Crash of a Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II off Borkum Island: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jul 23, 1983 at 1900 LT
Type of aircraft:
Piper PA-31 Cheyenne
Operator:
Schröter Verwaltungs
Registration:
D-IAKS
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
31-7820048
YOM:
1978
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
Shortly after takeoff from Borkum Island Airport, while in initial climb, the twin engine airplane lost height and crashed in the Sea of Wadden, bursting into flames. The wreckage was found about 2 km offshore and all eight occupants were killed.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II off Borkum Island: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jul 20, 1942 at 0251 LT
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II
Operator:
Registration:
W1106
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Leeming - Leeming
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Leeming at 2348LT on July 19 on an operation to Vegesack. Approaching the German coast, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the North Sea off Borkum Island. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O John Samuel Victor Fegan,
Sgt Albert John Beattie,
F/Sgt William Graham Gibson,
Sgt Cresswell Atchison,
F/Sgt Frederick William Stewart,
P/O Erle Ernest Edward Johnstone,
Sgt Frederick George Albert Bick.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I off Borkum Island: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 28, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden
Operator:
Registration:
P1153
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane was engaged in an anti-shipping strike over the North Sea when it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed into the sea off Borkum Island. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
W/O James McCallum, pilot,
F/Sgt Lawrence Hugh Latimer, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Ross Mcauslan Neil, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Henry Francis Hasleden, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I on Borkum Island: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jun 26, 1942 at 0332 LT
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden
Operator:
Registration:
P5312
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Cottesmore - Cottesmore
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Cottesmore at 2252LT on June 25 on an operation to Bremen. Approaching the German coast, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed on Borkum Island. Three crew members were killed and a fourth became PoW.
Crew:
F/Lt Count Tristan Edward Salazar, pilot, †
Sgt Thomas Slanislaus Gaffney, observer, †
F/Sgt Richard John Horlock, wireless operator, †
Sgt Sydney Howard Cusden, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 424 Wellington IV off Borkum Island: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jun 7, 1942 at 0227 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 424 Wellington IV
Operator:
Registration:
R1390
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Hemswell - Hemswell
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Hemswell at 2354LT on June 6 on an operation to Emden. Approaching the German coast, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea off Borkum Island. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Mieczysław Eugeniusz Bober, pilot,
F/Lt Mieczysław Kowalowka, pilot,
F/O Stanisław Powierza, observer,
Sgt Florian Sapiecha, wireless operator,
W/O Józef Podgorzak, air gunner,
Sgt Tadeusz Szykowny, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of an Avro 679 Manchester I off Borkum Island: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jun 7, 1942 at 0140 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 679 Manchester
Operator:
Registration:
L7471
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Skellingthorpe - Skellingthorpe
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Skellingthorpe at 2316LT on June 6 on an operation to Emden. Approaching the German coast, the crew reported technical problems with the engine and ditched the airplane off Borkum Island. Two crew members were killed and five others were rescued and became PoW.
Crew (50th Squadron):
F/O Argyle Donald Beatty, †
Sgt Ronald Garnet Burton, †
P/O Frederic William Robert Allen,
Sgt Ronald Gibson Buchanan,
Sgt Alan Frederick Scanlan,
Sgt Arthur Campbell Tebbutt,
Sgt Ronald Frank Davies.
Probable cause:
Engine problems.

Crash of an Avro 679 Manchester I off Borkum Island: 7 killed

Date & Time: Jun 7, 1942 at 0044 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 679 Manchester
Operator:
Registration:
L7469
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Scampton - Scampton
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Scampton at 2313LT on June 6 on an operation to Emden. Approaching the German coast, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the sea off Borkum Island. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew (49th Squadron):
S/L Peter Morrice De Mestre, pilot,
Sgt Albert Francois Buttel, pilot,
P/O Ronald Henry James Thorndyke, observer,
Sgt George Clive Whitfield, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Douglas Stephen Halliday, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Lewis James Jones, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Sgt Maxwell Elliott Whitehill, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC off Borkum Island: 6 killed

Date & Time: Jan 10, 1942 at 2215 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
DV423
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Lindholme - Lindholme
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lindholme at 1741LT on an operation to Wilhelmshaven. In the late evening, while returning to base, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed into the sea off Borkum Island. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Jan Zajac, pilot,
Sgt Stanisław Garstka, pilot,
P/O Jozef Maczynski, navigator,
Sgt Rajmund Antoni Pokrzywa, wireless operator,
Sgt Jacek Strzyzewski, wireless operator,
F/O Tadeusz Jozef Klewicz, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V off Borkum Island: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 8, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley
Operator:
Registration:
Z9130
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Dishforth – Dishforth
MSN:
2269
YOM:
1941
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 2221LT on an operation to Berlin. Flying along the German coast, it crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea off Borkum Island. Four crew members were killed and a fifth became PoW.
Crew:
S/L Peter George Scott Dickenson, pilot, †
Sgt Arthur Vincent Carpenter, †
Sgt William Martin Chambers, †
P/O David Albert Simpson, air bomber, †
Sgt Brian Stephen Walley.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I off Borkum Island

Date & Time: Sep 3, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden
Operator:
Registration:
AE315
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Scampton – Scampton
Location:
Borkum Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Scampton at 2000LT on September 2 on a mine laying operation. While approaching the island of Borkum at a too low altitude, the airplane collided with a sand bank and crashed into the sea. All four crew members became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Harry Logan,
Sgt Richard Brian Olliver,
Sgt John F. Payne,
Sgt John Donald Walshe.
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