While doing family genealogy I came upon a cousin who was shot down in that raid. His plane took off June 12 @ 23:56 from RAF topcliffe and crashed June13 @ 03:16 at Waare, Holland. My question is this. Did they have enough time to drop their load and were shot down returning or did they go down on the way in. Pilot Officer Dawson was with the 102 Squadron and was there as an observer.
From the town chronicle of Schwerte: The air raid had begun at 0.52 a.m., ended at about 2.00 a.m., and the all-clear was not given until 3.50 a.m. In this respect, I would assume that the crash occurred during the return flight. edit According to this source: Sergeant J CHAPMAN (1151802), Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve) [Royal Air Force WW2 Casualty ] the plane was shot down on the return flight by Lt Reinhold Knacke 102 Squadron Whitley V Z6489 Sgt. Chapman Reinhold Knacke - Wikipedia
No 102 (Ceylon) Squadron has an active squadron association but nothing is referenced for the loss of this Whitley The op is well covered by the Aircrew Remembered website......102 Squadron Whitley V Z6489 Sgt. Chapman (aircrewremembered.com) Should an individual's RAF service be required, the service record can be obtained from Cranwell at the address below. RAF Disclosures Section Room 221b Trenchard Hall RAF Cranwell Sleaford Lincolnshire
An Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V (Z6489) of 102 Squadron crashed at 3:18 a.m. on June 13, 1941. The bomber was flown by Sgt J. Chapman and was on a bombing mission to Schwerte. Given the time of day, the Whitley was shot down on its way back by a German night fighter. For a long time it was thought that it was piloted by Lt Knacke of 2/NJG 1, but he appears to have reported no hits for this night. It was probably another German "ace," namely Hptm Hans-Dieter Frank. The entire crew of the bomber perished in this crash. They were besides the pilot Sgt. John Chapman (24), air gunner Sgt. James Hall (19); air gunner Sgt. John Mathew Bailey Tunnah (30); bomb aimer P/O Raymond Woodrow Dawson (22); co-pilot Sgt. John Franklin James (RAAF) (25); radio operator Sgt. Kenneth Ridd Winter (2). All are buried at Woensel, graves JJ 16-20 and JJ 25. Sgt. James was not found for nine days, presumably during the salvage of the wreckage. The aircraft came down on the Gagelsche Akkers on the Genneperweg. In daylight, a large group of curious people approached it. One of them declared aloud that there was not an English plane burned out there, but a German one that had been marked with English license plates by the Germans before dawn. People laughed, but in the crowd were also others who reported Johannes Boons to the German Ortskommandant in Eindhoven, where he was taken on June 15 for interrogation and pending punishment for spreading false rumors. Source: Neergestorte vliegtuigen in Waalre 1940-1945 - BHIC
Thank you. I did read that Knacke had shot the aircraft down and I'm surprised that it now appears he didn't.
Such contradictions and inaccuracies are the rule rather than the exception. At least the crash site can be assumed to be certain. Since the majority of the sources however calls Knacke and only the Dutch source Frank, I would put a question mark there: one notes also the words "appears" and "probably" And finally, unfortunately, it does not change the fate of the crew
Keith, I wonder if you have read the A705 Casualty file of the RAAF member of this crew, 404104 Sgt John Franklin James? Close to 100 pages of information Go to www.naa.gov.au and use his service number to search. His personnel file is there as well. Regards, Dave