Crash on market at Takerhat, Bengal, 31 July 1945
 

Not really post-WW2 for the area, but even so.

Some newspapers in Holland and Canada (Winnipeg Tribune) reported a airplane crash on a market place in Takerhat, Bengal (now Bangladesh) in which some 100 people on the ground were killed and others injured. This was on on just before 31 July 1945.
I assume the airplane crew was killed as well.

No further details about airplane (military or civilian), operator and so on in the very short newspaper articles other than an air crash had occurred and feared number of casualties.

Any info about this accident is welcome, thanks.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: Crash on market at Takerhat, Bengal, 31 July 1945
 

CWGC. Civilian war deaths lusts a large number of people killed in that town on 11th July 1945.
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.as...ath&order=desc

Re: Crash on market at Takerhat, Bengal, 31 July 1945
 

Snippits on Britishnewspaper archive say Six crew members on board.

Re: Crash on market at Takerhat, Bengal, 31 July 1945
 

And free to view on Australian newspapers
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/re...1945&l-month=8

Mainly the same small article repeated nationwide.

Re: Crash on market at Takerhat, Bengal, 31 July 1945
 

Petty much the same small report appears in News papers in Australia, Britain and America but there is no mention of whose aircraft it was. one would imagine it would be a military aircraft.

Re: Crash on market at Takerhat, Bengal, 31 July 1945
 

Dennis,

Thanks for your good searches, especially that the date could well be 11 July 1945 when looking at the CWGC civilian casualty list.

Can't put a finger on it, but a transport plane (USAAF C-46?) somehow springs to my mind when reading crew of six.

Will certainly look further with your info.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: Crash on market at Takerhat, Bengal, 31 July 1945
 

Just FYI that the crashed airplane was a B-25J of the 12th BG, 434th BS, serial 43-3899, the courier plane of the squadron. The B-25 was returning to its home base in India, but somehow ran into a wire. This concurs with the newspapers that the a/c was flying low.

It had 3 crew (pilot was Lt Henry Soland III) and 8 passengers, mostly members of the squadron, all DNB, with over 30 people killed on the ground, or rather, at the floating market (Kumar River).

The location was Takerhat indeed and the date 11 July 1945.

Regards,

Leendert