Crash of three C-47A's 26 November 1944

[Leendert]

Please read as Donald J. Markey. Pathfinder navigator.

Regards,

Leendert

[Yeomans]

Leendert,

Many thanks for providing these details. I have applied for a copy of the Accident Report and will post any other details this discloses in due course.

Andy,

The B17 that crashed on Reigate Hill on 19th March 1945 was 43-39035 coded SO-F. The crew were on their 13th mission and were returning to Grafton Underwood from a raid on Plauen near the Czech border. The cloud base was very low and the pilot was trying to keep below it. The aircraft was reported as flying at below 300 ft as it passed over Reigate and despite a last minute attempt to climb over the north downs it struck the top of Reigate Hill. Tragically all nine of the crew were killed. They are commerorated on a seat at the crash site which was dedicated at a ceremony held back in 2002 which was attended by the pilot's widow.

The crew members were :

Pilot : 2nd Lt Robert S Griffin
Co-pilot : 2nd Lt Herbert S Geller
Navigator : 2nd Lt Royal A Runyan
Togglier : Sgt Donal W Jeffrey
Radio Operator : Sgt Philip J Phillips
Engineer : Sgt Robert F Marshall
Ball turret gunner : Sgt William R Irons
Waist gunner : Sgt Thomas J Hickey
Tail gunner : S/Sgt Robert F Manbeck

I will post a photograph of the site taken earlier this year.

[BigWeeker]

Yeomans:
A few years back I met up with Bob Griffin's widow. She gave me a copy of the crew photograph, which is now being used by the people/site who set up the commemorative seat on Reigate Hill.
Although a bit of a "thread drift", she recounted a story of how she was smuggled on board the aircraft her (then) husband and crew were undertaking (POM) just before they flew to England. By the time she was discovered, secreted away in the aircraft, it was too late to turn round; "Ah well, she might as well say " from the Check Pilot. That was the last time she saw her husband before he flew over here....

[Yeomans]

Photograph of the plaque that commemorates the crew of the B17 which crashed on Reigate Hill on 19 March 1945 is attached.

There is a very good display of artefacts recovered from the site of this crash at the Wings Museum in Balcombe.

Nick

[Yeomans]

I now have copies of the Aircraft Accident & Incident Reports for the three C-47A's that crashed at Leith Hill in Surrey on 26 November 1944.

A four aircraft formation of C-47's left A-63 (the reports do not mention the location by name) at about 16:40 and proceeded via La Treport and Beachy Head in order to return to their base at Chalgrove in Oxfordshire. The aircraft were flying in a 3 ship V formation with the fourth aircraft piloted by Jacob A Feigion completing the diamond in echelon to the left of the No. 2 aircraft flown by Willard Branit (43-47975).

They crossed the English coast at a height of 1500 ft but dropped down to 1200 ft in an attempt to get under the low clouds they encountered. Just before the accident there was a call from one of the pilots to the lead aircraft, to go down another 200 ft. despite visibility apparently being good and the crews being able to make out objects on the ground. This reduced height would have put the aircraft perilously close to the top of Leith Hill, which the American records state has an altitude of 967MSL.

In his statement, the co-pilot of Feigion’s aircraft (2nd Lt. Aaron Hirsch) recalls :

“During the flight to this point we had at no time lost contact completely with the ground or the other aircraft. Our radio altimeter was set at 450 feet and was operating….it suddenly flashed amber and green intermittently and then red. I reached for the control wheel and at that moment there was a great orange flash just ahead and to the left of us….the first pilot and I both pulled back on the control column, the pilot increased the throttle setting and I increased the RPM. In a few seconds we reached 1500 ft and were in the clear”.

Sadly, they had just witnessed the three other aircraft plunge into the hillside and the loss of 13 of their comrades. Only the navigator (Donald Markey) and engineer (Lester Knorr) from Branit’s plane survived with both miraculously recorded as only having minor injuries. The accident reports do not contain statements from either Markey or Knorr.

The Accident Board determined that this tragic accident “was due to Pilot Error (lead pilot) with weather as a contributing factor”.

There was also a recommendation “that all aircraft equipped with the SCE 717c and Gee installations have installed in the navigation compartment an instrument panel with the altimeter, airspeed indicator and free air temperature gage”.

I would be interested to know if these modifications were made in an attempt to prevent similar accidents.

Also can anyone confirm the location of A-63 ?

[Yeomans]

Sorry - to correct an error in the previous post.

Lester A. Knorr was NOT a survivor of the crash. He is buried in the American Cemetery in Cambridge. The other survivor from Branit's plane was the Radio Operator Regis H. Steward.

My apologies.

Nick

[dp_burke]

A-63 in France.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villeneuve-Vertus_Airfield

or a more 'official' version:
http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media...081010-026.pdf

Horrific incident, the rescuers must have found a terrible scene of destruction.

[Henk Welting]

Nick,
My best friend and wellknown air war historian WW2 8th/9th USAAF, offered me the three crash sheets on these C-47s accompanied with more additional information on the accident.
Details of loss: A formation of four C-47s was briefed not to go below 1200 ft. and if weather became too bad to use their alternate field rather than try to reach the assigned destination in France. The Flight Leader contacted the VHF Station at Ashford and was instructed to divert to Manston A/F. However, the Flight Leader disregarded these and his briefing instructions and proceeded on course. He let down below a safe minimum altitude (1,000 ft.) and evidently attempted to fly contact through rain and scattered stratus clouds which covered the hill tops. The Lead Pilot flew into the side of Leith Hill near Dorking in Surrey and crashed. Two other aircraft of the flight also crashed into that hill. The 4th aircraft, flying slightly higher and in echelon to the right saw the flash and pulled up into the clear.
Nick, could send you this info by snail mail; if interested send PM to:
h.weltingATupcmail.DOTnl (replace AT and DOT by obvious).
Regards,
Henk.

[Yeomans]

Henk,

Many thanks for this information. I have sent you an e-mail.

Regards

Nick

[Henk Welting]

Nick,
Info posted today, also on Dakota KG584 of 271 Sqdn 10-12-1944. Please confirm receipt.
Regards,
Henk.