Region
Europe

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Sankt Johann: 3 killed

Date & Time: Nov 6, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
L1145
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Metz - Metz
MSN:
8428
YOM:
1938
Location:
Sankt Johann
Rhineland-Palatinate
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 Metz at 1030LT on a reconnaissance mission over the Siegfried Line. En route, it was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed, killing all three crew members.
Crew:
P/O Alexander Donald Morton, pilot,
Sgt Geoffrey Storr, pilot,
AC1 Frederick Albert Twinning, wireless operator and air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Quakenbrück: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 30, 1939 at 1250 LT
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
L1415
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Metz - Metz
MSN:
8698
YOM:
1939
Location:
Quakenbrück
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 Metz on a reconnaissance mission over Germany. En route, the aircraft was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed, killing all three crew members.
Crew:
F/O Dennis Frederick Elliot, pilot,
Sgt Kenneth Burton Crew, observer,
AC1 John Arthur Garrick, wireless operator and air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the pilot of a German fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Gross Berssen: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 30, 1939 at 1245 LT
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
N6234
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Wyton - Wyton
MSN:
9331
YOM:
1939
Location:
Gross Berssen
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 twin engine airplane departed RAF Wyton on a reconnaissance mission over Germany. En route, it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed in Gross Berssen. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O William George McCracken, pilot,
Sgt Stanley Robert Mitchell, observer,
AC1 Robert Boaler Smith, wireless operator and air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Klüsserath: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 30, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
L6694
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Metz - Metz
Location:
Klüsserath
Rhineland-Palatinate
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 Metz on a reconnaissance mission over Germany. It was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed in Klüsserath, killing all three crewmen.
Crew:
F/Lt Alan Arthur Dilnot, pilot,
Sgt Ewart Harrison Crellin, observer,
AC1 John Stanley Burrows, wireless operator and air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Lingen

Date & Time: Oct 16, 1939 at 1130 LT
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
L1141
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Étain-Rouvres - Étain-Rouvres
MSN:
8424
YOM:
1938
Location:
Lingen
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Étain-Rouvres AFB at 1100LT on a reconnaissance mission. En route, it was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed in a field located in Lingen. All three crew members became PoW.
Crew:
F/O Michael James Casey,
Sgt Alfred G. Fripp,
AC1 J. Nelson.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley IV in Geinsheim am Rhein: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 16, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley
Operator:
Registration:
K8947
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Villeneuve-les-Vertus - Driffield
MSN:
1400
YOM:
1938
Location:
Geinsheim am Rhein
Hesse
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Villeneuve-les-Vertus at 1850LT on October 15 with Munich as target (leaflet dropping mission). En route, the aircraft went off course and was overflying Frankfurt at night when it was shot down by the German Flak. The crew attempted to make an emergency landing in a field when the aircraft crashed in Geinsheim am Rhein, about 30 km southwest of Frankfurt. Four crew members became PoW and the captain was killed.
Crew (77th Squadron):
F/O Roland Williams, pilot, †
LAC Reginald Enrath Fletcher,
Cpl A. R. Gunston,
Sgt James William Lambert,
F/O John Tilsley.
Probable cause:
The crew failed to respond to a recall signal and when last heard on w/t, it was assumed that the bomber was on course for RAF Driffield.

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

Date & Time: Oct 13, 1939 at 1440 LT
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
N6160
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Villeneuve-les-Vertus - Villeneuve-les-Vertus
MSN:
9260
YOM:
1939
Location:
Dreiborn
North Rhine-Westphalia
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane departed Villeneuve-les-Vertus Airfield on a reconnaissance mission over the Ruhr. En route, the airplane was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Kenneth George Sheldon Thompson, pilot,
Sgt George Walton Marwood, observer,
AC1 Alexander Lumsden, wireless operator and air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Idar-Oberstein

Date & Time: Oct 13, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
L1138
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Metz - Metz
MSN:
8421
YOM:
1938
Location:
Idar-Oberstein
Rhineland-Palatinate
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Metz on a reconnaissance mission over Hanover. En route, it was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and entered a dive. A crewman was able to bail out before the aircraft crashed in an openfield. Both other crew members were killed.
Crew:
W/Cdr Harry Melville Arbuthnot, pilot,
Sgt Eric Bernard Hillier, observer, †
AC2 Frederick George Moller, wireless operator and air gunner. †
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Dornier DO.17P in Göllheim: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 12, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Dornier DO.17
Operator:
Registration:
4U+HK
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Location:
Göllheim
Rhineland-Palatinate
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances, killing all three crew members.
Crew:
Lt Albert Kohler,
Uffz K. Low,
Uffz E. Schonborn.

Crash of a Junkers JU.52/3m off Wangerooge Island

Date & Time: Oct 10, 1939
Type of aircraft:
Junkers JU.52
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
MSN:
6671
YOM:
1939
Location:
Wangerooge Island
Lower Saxony
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The three engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances into the North Sea off the Wangerooge Island. There were no casualties and the pilot Günther was injured.
Probable cause:
It appears that the accident was caused by a pilot error.
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