Vickers Wellington X9700 lost on Aug 17/1941

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by dxtopher, Aug 17, 2012.

  1. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    Hello all,

    This is my first post in your forum. Friends have asked me to research the loss of Wellington bomber X9700, radio call LN-B, attached to RAF 99 Sqn. Their family member William A Casey was the Observer on this aircraft and died on August 17, 1941 when it was destroyed. This is all the information I have so far...

    Wellington X9700 took off from RAF Waterbeach at 2334 hours on the night of 16/17th August 1941 to bomb Duisberg, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base.

    Crew:

    RAAF 404077 FO Wells, G L Captain (Pilot)
    RAF PO Dotchin, N (2nd Pilot)
    RCAF R51853 PO Casey, W A (Observer)
    RAF Sgt F W York, (Wireless Air Gunner)
    RAF Sgt R M Williams, (Air Gunner)
    RAF Sgt G R Crane, (Air Gunner)

    The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 0215 hours at Roggell (Limburg), 9 kms north west of Roermond. Five of the crew were killed and Sgt Williams was a POW.

    Those killed are buried in the Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Locality Gelderland, Netherlands. The town of Nijmegen is located south of Arnhem, and the cemetery is situated in the south west part of the town.

    The family would like to know any details available, such as the name of the German pilot who shot them down, whether there are any memorials near the crash site, mission maps of that night, and of course, if there are any pictures of the crew or aircraft. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    Don C
     
  2. Orwell1984

    Orwell1984 Senior Member

  3. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    According to information in RAF Bomber Command losses of the Second World War 1941 by WR Chorley, the Wellington was shot down by Lt. Hans-Dieter Frank (I/NJG1)

    Hans-Dieter Frank - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Picture of Frank

    [​IMG]


    Have you tried this Squadron Website for images or research? There is a contact link on the site.
    99 Squadron RAF, 1939-1945

    Cheers
    Mark

    Thanks very much, Mark. I just found the same info on Frank as well. Thanks again and I will try your link to 99Sqn.

    Don
     
  4. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    hello Don

    forum member Spidge might be able to add more based on that there was an Aussie Pilot on board
    I have left him a message


    regards
    Clive
     
  5. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    hello Don

    forum member Spidge might be able to add more based on that there was an Aussie Pilot on board
    I have left him a message


    regards
    Clive

    Thanks very much, Clive!

    Don
     
  6. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

  7. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    You probably have this photo of the pilot.

    View attachment 85825

    Description
    Departure of the ship 'Largs Bay' with the first party of RAAF members to complete their training within Australia under the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS). Left to right are shown 402044 Pilot Officer (PO, later Flying Officer [FO]) William Wallace Anderson; 402060 PO (later FO) Sydney Douglas Marshall; 404077 PO (later FO) Geoffrey Lloyd Wells. FO Anderson was lost on operations over France with 258 Squadron, RAF on 18 June 1941. FO Marshall was lost on operations with 15 Squadron, RAF over the English Channel on 18 July 1941, while FO Wells was killed on operations over Holland with 99 Squadron RAF on 17 August 1941. FO Anderson and Marshall have no known grave and are commemorated on the Runneymede memorial in Surrey, UK. FO Wells is buried in the Jonkerbos cemetery near Nymegen in the Netherlands.

    Jonkerbos War Cem.JPG

    Cheers

    Geoff
     

    Attached Files:

  8. lancaster103

    lancaster103 Member

    This Wellington crashed between the dutch villages Roggel and Neer on a farmland called Ophovenerveld:poppy:.

    Regards,
    Adrian
     
  9. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    alieneyes, spidge, lancaster103...

    Thanks very much for the information. Every little bit helps to make a larger picture. I am sure the family appreciates it as well.

    Cheers,
    Don
     
  10. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    I am trying to find out the fate of Sgt. R. M. WIlliams who was Air Gunner on this crew. Apparently he survived the crash as he is not buried at Jonkerbos. I have been told he was taken POW but later died of his wounds. I have had no luck in finding any record of this though. Can anyone corroborate this or point me to any records or further info on Sgt. Williams? Thank you.

    Don
     
  11. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    I have been told he was taken POW but later died of his wounds. I have had no luck in finding any record of this though.

    Don

    Hi Don,

    Both Air Force PoWs Waaler, P E R to Wyszkowski, M M and Oliver Clutton-Brock's "Footprints on the Sands of Time - RAF Bomber Command POWs in Germany 1939-1945" have him as 912087 Sgt RM Williams, POW number 6436.

