Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II near Flornes

Date & Time: Apr 28, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II
Operator:
Registration:
W1041
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Location:
Flornes
Sør-Trøndelag
Country:
Norway
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lossiemouth to attack the German ship 'Tirpitz' moored off Trondheim. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak. The crew abandoned the airplane that dove into the ground and crashed near Flornes, east of Trondheim. All seven crew members became PoW.
Crew:
Crew
W/Cdr D. C. T. Bennett, pilot,
Sgt H. Walmsley, pilot,
F/Sgt J. Colgan, flight engineer,
Sgt T. H. A. Eyles, navigator,
Sgt C. R. S. Forbes, wireless operator,
Sgt J. D. Murray, wireless operator,
F/Lt H. G. How, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster I near Okkelberg: 7 killed

Date & Time: Apr 28, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Avro 683 Lancaster
Operator:
Registration:
L7572
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Location:
Okkelberg
Sør-Trøndelag
Country:
Norway
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lossiemouth to attack the German ship 'Tirpitz' moored off Trondheim, Norway. While approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed west of the Ausetvatnet lake, near Okkelberg, bursting into flames. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew (97th Squadron):
F/Lt John Goodsir MacKid, pilot,
P/O Ronald Benjamin Underwood, pilot,
P/O Thomas Neville Tree, observer,
Sgt Eric McDermott, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt William Keay Falconer Marshall, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt Frederick Bennett, air gunner,
Sgt Raymond Day, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in the Hemnfjorden: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 30, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II
Operator:
Registration:
W1044
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Location:
Hemnfjorden
Sør-Trøndelag
Country:
Norway
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Lossiemouth at 1851LT to attack the German battleship Tirpitz moored in the Fættenfjord northeast of Trondheim. Approaching Trondheim from the west, the airplane was shot down by enemy fire and crashed in the Hemnfjorden off the village of Heim. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Neil Ralph Blunden,
P/O Geoffrey Cyril Day,
Sgt William Benjamin Eastwood,
Sgt Reginald G. A. Richards,
F/Sgt Harold Ralph Franklin,
Sgt Kenneth Coverdale May,
F/Sgt Arthur Reginald Henman.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II in the Fættenfjord: 7 killed

Date & Time: Mar 30, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II
Operator:
Registration:
W1043
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Location:
Fættenfjord
Sør-Trøndelag
Country:
Norway
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lossiemouth at 1846LT to attack the German battleship Tirpitz moored in the Fættenfjord northeast of Trondheim. Approaching the target area, the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea. The entire crew was killed.
Crew:
S/L Frederick David Webster, pilot,
Sgt Eric Archibald Hall,
F/Sgt Harold Sydney Wheatley,
F/Sgt Aubrey Charles Stevens-Fox,
Sgt Arnold Hague,
P/O Samuel Robert Leney,
Sgt Walter Hall.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II at RAF Lossiemouth

Date & Time: Mar 9, 1942 at 1112 LT
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax II
Operator:
Registration:
R9371
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Leeming - Lossiemouth
Location:
Lossiemouth AFB
Moray (Elginshire)
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After a transit flight from RAF Leeming, the airplane landed at RAF Lossiemouth and suffered a brake failure on a very wet runway. The airplane went out of control, veered off runway and collided with a hangar. It was damaged beyond repair and both crew members escaped uninjured.
Crew:
F/Sgt L. Whyte,
P/O E. R. Senior.
Probable cause:
Failure of the brakes after touchdown.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I off Aberdeen

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1942 at 1005 LT
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I
Operator:
Registration:
L9581
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Location:
Aberdeen
Aberdeenshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lossiemouth at 0217LT to attack the Tirpitz. While returning to base, it suffered a loss of power on the port inner engine and was ditched some 4 miles off Aberdeen. The crew had been in difficulty for several hours due to severe icing and w/t failure. All crew members were rescued.
Crew:
Sgt J. W. R. Harwood,
Sgt Patey,
Sgt Young,
Sgt Smardon,
Sgt Scott,
Sgt Petch,
Sgt Norbert David Roche, wireless operator.
Probable cause:
Emergency landing following loss of engine power.

Crash of a Short S.29 Stirling I at RAF Lossiemouth

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1942
Type of aircraft:
Short S.29 Stirling
Operator:
Registration:
W7462
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Location:
Lossiemouth AFB
Moray (Elginshire)
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lossiemouth to attack the Tirpitz ship. On return, it landed on an ice covered runway, skidded and slid into a trench, whereupon the undercarriage collapsed. There were no injuries among the crew.
Crew:
F/Lt R. W. A. Turtle,
P/O D. L. Atkinson,
Sgt Collins,
Sgt Bowman,
Sgt J. D. Burnley,
Sgt Hanna,
Sgt Smith.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC near Braemar: 8 killed

Date & Time: Jan 19, 1942 at 1250 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
R1646
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Training
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Location:
Braemar
Aberdeenshire
Country:
United Kingdom
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lossiemouth on a training exercise. In unknown circumstances, it impacted the slope of a mountain located near Braemar. The wreckage was found three days later in a snow covered hilly terrain. All eight crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O James Williamson Thomson, pilot,
Sgt Robert James Jackson, pilot,
Sgt Michael Henry John Kilburn, pilot,
F/Sgt Harry Joseph Kelley, observer,
Sgt Beaumont Churchill Dickson,
Sgt Roy Alistair Milliken,
Sgt John Bernard Riley, wireless operator,
Sgt William Morphet Greenbank, air gunner.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV off Måløy: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 27, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
Z7500
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Location:
Måløy
Sogn og Fjordane
Country:
Norway
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lossiemouth at 0930LT on a combined operation to support Allied Commandos. It was shot down by the German Flak while approaching the Norwegian coast and crashed into the sea off Måløy. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Kenneth Aubrey Davis, pilot,
Sgt John James Burchall Ward, observer,
Sgt John Edward Kitley, wireless operator.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV off Måløy: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 27, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
V6227
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Lossiemouth - Lossiemouth
Location:
Måløy
Sogn og Fjordane
Country:
Norway
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lossiemouth at 0925LT on a combined operation to support Allied Commandos. It was shot down by the German Flak while approaching the Norwegian coast and crashed into the sea off Måløy. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Sgt Robert Wilson Fisher, pilot,
Sgt James Williamson, observer,
Sgt William Frederick George Fletcher, wireless operator.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.
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