ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 58858
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| Date: | Thursday 16 September 1943 |
| Time: | 02:57 |
| Type: |  Avro Lancaster Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 617 (Dambusters) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | EE144 |
| MSN: | AJ-S |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Nordhorn-Altendorf, GB, Niedersachsen -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Coningsby |
Flying at low level en route to attack the Dortmund Ems Canal, the aeroplane climbed to avoid a church steeple. A light Flak gun opened up and struck the starboard inner fuel tank igniting it. EE144 crashed on the edge of town. Most of the crew flew with Guy Gibson on the Dams Raid
Crew:-
Pilot : Squadron Leader George Walton Holden DSO DFC & bar MiD RAF 103484 [Killed] (NCO:740266 Commission Gazetted : Friday 12 September, 1941)
Flight Engineer : Sergeant Dennis John Dean Powell MiD RAF 644741 [Killed]
Navigator : Flight Lieutenant Torger Harlo Taerum DFC RCAF J/16688 [Killed]
Bomb Aimer : Flying Officer Frederick Michael Spafford DFC DFM RAAF Aus/407380 [Killed]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Flying Officer George Andrew Deering DFC RCAF J/17245 [Killed]
Air Gunner : Flight Lieutenant Robert Edward George Hutchison DFC and Bar RAFVR 120854 [Killed] (NCO:977611 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 19 May, 1942)
Air Gunner : Pilot Officer Thomas Alfred Meikle DFM RAF 52913 [Killed] (NCO:617163 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 28 September, 1943)
Air Gunner : Flying Officer Henry James Pringle DFC RAFVR 118900 [Killed] (NCO:905815 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 21 April, 1942)
The Flak gun belonged to the leichte Heimat-Flak-Batterie 89/XI (Flakgruppe Ostfriesland). Holden's 12,000 blockbuster bomb exploded 15 minutes after the Lancaster crashed, killing the mother of a German family whose farm was at the crash site.
Takeoff time: 23:56
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part two
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=EE144
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Mar-2009 21:03 | VH-KDK | Added |
| 17-Aug-2011 04:02 | Uli Elch | Updated [Location] |
| 16-Feb-2012 01:01 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 14-Sep-2018 09:44 | TigerTimon | Updated [Date, Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Oct-2018 18:00 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 25-Jun-2022 04:20 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 15-Sep-2023 06:46 | Rob Davis | Updated [[Location]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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