - KIA R/113277
Sgt. - Mid Upper Air Gunner - Glyn Bull - RAF - Age 19 - Nantyglo, Monmouthshire, UK - KIA RAFVR/1422760
W/O. - Rear Air Gunner - Chester Charles Trudell - RCAF - Age 21 - Windsor, ON, CAN - KIA R/83089
Four were buried at the New Eastern Cemetery in Amsterdam. The remains of Mattoon, Trudell and McBurney were found in 1949 and buried at the Oud Leusden cemetery. ED333 was one of two 97 Squadron Lancasters lost on this operation; the other was Lancaster R5497 (Lost without a trace).
Sources:
1. https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T1950&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
2. http://www.teunispats.net/t1950.htm
3. http://www.flevolanderfgoed.nl/home/erfgoed/noordoostpolder-2/vliegtuigwrakken-3/avro-lancaster-i-ed333.html
4. http://www.urkinoorlogstijd.nl/downloads/CR - T1950.pdf
5. Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part three
6. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
Media:
17-Dec-1942, #Lancaster ED333 (97 Sqn) departed Woodhall Spa (#Lincolnshire) and crashed (20:38) about 4 km E of Urk, Holland (7 KIA)
— Jan Nieuwenhuis (@AirWarWW2) December 17, 2013Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2008 11:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 03-Jan-2015 09:21 | Dr. John Smih | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 06-Jun-2015 10:00 | Cliford | Updated [Operator, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 15-Dec-2017 11:26 | TigerTimon | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 01-Nov-2018 15:32 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Location, Destination airport, Operator, ] |
| 06-Nov-2020 19:08 | TigerTimon | Updated [Cn, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 13-Jun-2022 21:49 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 15-Jun-2022 17:14 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
| 17-Jun-2022 21:11 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
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