Halifax crash in Germany, maybe 35 Sqdn. Help wanted

Does anyone have a copy of Chorley's to see if there is anything in there about L9501 and/or the Nachtjagd Diaries to see if there were any claims on that date?

Regards

Pete

 

Pete,

No Chorley for 1941 but from NJ War Diaries:-

L9499 Kiel, No mention
L9501 Duisburg, No mention
L9502 Frankfurt, No mention
L9503 Hamburg, No mention
L9508 Berlin, L9560 and L9508, Possibly one shot down near Kreuzbruch and the other near Wangerooge, not definite.
L9512 La Rochelle, No mention
L9521 Leuna, shot down 10 KM south of Nijmegen
L9527 La Rochelle, No mention
L9560 Berlin, L9560 and L9508, Possibly one shot down near Kreuzbruch and the other near Wangerooge, not definite.
L9566 Torino, No mention
L9572 Dusseldorf, shot down Neuf Maison
L9600 Cologne, No mention
L9603 Essen, shot down Terlet Nr Arnhem

Rgds

Pete

 

It may be worth asking the RAF Air Historical Branch (AHB) for any details they have regarding the loss in the RAF Casualty File for L9501. This file contains information obtained after the war from German records and from the Missing Research and Enquiry Service (MRES).

It costs £30 for them to call up the file but it is worth noting that:

• they will not provide a copy of the report
• they will provide a summary relating to the aircraft loss
• they will not provide any information regarding the crew (as you are not next of kin).

It is also worth noting that the AHB are in the process of handing the records over the National Archives, so these files will be placed in the public domain over the next few years (some of 1939 and 1940 are already available)

Regards

Pete

 

Fantastic work gentlemen.

I will do the following here :
At first I´ll try to get the original photos. Maybe I can make better digital files and see more details.
Then I´m going to visit the churches with the new informations to the Duisburg raid on August 28th, 1941 (L9501). Perhaps there is an Information for funerals in the following days.

Regards
Matthias

 

already back.

made some phone calls...., it seems to be confirmed: Duisburg raid 28-8-1941! More tomorrow!

Matthias

 

Apparently there are several photos of L9501 in K A Merrick - Halifax: An illustrated History of a Classic World War II Bomber. 1st edition published in 1980 by Ian Allan ltd. ISBN 0 7110 0767 5

The cover has an early production model without top turret, triangular fins and nose turret, a similar configuration to L9501.
Adkins, Pearson, Hill, Brelsford, Manning, Thompson and Rose were all killed and now buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
Charles Pearson was educated at Bancrofts School.
An "Andrew" has Mannings log book..... http://www.network54.com/Forum/261665/thread/1178624937/last-1256752074/Tracing+circumstances+of+lost+halifax+bomber

My memory is a bit hazy on this, but I think a Halifax was recovered from a Norwegian fjord and i thought it was an early production model, such as in the L95** series. It might be being restored.

 

I believe that the one that you are referring to that was recovered from the lake was W1048, which crash landed in April 1942.

Keep us posted on progress Matthias

Regards

Pete

 

Hi Pete, Hi Kevin, Hi all together!

Yesterday was an "enlightening day" for me. You´re right: TL-Y L9501!

I was in the church office of Schermbeck, the next town to the Crash site. In the books of the cemetery, the burials of foreign soldiers wer not registered. Next I went to a gentlemen who works in the "home Club". That´s not the right word - i can´t find this.... (it means he is an volunteer and he is interested in the Military history of the location). And this one was a real soure for me!
He had witnessed the funeral as a Little Boy and later researched the history of the aircraft. The most of it is now known.

I will translate this in a good english and will post this later. I don´t want to make any mistakes with my translation, some Details are hard. Wartime. Before this, here a Detail pic of the Halifax fuselage, where you can see the code better.

BTH.
Kevin (or some other): It is possible to send me photo scans of the aircraft L9501?
Pete: As like Looks the informations from the RAF AHB? General Information to the Mission..?

Best regards
Matthias

 

Matthias, glad we've got the identity solved. There wasn't a TL-K loss that fit the details, so Y or X looked most likely. I still can't get more than L95** from that blow up.
I don't have the Merrill book "Halifax - An Illustrated History of a Classic WW2 Bomber" perhaps someone on forum who does have could scan the relevant photos?

At least I've learned a bit of German geography (and not to trust first answer on Google Maps!).

ROSE, ALFRED WILLIAM. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: W.Op./Air Gnr. Service No: 746835. Date of Death: 29/08/1941.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 35 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 17. A. 9. Cemetery: REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY.

BRELSFORD, HAROLD. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: Observer. Service No: 1162052. Date of Death: 29/08/1941.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 35 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 17. A. 10. Cemetery. REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY

PEARSON, CHARLES JAMES. Rank: Pilot Officer. Trade: Pilot. Service No: 64268. Date of Death: 29/08/1941. Age: 27.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 35 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 17. A. 11. Cemetery: REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of James Barnet Pearson and Mary Crawford Pearson, of Loughton, Essex.

