HP O/400 16. Sept. 1918

[hanshauprich]

Looking for an loss of an O/400 that day. Plane crashed during raid at the City of Dillingen, Crashplace Serrig near Trier. Maybee one from No. 100 Sqdn.?
Bests,
H.

[Brian Bines]

The book ' Handley Page Bombers of WW1' shows the following losses on 16/17-9-18:-

100 Sqd. HP8302 landed with engine trouble by Darmstadt set on fire by crew POWs

115 Sqd. D4588 crew interned Luxembourg

215 Sqd C9658 crew 2x POWs 1 died
C9727 crew interned Holland aircraft burnt target Cologne.
D4566 crew POWs
D9684 crew POWs

216 Sqd. C9662 shot down over Metz by flak crew POW's but 2/Lt Cole reported to have died ( text also shows Lt. Norcross as killed)

Can't help with crash locations, hope this is of some help,

Regards

Brian Bines

[Stig Jarlevik]

Hans
Just to correct a slight finger trouble from Brian
HP8302 is of course D8302 and it is also reported as sized by the Germans intact....

Cheers
Stig

[Khorat]

theres a photo existing showing the intact D8304 at a field near the small city of Gernsheim at the river Rhein.

khorat

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Khorat

D8304 was lost on a night raid 23/24.8.1918 and landed at Pechelbroun, Alsace (on the German side unfortunately for the crew) and Capt S.G. Gilmour and his crew were made POW. It had only served with 97 Sq for nine days....

Is this a photo of yours or perhaps on the internet?

Cheers
Stig

[hanshauprich]

Thank you all! One last question: Tell the book any details about Air Raids by 0/400 against Trier (Treves) and Koblenz (Coblence)?
Salut,
Hans

[Brian Bines]

Hans,

The books index shows four mentions of Coblenz with three relating to raids, and five of Treves with three concerning raids. These are brief mentions with no great detail,

Regards

Brian Bines

[Khorat]

the photo was in n´old newspaper - and remember the museum in the small city of Gernsheim had a original photo - and its 8302 not 8304 I wrote in my message above- sorry.

khorat

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks again Khorat

It seems like some crews were hopeful in their assumption they managed to destroy their aircraft. But who am I to critizise things like that? I have never experienced combat, being shot down or being taken POW or anything which confuses/stresses my brain to breaking point.

In my mind, sample the facts, but let the individuals go. Many of them lived through hell anyway and they don't deserve easy chair modern day historian's snub nose comments (general statement and certainly not any finger against you!!)

Cheers
Stig

[Leendert]

According to Dutch online newspaper archives, C9727 landed at Oosterhout (NE of Breda, S. Netherlands) at 1.30 a.m. Crew set plane on fire. They had landed due to gas shortage and thought they were in enemy territory. Metz, France had been the target.

Regards,

Leendert

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Leendert

Your details are also confirmed by British records. In addition they say the aircraft had just arived to 215Sq (on September 15th) and the mission was to Köln (Cologne) and the crew believed they had been hit by AA fire over Bonn which may explain the statement "short on fuel".
The aircraft was SOC in the field the next day.

Cheers
Stig