Germany | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane departed Elefsis AFB near Athens on a ferry flight to Dessau. While cruising over Bavaria, the crew encountered foggy conditions when the airplane impacted hilly and wooded terrain near Buchsee. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Lt Hermann Hain,
Uffz Heinz Bäcker,
Ogfr Kurt Haberland,
Gfr Hans Lukas.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Junkers JU.52/3mge in Klimbach: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 23, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.52

Operator:

Registration:

NN+MA

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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MSN:

303

YOM:

1935

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The airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in Klimbach, Bavaria. A crew member, Cpl Ludwig Piendel, and both passengers (two civilians) were killed.

Crash of a Junkers JU.88A-4 in Werl

Date & Time: Dec 15, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.88

Operator:

Registration:

4D+HT

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Gilze-Rijen - Gilze-Rijen

MSN:

6605

Location:

Werl

North Rhine-Westphalia

Country:

Germany

Region:

Europe

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Circumstances:

The airplane ran out of fuel and was abandoned by its crew who bailed out. The airplane that suffered a radio failure dove into the ground and crashed in Werl. All four crew members parachuted to safety.

Probable cause:

Radio failure, engine damaged and fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I near Oberhausen: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 12, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

AE391

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Coningsby - Coningsby

Location:

Oberhausen

North Rhine-Westphalia

Country:

Germany

Region:

Europe

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The airplane departed RAF Coningsby at 1040LT on an operation to Gelsenkirchen. It was shot down by enemy fire and crashed near Oberhausen. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Sgt Samuel Victor Crowhurst, pilot,
F/Lt Harold Dudley Webber, pilot,
Sgt Frank Norman, wireless operator,
Sgt Thomas Robson-Scott, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Junkers JU.88A-4 in Cologne: 3 killed

Date & Time: Dec 9, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Junkers JU.88

Operator:

Flight Phase:

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Site:

MSN:

1380

Location:

Cologne

North Rhine-Westphalia

Country:

Germany

Region:

Europe

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After takeoff from Cologne Airport, the airplane crashed for unknown reasons in Ostheim, a district of Cologne. Three crew members were killed and a fourth was injured.
Crew:
Uffz Xaver Schmid, pilot, †
Uffz Wilhelm Pennersass, observer, †
Gefr Paul Schneiderzick, radio operator,
Uffz Ferdinand Sinen, air gunner. †

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V in Moorstrich: 2 killed

Date & Time: Nov 30, 1941 at 2314 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

Z6575

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse

MSN:

2046

YOM:

1941

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The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 1706LT on an operation to Hamburg. It was shot down by a Me.110 and crashed in Moorstrich. Both pilots were killed and three others became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt John Stanley Gearing, pilot, †
F/Sgt Duncan Gordon McKay, pilot, †
Sgt Norman Shefford Bidwell,
Sgt John Henry Killen Deane,
P/O Fred Ivins.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I in Lentföhrden: 1 killed

Date & Time: Nov 30, 1941 at 2224 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.57 Halifax I

Operator:

Registration:

L9582

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

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Schedule:

Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse

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The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 1726LT on an operation to Hamburg. It was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Lentföhrden, about 38 km north of Hamburg. A crew was killed and six other became PoW.
Crew:
F/Sgt John Collins, air gunner, †
Sgt Albert Edward Connor,
F/Sgt John Craig Hamilton,
Sgt James Patrick Henderson,
Sgt Jeffrey Arnold Longford,
P/O Clifford Grove Lythgoe,
Sgt Walter Roy Stapleford.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 424 Wellington IV in Rastorfer Passau: 6 killed

Date & Time: Nov 30, 1941 at 2223 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 424 Wellington IV

Operator:

Registration:

Z1292

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Grimsby - Grimsby

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The airplane departed RAF Grimsby at 1757LT on an operation to Hamburg. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Rastorfer Passau, about 15 km southeast of Kiel. All six crew members were killed.
Crew.
Sgt Alexander Gilmour, pilot,
Sgt John Harold Lucking, pilot,
Sgt William Joseph Lewis, observer,
Sgt John Stanley Saunders, wireless operator,
Sgt Jesse Butterworth, air gunner,
F/Sgt Frank Sumner, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

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

Date & Time: Nov 30, 1941 at 2148 LT

Type of aircraft:

Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden

Operator:

Registration:

P1272

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Swinderby - Swinderby

Location:

Hamburg

Country:

Germany

Region:

Europe

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The airplane departed RAF Swinderby at 1654LT on an operation to Hamburg. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt John Shannon, pilot,
P/O Alan George Sands, navigator,
Sgt Alexander Charles Shorey, wireless operator,
Sgt Victor Edward Towers, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V in Klein Königsförde: 4 killed

Date & Time: Nov 30, 1941 at 2139 LT

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

Z6800

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

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Site:

Schedule:

Dalton - Dalton

MSN:

2160

YOM:

1941

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The airplane departed RAF Dalton on an operation to Hamburg. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed near Klein Königsförde, west of Kiel. Four crew members were killed and a fifth became PoW.
Crew:
S/L James Godfrey Walker, pilot, †
Sgt Charles Thomas Roderick Anderson, pilot, †
Sgt John Alfred Groom, observer, †
Sgt Philip Anthony Taylor, wireless operator, †
Sgt James Williamson, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.