Lyon

While flying over the Jura Mountain Range at a too low altitude, the three engine aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in flames in a wooded area called La Joux. The radio navigator Henri Glaise was slightly injured, the mechanic Leroy was seriously injured and the pilot Alain Bamayeux was killed.

The three engine aircraft left Marseille-Marignane Airport at 1340LT on a cargo flight to Paris with an intermediate stop in Lyon. About one hour and twenty minutes into the flight, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low visibility due to heavy snow falls. The aircraft hit with its undercarriage the south slope of Mt Ventoux located northeast of Carpentras, and came to rest in 1,5 meter of snow. The crew was slightly injured and rescued a day later while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It is reported that the aircraft was flying at the altitude of 1,800 meters at the time of the accident (Mt Ventoux is 1,911 meters high) and the pilot was probably following a wrong corridor.

The crew was performing a night training exercise when approaching Lyons, an engine failed, forcing the captain to divert to Lyons-Bron Airport to attempt an emergency landing. Due to low visibility, the crew completed several circuits over Lyons when the aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in the district of Terraillon, near Bron. A crew member was injured while eight others were killed.
Crew (857th Squadron):
Sgt Mose C. Boren Jr., air gunner,
2nd Lt Merrill Burt, copilot,
2nd Lt Charles H. Edwards, pilot,
F/O Edwin London, bomber,
Sgt James D. Matthews, flight engineer,
Sgt James O. Melotte, radio operator,
2nd Lt Gerard L. Roy, navigator,
Sgt John L. Strickey, air gunner,
Sgt Russell G. Wolfersberger Jr, air gunner.

The twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in Azieu, near Genas, in the suburb of Lyon. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew:
Obf Rudolph Ponitzer,
radio operator,
observer,
engineer,
gunner,
two radio pupils.

The twin engine aircraft was completing a liaison flight when approaching the Lyon-Bron Airport, it was shot down by the pilot of a fighter from the allied force. The aircraft crashed in a huge explosion near the airport and was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire. All seven occupants were killed, among them the pilot Franz Wolf, one radio navigator, one engineer and four radio pupils.

The twin engine aircraft was completing a liaison flight when approaching the Lyon-Bron Airport, it was shot down by the pilot of a fighter from the allied force. The aircraft crashed in a huge explosion near the airport and was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire. All five occupants were killed, among them the pilot Herbert Rose, one radio navigator and three radio pupils. Ex French Air Force registered T-976.

Upon touchdown at Prague Airport, the aircraft went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest. The airplane was damaged beyond repair and all occupants evacuated safely.

The aircraft was engaged in an aerial photography mission over the area of Lyon. The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances, killing both occupants, the pilot Marcel Geneux and the passenger Mr. Vuagnaud.

In the first Potez 25 registered 29 took place François Tulasne and his copilot Favier. In the second Potez 25 registered 47 took place Sergeant Robert Josserand and Sergeant in Chief Georges Vergnaud. With two other Potez 25, they were returning to their base in Tours-Parçay-Meslay after taking part to the funeral of the Romanian Colonel Stefan Protopopescu in Bucharest. All four aircraft made intermediate stops in Belgrade and Venice but both other crews encountered technical problems in Venice and Lyon and both aircraft were grounded. En route from Lyon to Tours, while cruising some two km south of Sorbier, Allier, the crews encountered poor weather conditions with heavy rain falls and low clouds. Due to poor visibility, the crew of the first aircraft decided to return and made a 180 turn when the collision occurred. From a height of 100 metres, both aircraft collided and dove into the ground, killing all four occupants.