Region
Europe

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V in Kleve

Date & Time: Jun 3, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley
Operator:
Registration:
P4991
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Linton-on-Ouse - Linton-on-Ouse
MSN:
1713
YOM:
1940
Location:
Kleve
North Rhine-Westphalia
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 2314LT on June 2 on an operation to Düsseldorf. After passing the Dutch border, it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed in Kleve. All five crew members became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Charles Bamford,
Sgt William Scoular Donnelly,
Sgt John Langan Sherrington Flanagan,
F/Lt Jack Kenneth Lyon,
Sgt David Henry Roberts.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

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

Date & Time: May 25, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
V6248
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Oulton - Oulton
Location:
Norderney
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Oulton on an operation to Norderney. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed off the island. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt George Morton Duffus,
Sgt Iain Fraser Gow,
F/Sgt David Graham Keane.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV off Heligoland Island: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 21, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
L9272
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Great Massingham - Great Massingham
Location:
Heligoland Island
Schleswig-Holstein
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Great Massingham at 1400LT on an anti-shipping operation. Approaching Heligoland Island, it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed into the sea. A crew was killed and two others became PoW.
Crew:
F/Sgt Douglas John Robert Craig, †
Sgt Robert George Ratcliffe,
Sgt Frederick John Joseph Smith.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Junkers W.34 in Prenzlau

Date & Time: May 19, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Junkers W.34
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
4012
YOM:
1939
Location:
Prenzlau
Brandenburg
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane suffered an engine failure, crashed near Prenzlau and was destroyed. There were no casualties.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of an Avro 679 Manchester I off Borkum Island: 6 killed

Date & Time: May 16, 1941 at 2300 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 679 Manchester
Operator:
Registration:
L7324
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Coningsby - Coningsby
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 Coningsby at 2200LT on an operation to Berlin. One hour into the flight, the crew reported the right engine had failed. This was the last transmission. Two dead bodies were found but no trace of the airplane nor the rest of the crew. It appears that the airplane crashed into the sea some 30 km off Borkum Island.
Crew (97th Squadron):
F/Lt Gerald Oscar Ladler Bird,
P/O William Adam Brown,
Sgt Wallace Patrick Hannigan, wireless operator,
F/Sgt Kenneth John Hutt, observer,
Sgt Peter Norman Nutt,
Sgt Reginald George Pyatt.
Probable cause:
Engine failure.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Essen: 5 killed

Date & Time: May 16, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
R1167
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Alconbury - Alconbury
Location:
Essen
North Rhine-Westphalia
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Alconbury at 2210LT on May 15 on an operation to Hanover. Over Essen, it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed in Altendorf, in the suburb of Essen. Five crew members were killed and a sixth became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt William Ernest Moore, pilot, †
P/O Dixon Frederick Raeside Whyte, pilot, †
F/Sgt Leslie John Kennard, observer, †
Sgt Ivan John Adey, wireless operator, †
Sgt Richmond Meech, wireless operator, †
Sgt Percy Addison, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Blohm & Voss BV 138C-1 off Hörnum: 1 killed

Date & Time: May 15, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Blohm & Voss BV 138
Operator:
Registration:
8L+BK
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
310023
YOM:
1941
Location:
Hörnum (Sylt Island)
Schleswig-Holstein
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
Suffered an accident in Hörnum, apparently following a structural failure. The air gunner was killed and all four other crew members were injured.
Crew.
Lt Hans-Joachim Fried, pilot,
Ogefr Johann Wirringa, radio operator,
Ofw Georg Klare, mechanic,
Uffz Friedrich Braun, mechanic,
Ogefr Helmut Hahn, air gunner. †

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV off Heligoland Island: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 15, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
V6372
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Watton - Watton
Location:
Heligoland Island
Schleswig-Holstein
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Watton at 1102LT on an anti-shipping mission. While approaching Heligoland Islands, it was shot down by a Me.109 and crashed into the sea. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt William Vernon Fillingham,
Sgt Reginald Percival Mayers,
P/O James Flockhart Thom Ogilvie.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Junkers JU.88 in Perleberg: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 13, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Junkers JU.88
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Location:
Perleberg
Brandenburg
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances in Perleberg, killing the entire crew.
Crew.
Ogefr Rudolf Raay, pilot,
Lt Otto Eberhard Boehme, observer,
Ogefr Gerhard Friedrich A. Jürgens, radio operator,
Uffz Herbert Goedecke, mechanic.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Norderstedt: 6 killed

Date & Time: May 12, 1941 at 0214 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
R1462
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Stradishall - Stradishall
Location:
Norderstedt
Schleswig-Holstein
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 Stradishall in the evening of May 11 on an operation to Hamburg. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Norderstedt, north of Hamburg. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O John Grahame Toplis, pilot,
Sgt Peter Richard Kenneth Burley, pilot,
Sgt Arnold Walker Gibson, observer,
Sgt Hubert William John Barr, wireless operator,
Sgt Albert Livesey, wireless operator,
Sgt Thomas Webley James, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.
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