Date:	Sunday 17 August 1941
Time:	03:15
Type:	Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk V
Owner/operator:	78 Sqn RAF
Registration:	Z6823
MSN:	EY-B
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Velddriel, Gelderland -   Netherlands
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Middleton St. George
Destination airport:

Narrative:
The crew were briefed to attack Koln. The ATD of the aircraft from RAF Middleton St. George, County Durham was 22:56 hrs.

The aircraft was hit by Flakgruppe Vlaardingen (Zuid-Holland province) and crashed at Velddriel (Gelderland province).

The Flak claim is highly unlikely because the bomber flew over Noord-Limburg where Asprey jumped from the aircraft. The bomber was damaged and returned for home but crashed at Velddriel. So how could Flakgruppe Vlaardingen claim this one?? They could never ever see this plane crash from their position in Vlaardingen!!

Crew:-
Pilot : Flight Lieutenant John Arthur Cant RAF 44174 (NCO:562035 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 06 August, 1940) [PoW]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Alan David Wills RAFVR 1306085 [Killed]
Pilot Officer John Lambert Asprey RAAF Aus/404226 [Killed]
Sergeant John Geary RAF 759168 [PoW]
Sergeant William Edwin Kerr RAF 968327 [PoW]

P/O Asprey RAAF rests in the Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen, the Netherlands whilst Sgt Wills rests in Woensel General Cemetery, Eindhoven, the Netherlands

F/L Cant was interned in Stalag Luft 3 (Sagan) This was later the site of the infamous “Great Escape”

Sgt Kerr was interned in Stalag Luft 6 (Heydekrug) Sgt Geary was interned in Stalag 357 (Kopernikus)

Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part two
Nobody Unprepared - History of 78 Sqn Vernon Holland
4 Group Bomber Command - Chris Ward
Chorley's BCL
https://studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/bulletin-322-abschuss-bord-van-een-duitse-luchtdoelbatterij-in-vlaardingen/
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Dec-2008 11:45	ASN archive	Added
18-Oct-2013 19:41	Anon.	Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
06-May-2016 06:27	Red Dragon	Updated [Cn, ]
21-Aug-2018 12:05	gerard57	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, ]
13-Mar-2020 17:00	TigerTimon	Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
08-Jul-2020 08:25	Anon.	Updated [Narrative, ]
31-Dec-2020 10:24	Ronny	Updated [Narrative, ]
25-Feb-2021 11:30	Anon.	Updated [Narrative, ]
26-Jun-2024 09:23	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]