Kessel | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The aircraft had just dropped its supplies from 700 feet when it was met with intense anti-aircraft fire. The tail unit, rudder, port aileron and engine, the starboard auxiliary fuel tank and all the gyro instruments were either damaged or put out of action, and one of the Army dispatchers was mortally wounded. The captain, F/O L. R. Pattee and his copilot, F/O A. C. Kent, flew the crippled aircraft back to the British lines, through three more areas of enemy flak, where they sustained further serious damage, including a five foot hole in the starboard wing which caught fire, and complete electrical and communications failure. Once over the British lines, Pattee gave the crew and dispatchers the opportunity to bale out, but they refused and the pilots then made a successful belly-landing in the field. No sooner had they all quit the Dakota, than it was engulfed by flames. The unfortunate dispatcher died soon after the landing, while the others were taken to Brussels and the crew returned to RAF Down Ampney.
Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I in Kessel: 2 killed

Date & Time: Apr 10, 1941 at 2302 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

X3153

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Schedule:

Coningsby - Coningsby

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The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 2000LT on an operation to Düsseldorf. While passing over the Netherlands at night, it was shot down by the pilot of a Me.110 and crashed in Kessel. Two crew members were killed and two others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt W. F. Osborne, pilot,
Sgt John Fred Reginald Boyall, observer, †
Sgt Donald Skene, wireless operator, †
Sgt S. A. T. Davies, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden in Kessel: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jul 12, 1940 at 0150 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

P4366

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

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Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Hemswell - Hemswell

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The airplane departed RAF Hemswell on a mission over Wanne-Eickel. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Kessel, killing all four crew members.
Crew:
Crew:
P/O Ian Milne Hossack, pilot,
Sgt Eric Basil Hartley France, observer,
Sgt Edward Dennis Leamy, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Clarence Rose, wireless operator and air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Kessel: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 10, 1940 at 1700 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L8860

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Méharicourt - Méharicourt

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The crew departed Méharicourt on a low level reconnaissance mission over the Netherlands. En route, the aircraft was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Kessel. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Leonard Thomas Dixon, pilot,
Sgt Thomas Arthur Peach, observer,
AC1 John Townsley, wireless operator and air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.