    He did not die whilst a POW. Footprints has him at Stalag Luft III and possibly in hospital at Alkmaar Marine Lazaret.

    Regards,

    Dave
     
  12. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    Hi Don,

    Both Air Force PoWs Waaler, P E R to Wyszkowski, M M and Oliver Clutton-Brock's "Footprints on the Sands of Time - RAF Bomber Command POWs in Germany 1939-1945" have him as 912087 Sgt RM Williams, POW number 6436.

    He did not die whilst a POW. Footprints has him at Stalag Luft III and possibly in hospital at Alkmaar Marine Lazaret.

    Regards,

    Dave


    That's fantastic! Thank you, Dave!

    So it is quite possible that he was involved in some way in the "Great Escape". How would one go about finding out if he survived the war? I have come to dead ends on all my on-line searches using his name and serial number.
    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Don
     
  13. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    How would one go about finding out if he survived the war? I have come to dead ends on all my on-line searches using his name and serial number.
    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Don

    Don,

    He survived the war and did not die of his wounds post-war until at least 1947 which was the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's cut off date for the war.

    CWGC - Homepage

    You have searched for Service Number: 912087
    0 record(s) match your search criteria
    No results found.


    If he's not here, and he isn't, he did not die during the war.

    Regards,

    Dave
     
  14. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    That's great. Thanks so much for your help, Dave.

    Cheers,
    Don
     
  15. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    Well, I think I have discovered the rest of the story. I came across this website tonight..

    X-9700

    At the very bottom of the page is a report from local residents on the night of the crash as well as a transcript of an interview with Bob Williams on Radio Kent (Aug 1992). I have done my best in translating it from the original Dutch though there are a few phrases I just couldn't get. It tells a chilling tale of their last few minutes.

    Edit: A friend from the Netherlands took the time to translate this account properly. Many thanks, Pepijn!!


    Sgt. Bob Williams was the only surviving crew member.

    The plane was shot at and hit after being spotted and tracked by anti-aircraft (AA) searchlights. After being hit the airplane crashed into a field named "Ophovenerveld" near the town of Neer creating a large debris field. Part of a wing crashed into the farm of the Pijls family. The wing wreckage destroyed the roof, upsetting the family who were inside. The bodies of the 5 non-surviving crew members were found near the main wreckage. They were buried on August 19th 1941 in the city of Venlo. Sgt. Bob Williams was able to exit the burning airplane by parachute prior to the crash and landed on the roof of the Van Beeren farm which was located on Ophoven Street in the town of Roggel. A member of the local fire department rescued Sgt. Williams from the roof and transported him by stretcher to Cafe Mennen which was setup as a local Air Defense Service station. One of the daughters of Mrs. Timmermans-Mennen vividly remembers the events:

    "That night we heard air defense sirens and heavy fire from German flak which was stationed nearby. The entire family was huddled together when someone from the Air Defense Service came to retrieve a stretcher. After a while they returned with a British airman who was wearing grey overalls, flying goggles and headgear. After a while the airman slowly got up from the stretcher and sat on a bench near the window. He complained of pain in his back and kept pointing at it. The only person able to speak a few basic English words was Piet Kooimans, a member of the Air Defense Service. My father offered the airman a drink to settle his nerves a bit. After being seen to by doctor De Maat who had been called in, Germans entered the cafe. They summoned us to a back room but my father refused. A German officer briefly spoke with the injured airman who did not offer many responses. Shortly after he was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Venlo. We did not hear from Sgt. Bob Williams until 1955 through a newspaper classified ad."

    In an interview with Radio Kent in the U.K. Sgt. Williams said the following regarding his last flight:

    "I was on my 17th flight when we were shot down. Our mission was to fly to Duesburg in less than ideal circumstances. Our pilot was ill with the flu and the crew appealed to Flight Command which determined that the mission had to proceed as planned. After crossing over into Belgian airspace we were quickly surrounded by searclights. Because there was no flak fire we knew there had to be night fighters patrolling. Soon we were caught in the searchlight's beams which under normal circumstances the pilot would have been able to dodge but as I mentioned our pilot was not in good shape. Within minutes we were under attack by a German night fighter which was the beginning of the end for our plane. What I can remember of the events is opening the door to the nose turret to let the gunner climb out. The navigator got up from his seat and next thing the airplane was going into a tailspin as it caught fire. I was ordered to return to the observation turret to keep visual contact with the fighters but because it was night I was unable to see them. Suddenly I saw tracer rounds light up and hit our wing, which caught fire. I left the turret immediately and returned to the deck. I thought 'This is the end...' The only thing I remember after that is that we were seemingly free-falling from about 5500m, like a bullet. At around 1000m I pulled my parachute almost without thinking and I landed on top of a roof soon after.

