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Old 30th November 2009, 20:32
Icare9 Icare9 is offline
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Re: Halifax LL343 August 31, 1944

Jeff, crashes in Occupied Territories were usually recorded by local villagers.
Today, there are many active Belgian, Dutch and French groups dedicated to the memories of the crews that helped liberate them. I'm sure you know that 298 Squadron were tasked with supplying Resistance groups and dropping agents etc.
There may be some websites in Belgium that have some more details, however I would caution that most crash sites were thoroughly investigated after the War by RAF and other investigation teams, not only for the crew but cause of loss.
As this crew is only recorded on the Runnymede Memorial, it is more than likely that they crashed into the North Sea. They may have been hit over land and struggled to make it to the UK, but in a similar situation, some crews would try to head to Normandy where they may have been able to parachute into the Allied zone.
They didn't make the rendezvous with the resistance cell, so they may have been hit by flak ships just as they reached the coast. None of the crew was able to exit in time to be found and identified.
The RCAF records may contain details of any investigation after the war and hopefully any eyewitness accounts.
I'll now let others more knowledgeable add what else they may know.
Regards, Kevin
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