RAF Hudson shot down by USAAF Black Widow

[Paul]

Another Hudson T9945 came down at Dochamps probably shot by #79...

[Erich]

Hi Paul.

I have marked on my logs possible Hudson III
AE 505/L

same a/c ? this was shot down by # 79, Koehler and crew.

A-1 contact at 1 1/2 miles, 3-4 minutes after # 40's claim. visual contact at 1500 feet, no evasive action. got in behind and fired on a do 217 at 600 feet. 1 Burst and the a/c exploded and disintegrated at 0100hrs. No parachutes seen

weather was CAVU 1/4 moon.

E ~

[phil]

dear readers,
I was the person who did the reasearch and made the article about the hudson crash at (baraque fraiture) (la tracee de lamormenil from helfer
I can declare that that night 3 hudsons came down.
,luxembourg, baraque fr, dochamps(dochamps )is still under investigation
because they had all secret missions Bomber Command was not informed about their actions neither the Americans knew about their ops.
enjoy reading
phil mertens

[phil]

the one from Baraque fraiture had as mission to drop secret agents behind enemy lines at remagen to blow up railroad connections,
phil

[Terry Escreet]

I have researched this incident as far as possible ( there is a family connection) and previous posters may find my results interesting.
161 Squadron from Tempsford; Hudson FK 803-MA-N shot down Wednesday 21st March 1944, possibly by USAAF night fighter. The pilot baled out using the only parachute. Killed were;
Navigator Henry Scurr JOHNSON FO RAFVR.
Forrest Harold THOMPSON DFM FO 412766 RNZAF Air Gunner.
Raymond Frankish ESCREET DFM Ft L 143469 Wireless Operator. Aged 22.

The operation was coded BENEDICT but this was probably in connection with one of the three Belgian agents also killed.
Lt G CORBISHER; Lt J MOREL and Lt L deWinter.
All are buried (with headstone markers) at the aircraft crash site in a wooded area a few hundred meters south-west of Maulusmuhle railway station in a 'collective isolated grave'. This crash site with remnents of fuselage and an engine are marked with a photograph on 'Google Earth'.

Tempsford (on Gibralter Farm) has small (private) museum and details of the crew are on 'Allied Forces Special Duty Operations & Associated Roll Of Honour. Page 398 of 469.

[Larskristel]

Abit late but some more about the Hudson's shot down that night of 20/21 april 1945.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=19504

[Paul]

Erich,

The article mentions T9445 as coded NA-O. A third Hudson AE595 coded NA-L made a crashlanding at the ammodepot at Rheine airfield. The crew, Ragan, Thomas and Gray was killed.
Two other Hudsons NA-P and NA-J returned safely to Tempsford.

Paul

[Graham Boak]

This is only supposition, but it seems reasonable.

The SOE aircraft will have been briefed to fly specific routes (and times), to avoid night fighter action. In their turn, the nightfighters will have been allocated specific patrol areas. If the SOE aircraft strayed off course into one of these patrol areas, then it would become a target. Ideally the USAAF pilot would have had perfect aircraft recognition abilities at night, but life isn't ideal.

[phil]

i forgot to tell that Bomber command was not informed about SOE ops for that night coz it was a secret opperation.

[sit72300]

A few points. Helfer was not court martialed. He was, in fact, awarded a DFC. His aircraft was MA-N 161 Sqdn letters were MA not NA.

Much of the story of Helfer and his crew, and the lead up to the final flight, may be found in a book by Gibb McCall - Flight Most Secret (there's one for sale on ebay as I write)