    I had no idea where I was but I knew I was upside down and starting to slide off the roof when I saw flashlights and heard voices in a language which I didn't understand, possibly German. Whichever language it was, I was picked up from the roof in a fireman's carry and carried down. This was rather painful since I had broken a few ribs and my sternum during the hard landing. I was carried to a small town cafe where I learned I was in the Netherlands in a town named Ophoven, near Roggel which is located not far from the city of Venlo. I was laid down on a bench in the cafe and after about a half hour a man dressed head to toe in black appeared. He took off his hat and approached me, opened his bag and took something out to give me a morphine injection. After finishing up he packed up his bag and off he went.

    Years later I got back in touch with the people of the cafe and I learned that the man was doctor De Maat. We have spoken many times since then.

    I gave a necklace with a golden bird that I always wore as a kind of good luck charm to the family's little daughter. I also gave them my cigarette case and lighter to keep the Germans from taking them. A few German soldiers arrived to guard me and they took my cigarettes without speaking to me. I did not protest. Soon after a German officer (Hauptmann) entered the cafe. As long as I live I will not forget him. He spoke better English than I do. He told me that he graduated from King's College in London. He asked me if I would like a smoke and offered me a cigarette. He then asked me why I didn't have any cigarettes of my own. I told him that the two guards had taken them from me, which lead to a tense display of German discipline between the officer and his subordinates. He motioned to the guards with his gloves and I was immediately given back my cigarettes. Because I was injured I had no chance to go underground and return to England so I was transported by ambulance to the hospital in Krefeld. I stayed there for about 8 weeks after which I was sent to one of the 'Stalag Luft' camps. Ultimately I was freed from the camp by the Russians."
     
  16. Varasc

    Varasc Senior Member

    Great story and brilliant search.. Thanks for sharing.
     
  17. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    Great story and brilliant search.. Thanks for sharing.

    Thanks for your comment, Marco. The search goes on to find Bob Wiliiams or his relatives.:poppy:
     
  18. NickFenton

    NickFenton Well-Known Member

    Don,

    I retrived his POW Liberation Questionnaire today and it is attached.

    PM me your E Mail and l will send it on to you direct.

    Hope this helps.

    Regards,

    Nick
     

    Attached Files:

  19. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    Great result, Nick.

    From that it's now known that Robert Meirion Williams recorded an hours worth of recollections with BBC Radio Kent for the Imperial War Museum back in August, 1992:

    IWM interview | Imperial War Museums

    Object description

    British NCO served as wireless operator with 99 Sqdn, RAF in GB, 1941; POW in Germany, 1941-1945


    Content description

    REEL 1 Aspects of operations as wireless operator with 99 Sqdn, RAF in GB, 1941: pattern of training; joining squadron; attack on Germans ships in Brest, France; shooting down of his aircraft during raid on Duisberg, 16/8/1941; bailing out of aircraft. Aspects of period as POW in Germany, 1941-1945: treatment by Dutch civilians; how his family received information of his capture; fate of his crew; initial treatment by German captors; hospitalisation in Stalag VI J; interrogation at Dulag Luft Interrogation Centre; move to Stalag VIII B, Lamsdorf; involvement in camp entertainments; rations; move to Stalag Luft III, Sagan; treatment by Germans; contact with home; escape from camp; camp entertainments. REEL 2 Continues: sources of war information; hearing news of D-Day, 6/6/1944; abortive march away from Stalag Luft III, Sagan, 1/1945; return to camp and liberation by Russians; return to GB, 5/1945; changing camp money on return to GB; morale amongst POWs. Attitude to having served with RAF during Second World War.




    I've ordered CDs of these reel to reel tapes. Well worth the money especially when you consider what is being told, in the veteran's own words.

    Regards,

    Dave
     
  20. dxtopher

    dxtopher Junior Member

    Great result, Nick.

    From that it's now known that Robert Meirion Williams recorded an hours worth of recollections with BBC Radio Kent for the Imperial War Museum back in August, 1992:

    IWM interview | Imperial War Museums

    I've ordered CDs of these reel to reel tapes. Well worth the money especially when you consider what is being told, in the veteran's own words.

    Regards,

    Dave

    Dave,

    That is fantastic news!! I went to the IWM site immediately. AM I able to hear the interview there or do I need to purchase it? Can't seem to find that info in my excitement over this.

    Thank you so much for your assistance in this!!

    Don
     

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