Crash locations 115 Sqn Lancaster PD276 and 158 Sqn Halifaxes MZ734 and MZ945 25 Oct. 1944 sought

[Theo Boiten]

Dear all,

I am looking for the crash locations of 115 Squadron Lancaster PD276 and 158 Squadron Halifaxes MZ734 and MZ945, all of which were shot down by Flak during the daylight raid on Essen on 25 October 1944.

Cheers and thanks for any help, Theo

[RSwank]

PD276 crashed at/near Mülheim Germany. The crew was first buried in the Main Cemetery. rA425132 (Nord de Guerre Zone)

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/fi.../#&gid=2&pid=1

This link: https://aviationmuseumwa.org.au/afcr...in-kay-426462/

says “The aircraft crashed in a field near a convent called Haus Schur, and the wreckage was not discovered by the nuns until the next morning.” All the crew members had been killed.

This link for another crewman has an extra "confusing" sentence in it about the location of Haus Schur.

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws....nt/6019475.PDF



"The convent is approx 11kms from the cemetery, and all the crew are buried in the
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Locality Kleve, Nordhein-Westfalen, Germany. The
cemetery is 5ksm south west of Kleve."

I think the "cemetery" being referred to is actually the original burial site, not the Reichswald War Cemetery (but I could be wrong).


For MZ945, search for it on this page: http://aircrewremembered.com/procter-donald.html
" Halifax III MZ945 NP-U was hit by flak and crashed near Bedbug ("Bedburg"?), Germany."

"The pilot, Fl/Lt. Geoffrey Winston Woodward 139497 RAFVR DFC and Bar was killed". Woodward was first buried at Vyen which is 15 or so km SE of Bedburg..

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/fi.../#&gid=2&pid=2

[Theo Boiten]

Thanks a lot Richard for your most helpful reply. Reason for asking is that the family of one of the crew members shot down on this daylight raid want to know what exactly happened that day.

Cheers, Theo

[RSwank]

Theo,

As for MZ734 the crew is listed here (scroll down the page):

http://www.aircrewremembered.com/All...rch_type=exact


A reference to a crash location "near Kleve" and "vicinity of Kleve" here:

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...ifax-III-MZ734


I believe all the crew were captured although Johnson was later killed in a POW camp. Johnson is buried in the Berlin War Cemetery.

http://www.rafcommands.com/database/...N&qnum=3050454


Rolland

[Theo Boiten]

Thanks for your info Rolland. One further question re 25 October 1944: I have for the crash location of the 4th bomber loss, 428 Squadron Lancaster KB737 'Buchholz, some 10 miles SW of Essen'. Confirmation of this appreciated, and also confirmation if the aircraft was in fact hit by Flak over target.

Cheers, Theo

[ssg keay]

The only Halifax that I know crashed in Bedburg crashed on the cemetery of the Landesheilanstalt Bedburg, but I thought this was a 419 RCAF Halifax. Also a 419 RCAF Wellington (X3360) crashed in Bedburg.

[RSwank]

Theo,

KB737 is a little harder to track down. There was one survivor on the plane, the tail gunner R.W.S. Gray. His account is here, see pdf page 60:

https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/...eas_vol3_e.pdf

Gray’s account of loss. Note, he was a tail gunner and his turret was blown off the aircraft by flak over Essen.

“On the second’ attack a Ghost Squadron aircraft piloted by F/O F. S. Raftery was also lost. Sgt. R. W. S. Gray, the rear gunner, who was made a prisoner of war, stated that, immediately after bombing, his turret was hit by flak and blown off the aircraft. He was wounded and badly shaken by the explosion but remembers tearing a damaged door off his .turret, leaning back and falling out. He drifted down on his parachute into a field just outside Essen and was picked up immediately on landing. He was the only survivor of the crew which included in addition to Raftery, F/Os H. Wright and H. A. Armstrong, FS I. V. Bartlemay, Sgts. L. E. Toneri and R. C. Knight”

None of the CWGC links given for the rest of the crew on this next link show the original burial sites:
http://www.rafcommands.com/database/....php?qnum=1138


On this link: http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RAF_owned_JP100.html

Search for KB737. It mentions the plane crashed near "Bucketz" Germany which does not seem to be a real place. (Maybe it is suppose to be "Buchholz").

It does seem the plane was hit by flak over the target and with the tail turret (and probably part of the tail) blown off it probably could not get very far.

[Rottler]

Hello Theo,

in the German "Bruchunterlagen vom 25.10.1944" three bomber losses are listed:
Lancaster 2 km SW Fl.Pl. Essen-Mülheim – LO 3 – 100%
Halifax 1 km SW Hetzerath, 4 km SW Erkelenz – MN 8 – 100%
Lancaster Flakstellung Essen-Bredeney – LP 1 – 100%.

Regards
Leo

[Theo Boiten]

Hi Richard and Leo -thanks for your interesting and helpful replies. @ Leo; yes, I'm aware of the Bruchmeldungen (all stating that Flak was the cause of the losses) for three of the four losses on the 25.10.1944 Essen Raid. Strangely though only three of the four heavy bomber losses are listed in the Bruchmeldungen, and -rather unusually- in the OKL/RLM microfilmed claims listings none of the participating Flak units are recorded.

Cheers, Theo

[alieneyes1]

Unfortunately, R259653 Sgt Robert Wiseman Scott Gray died at age 30 in 1955.

"am Buchholz" is the location given in the MRES report in pilot Raftery's casualty file.

But this translation of an excerpt from KE 9871 should give you what you need specifically

Regards,

Dave