21-22 September 1944 Halifax loss NE Topolja?

[Theo Boiten]

Dear all,

Another SE Europe Nachtjagd claim: on 21-22 September 1944 Oblt. Wilhelm Johnen of 8./NJG6 destroyed a Halifax 8 km. NE of Topolja (Grid Square NU 73) at 20.32 hrs; who can help me with establishing the identity of his victim, and what were the 205 Group operations on this night?

Cheers and thanks for any help, Theo

[udf_00]

http://www.luftwaffe.cz/johnen.html
No : 33
Date : 21.9.1944
Time : 20:32
A/c Type : Halifax
Unit : 8./NJG 6
Location / Comments : SE Hungary / probably Liberator VI of the 31 Sq 205 BG

Aircraft lost on Allied Force’s Special Duty Operations & Associated Roll of Honour

Date : 21.9.44
Aircraft Type & Serial : Liberator VI, KH102, Y
Unit :31 Sqdn SAAF

Crew :
Lt R.E. Deppe SAAF - Pilot - died
Lt G.R. Smith SAAF - POW
WO C.R. Kleynhans SAAF - Wireless Op / Gunner - died
Sgt Eugene Havinga SAAF - Flight Engineer - died
Sgt Jack Boyle RAFVR - Air Bomber - died
Sgt J. Anderton RAFVR - POW
Sgt Sydney Wright RAFVR - Gunner - died
Sgt Lawson George Thompson RAFVR - Gunner - died
Lt Deppe, W/O Kleynhans, Sgt Havinga, Sgt Boyle, Sgt Wright & Sgt Thompson are buried at Belgrade War Cemetery, Yugoslavia

Location : near Szeged, Hungary
Cause : Aircraft shot down by Luftwaffe night fighter while on a pamphlet dropping mission in the Budapest area, crashing near the town of Szeged, Hungary
Sources / References : “Heroism Beyond Praise”, CWGC website

Szeged is 70 km NE of Backa Topola.

[Theo Boiten]

Many thanks for these useful details; in his Leistungsbuch, Johnen's Bordfunker gave a short description of the shooting down of the aircraft: 1 attack, fire in fuselage and left wing, exploded in mid air

Cheers, Theo