ADKINS, ARTHUR EDWARD CHARLES. Rank: Pilot Officer. Trade: Pilot. Service No: 101039. Date of Death: 29/08/1941.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 35 Sqdn
Grave Reference: 17. A. 12. Cemetery: REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY

MANNING, ALFRED JAMES. Rank: Sergeant Trade: W.Op./Air Gnr. Service No: 961238. Date of Death: 29/08/1941. Age: 28.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 35 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 17. A. 13. Cemetery: REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Alfred William and Laura Lydia Manning, of Ipswich, Suffolk.

THOMPSON, HERBERT. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: W.Op./Air Gnr. Service No: 1052413. Date of Death: 29/08/1941. Age: 20.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 35 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 17. A. 14. Cemetery: REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Thomas Taylor Thompson and Sarah Lillie Thompson, of Fenham, Newcastle-on-Tyne.

HILL, FREDERICK WILLIAM. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: Flt. Engr. Service No: 902598. Date of Death: 29/08/1941. Age: 34.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 35 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 17. A. 15. Cemetery: REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Arthur and Alyce Hill; husband of Sheila Marguerite Hill, of Rhyl, Flintshire.

 

Here are the story, translate by a friend....

At nighttime on the 28th/29th August of 1941 Halifax bombers of the 35 Sqdn took off from its base Linton-on-Ouse, among them Halifax Mk I, TL-Y; SN L9501, take off time around 00:12, for a mission against the city of Duisburg in the Ruhr area. The formation included a total of 118 airplanes, among them 60 Wellington, 30 Hampden, 13 Stirling, 9 Halifax and 6 Manchester bombers.
Local police authority of Duisburg reported the air raid between 2:20 and 3:50 local time and counted 563 bomb hits. According to unconfirmed statements main target of this attack were the town´s railway facilities. This police report, consinsting of several pages, gives a detailed overview of casualties and devastation in the city.
After that mission a total of 6 aiplanes, including 1 Halifax, were lost and did not return to their homebase.

During that mission Halifax TL-Y was severely hit by German anti aircraft fire and heading northeast after the attack at least one crewmember made an attempt to bail out. In a light beam of an AAA searchlight its staff was able to observe one parachute becoming entangled at the airplane and being dragged forward. Shortly before hitting the ground the airplane turned over in the air and crashed right at the bank of Lippe River between the villages of Gahlen and Schermbeck, also killing the crewmember still caught on its parachute entangled at the airplane. His body was found on the grass on the southern bank of Lippe River. The aiplanes´s fuselage bursted and its wings, rear fuselage and tail section came to rest about 30 meters from the river, its nose section and flightdeck lying close the waters of Lippe River.

Being startled up by the crash a farmer and his farm labourer living in a nearby farmhouse made their way to the crashsite, hearing the desperate cries of some crewmen. Unfortunately they were unable to help as exploding ammunition did not allow a quick access to the wreckage. Later on firemen extinguished the burning wreckage by using water from Lippe River.

AAA staff cleared the crahssite later on and the airplane´s debris were taken to Schermbeck Railway Station, whereas its 7 dead crewmembers were buried on the Schermbeck cemetary. After the war their bodies were exhumed and came to final rest on Reichswald War Cemetary close to the city of Kleve.

Although I know the identity of these crewmembers I don´t want to post it here as I am not sure if this is legal.
Are there any documents for this mission or this aircraft? I would be happy if I could get supplementary material for a complete documentation.

Regards
Matthias

 

Ok, Kevin. Post on the same time....

You have already answered my question with the publishing of crew names.

... and German geography...., you´re welcome !

Regards
Matthias

 

Matthias

I am in the process of putting together a history of 35 Squadron and I have documents etc relating to the various aircraft utilised, the operations they were used on and the crew(s) that flew them (including L9501).

If you can give me a couple of days I will pull all the information together that I have and send you a copy of my file.

Regards

Pete

 

Great Pete,

No problem. Good goods sometimes need time ;-)

I hope you use Google Earth...., here all locations of the Mission 28-08-1941. See file....

Regards
Matthias

 

Hi all, hi Pete,

some photos from Rheinberg War Cemetery.

Regards
Matthias

 

Hi,

I search contact to Mr. K.A. Merrick (Halifax - an illustrated History of a Classic World War II Bomber). Maybe someone has an email address or other contact information for me?

Regards
Matthias

 

Hi all,

during the last days I have spoken to two witnesses of the aircraft crash. They were still young boys. To this I'll tell you more later.
The next part: I want to draw a new Halifax profile (Mk.I series 1). Find your error in the drawing?

Best regards
Matthias

 

Hi all.

Here are the first colors are applied. Now all details must be attached. My question: What color (red or black), the serial number? Do you see more errors?

Finally comes light and shadow, then the profile is ready.

Regards
Matthias