[thorthemighty]

Hi there Rod and Icare9,

Thanks for all the info. great help. I've had a quick look through it and there are a number of things I'll certainly follow up on!!

To add to the information about the night...here is the timeline I have been given by Ray Collins (I hope he doesn't mind me employing it here). He got at least some of the information from Radavan Helt who is from Most/Brux and has done a lot of research into the incident...including German records...up until 2007 he had written two books on the airwar over Brux and is currently researching for a third, specifically about the night of the 16th Jan 45...(note: I haven't edited it at all)

Timeline:


7.55

Lancaster LM 472, code SR-V2. With a crew of 8, left 101 Squadron base at Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire GB. They were part of 231 Lancasters & 6 Mosquitoes, from RAF Bomber Command, Nos1 & 5 Groups, on a bombing raid on a synthetic oil plant at Brux, Czechoslovakia (Seven planes from 101 Squadron, some equipped with ABC Radio jamming devices)
They were due to bomb Brux between 22.30 & 22.59, 16 January 1945

Due to return to base 02.47 hours 17 January 1945-1 Lancaster lost.

On this bombing raid, they were combined with another formation of aircraft on a bombing raid to Zeitz.-328 Lancasters from 1,.6, &.8 groups. (12 aircraft from 101 squadron included) on Synthetic oil at Braunkohle-Benzin near Leipzig-10 Lancasters lost

On the same night, there was also a bombing raid to be conducted on Magdeburg “Area Raid”- 320 Halifaxe,44 Lancasters, & 7 mosquito from 4.6.8 groups-17 Halifax lost

The Brux/Zeitz force, in the same formation, crossed into France first, followed by the Magdeburg force

The German flight controllers had serious problems as to which force to attack, the southern force-Brux/Zeitz or Northern force-Magdeburg.

20.15
LM472 was over Luxemburg, and German Controllers ordered Fighters to attack in this area. They missed the bombing formation

20.35
LM472 crossed the Rhine near Koblenz

20.50
Controllers sent fighters to the Koblenz area. Again they missed the bombers, who had now turned easterly towards Frankfort area.

21.00
Elements of NJG 1 came into contact with the Brux/Zeitz force,

21.15
A Lancaster bomber, NN 712 -12 Squadron, with Zeitz group, was shot down at Budingen by Hptm. D. Schmidt (7./NJG 1 )

21.55
Over North Bavaria, the Brux group split to the Southeast towards the Vogtland area and the Zeitz group Northeast to their target

21.56
Fw Heinrich Lahmann (from 9./NJG 1) claimed he “got” a Halifax, Zeitz group, (but unconfirmed) and had to break off (on fire) because of gunfire from another Lancaster

22.00
Two Canadian Bombers (PB 402-405 Squadron and KB 850-434 Squadron) from Zeitz group collided and exploded ,over Pfaffenhausen-There was no flak fire in this area.

Night Fighter, Obstlt. Walter Borchers was based between the aerodromes of Erfurt and Altenburg, although the German fighters were ordered to attack the Zeitz raiders , because of his fuel requirements was not with the main fighters and after refuelling, took of to the West, which would put him in the vicinity of the Southern (Brux) bombers
He was credited with three Lancaster “hits’ for that night.

At 22.30 he was credited with two Lancasters (Zeitz group returning home) near (Sangerhausen/Nordhausen) in rapid succession

The third Lancaster (and first) is thought to be LM 472 (hit at 22.04)

Reports state that he had not made contact with the bombers prior to 22.00 hours.

It was also reported that a night fighter- Tame Boar Zahme Sau- flew with the Brux stream for about 12 minutes before attacking LM 472, causing it to catch on fire.

A polish worker, K. Borowski, observed combat in the air from Schwand, saw the plane on fire, flying very low over Schwand, then change direction to the south east in the direction of Hahnenpohl.

22.04
A Lancaster Bomber (LM 472) flew low over the village of Geilsdorf (on fire) and the pilot’s intention seemed to be to land in a snow covered field. However, the plane hit some High Tension wires, crashed 30 meters from the road between Ruderitz and Geilsdorf and exploded

22.09
There was a large whitish explosion (seen by crew of another aircraft- 5026N, 1200E and ground eye-witnesses)
Another plane from 619 Squadron also reported an explosion between Hof & Plauen

The survivor of the crash (Jack Knight) said that the plane was hit by gunfire from below and fire spread over one wing setting the fuel tanks on fire. This should have given the crew only approx 3 minutes before the plane would explode. The plane flew for at least 5 minuets after the first “hit” and subsequent fire.
Because of his statement (in his casualty report) that his plane was hit by another “aircraft”, some statements were made that LM 472 was hit by “friendly fire”. A ground witness (a Polish man, stated that he say “combat overhead”, would seem to put an end to the “friendly fire” theory.

The plane would have been hit at approx. 17,000 feet, and exploded at 10,000 feet –this possibly meant that the plane was hit first at the higher altitude; the pilot dived to try to evade the fighter, but was hit again at 10,000 feet and exploded.

The pilot, Des McGonigle gave the order to abandon the aircraft, but dived down, trying to evade the fighter, suffered the second attack, and kept loosing altitude because of the attack and the aircraft being on fire, until the plane was very low.

This would also explain why the crew did not bale out. On impact, burning parts were scattered around the field, but most of the bombs were still unexploded in the bomb-bay.

The first on the scene of the crash was K Borowski (The Pole) and he found the survivor Jack Knight warming his hands by the burning plane.



any thoughts guys?


Thor