Royal Air Force - RAF

The crew was performing a parachute supply mission to the Italian Resistance in the region of Cerreto d’Esi on behalf of the 148th Squadron based in Brindisi. Shortly after the launch, the aircraft was hit by Flak, went out of control and crashed in a field. Five crew were killed while five others were injured.

While on approach to Edinburgh in snow falls, crew made an emergency landing on the Carrick Knowe Golf course located in Corstorphine, less than 2 km from runway threshold. Both crew members were unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

While flying over North Lincolnshire, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a prairie for unknown reason. All seven crew members were killed.

Shortly after takeoff from Croft AFB, in initial climb, the aircraft collided with a flock of birds that hit the windshield. Both pilots were injured and attempted to make an emergency landing. They reduced their altitude and landed in an open field. Aircraft skidded few hundred yards before coming to rest. All crew were rescued and evacuated while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. Crew was from 434th Squadron.

The aircraft took off from Dumfries at 2017LT on the 22nd February for a night navigation exercise around the northern Irish Sea / North Channel area. The intended route was Dumfries - Silloth - Mull of Galloway - Rathlin Island - 55'50"N 06'40"W (a point some 8 miles off the west coast of Islay) - Mull of Galloway - Silloth - Dumfries, a total distance of 380 miles. Also an Infra-Red bombing exercise was to be conducted at Whithorn (south of Wigtown on the Silloth - Mull of Galloway leg) on both the outward and return legs. The progress of the flight was reported by radio and ground tracking as being slightly off course to port between the Mull of Galloway and Rathlin and off course to starboard on he return leg to the Mull of Galloway from off Islay. The crew were able to use the Occult navigation light at West Freugh on the return leg to correct their course to arrive over Withorn for their second pass at the IR target but visibility was reported by them as poor so they did not carry out the IR bombing exercise. At this point they decided to set a direct course to Dumfries from the West Freugh Occult with radio navigation assistance from Wigtown. At 2336LT the aircraft was reported by West Freugh to be almost due North of them with the crew reporting that they were flying at 3,000 feet. A couple of minutes later the aircraft flew into the western side of Cairnsmore of Fleet at just over 2,100 feet and only a mile north of their intended track. The aircraft impacted a large patch of boulders and much of the forward end was badly damaged by the impact, the aircraft carried on up the slope for a short way before coming to a halt, there was no fire following the crash. When the aircraft did not arrive at Dumfries it was declared missing and a search was begun at dawn on the 23rd, in the mean time and despite his injuries the pilot Sgt McLeod set off on foot from the crash site, arriving at Bardrochwood Farm at the foot of Cairnsmore. It was 2100LT on the 23rd before the crash site was reached by the rescue party from Wigtown and Lalonde was rescued. The other crew members had either died in the crash or succumbed to their injuries and the cold before help arrived, both were recorded as having happened by the RAF Dumfries Medical Officer.
Crew:
Sergeant N. J. McLeod, pilot
P. J. Lalonde, navigator
John Morgan Cooley, bomb aimer, †
Warrant Officer Jack James Mount Ward, wireless operator, air gunner and instructor, †
Sergeant Mervyn Charles Simpson, wireless operator and air gunner, †
Source: http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk

The crew was overflying Germany when it was attacked by a German fighter. Two crew members were able to bail out before the aircraft exploded in mid air and crashed in a field in Ehra-Lessien. All five other crewmen were killed.
Crew:
Hubert Wallis, pilot, †
Sergeant T. F. Preston, flight engineer,
L. E. Tozer, navigator,
Sergeant Albert Alfred Pardoe, air gunner, †
Sergeant Kenneth Sims, air gunner, †
Sergeant David John Brewer, air gunner, †
Eric Bremner, air gunner. †

En route, while cruising in a snowstorm, aircraft hit Mt Lyn Cowlyd located some 15 km southeast of Bangor, Wales. The pilot was killed while all three other occupants were injured.
Crew:
Sergeant Joseph William Francis Grant, pilot, †
Sergeant Robert Birch, navigator,
Warrant Officer Thomas Renni Renton, wireless operator,
Mervyn John Byrne, wireless operator.

On a training flight, crew lost his orientation and the control of the aircraft that crashed in a prairie. Both occupants were killed.

The aircraft left RAF Witchford on a bombing mission over Berlin. While flying by night over The Netherlands, the aircraft was shot down by a German fighter, went out of control and crashed into the Marker Lake, off Schellinkhout. Two crew members were rescued while all five others were killed.

The bomber left RAF Graveley at 1736LT on a bombing mission over Germany. On the return flight, while cruising over The Netherlands, the aircraft was shot down by a German fighter. With an engine on fire, captain reduced his altitude and attempted to make an emergency landing when the aircraft exploded and crashed in a field in Diepenveen, a village located north of Deventer. Four crew members were killed while three others were injured.
The four crew who lost their lives are:
Colin Frazer Blundell, pilot,
Leslie Albert Hazell, mechanic,
Sergeant Raymond Valentine Montigue Daniels, air gunner,
Jeffrey Eugene Pogonowski, air gunner.