Wellington crash in Köln on 5-6 April 1942

[Laurent Rizzotti]

During the night of 5/6 April 1942 the main raid dispatched by RAF Bomber Command was an attack on Köln by 263 aircraft (179 Wellingtons, 44 Hampdens, 29 Stirlings, 11 Manchesters), another new record for a force sent to a single target. The main target was the Humboldt works in Köln. 211 aircraft claimed good bombing results but the nearest bombing photographs developed were 5 miles from the Humboldt works. The Köln report lists just 1 industrial building hit, a mill in the Deutz area, with 90 houses destroyed or seriously damaged and other buildings, including a hospital, hit. 7 people were killed and 9 injured in the bombing. There were further casualties among a crowd who were watching a burning bomber which had crashed in the middle of Köln; the bomb load exploded killing 16 people and injuring 30 more. The bomber's crew had been killed in the original crash.

Of the five bombers lost over Europe this night, Chorley gives the crash position of three of them, so the bomber that crashed in the middle of Köln should be one of the two others, both of 75 Sqn, the Wellington III X3489 and X3661. The crew of the first were all killed, and the crew of the second were all captured.

Can someone give the crash location of one of these bombers, or the place of death or capture of the crews ?

Thanks in advance

Laurent