Information about a plane crash on March 28th 1945 an english ( or canadian) plane crashed near Schoonrewoerd in the Netherlands

[mpierrela]

Someone sent me this e-mail this morning.

Dear Sir, not sure if this is the correct site to ask but recently whilst investigating a B-17 bomber that crashed in Holland, I found a written document which mentioned the following

" On March 28th 1945 an English (or Canadian) plane crashed near Schoonrewoerd in the Netherlands. Two locals approached the pilot in order to hide him but the pilot refused as he wanted to return to the plane to get his gun. When he made his way back a group of German soldiers who were stationed at the nearby radar station arrived and the pilot was arrested and later shot".

I have checked all known crashes around that date but could not find anything about this crash. Schoonrewoerd is a few miles north of Leerdam and 10 miles south of Utrecht.

Perhaps somebody has an idea where to search next? There are no names mentioned on the note.

Thanks

Peter den Tek

Asperen, The Netherlands

Would you have any information about this incident?

[Alex Smart]

Hello Peter,
This may help ?

CWGC website have lists for this day, So to start with I came up with F/O.McKenzie Reeves,403 (Canadian) Sqdn (Spitfire SM302) MIA. He is at rest at Nederweert War Cemetery.

Another loss was a 56 Sqdn (Tempest NV973 "B") MIA. Sgt. S.A. Shepherd (+).

A third was from 274 Sqdn (Tempest EJ887) MIA. F/O. D.L.Boyd (safe).

Another was from 264 Sqdn, (Mosquito MM493 "PS-T" ) F/O. Alex Recina (+). At rest Lesquin Communal Cemetery, Nord, France. The second crewman was recorded as injured /safe but remains un-named as yet.

RAF Mustang losses:
126 Sqdn ( F/Lt. B.W. Sharpe (+) KH489 "O")
154 Sqdn ?
I found a 154 Sqdn Mustang loss for the 29th but nothing for the 28th. The 29th loss was KH697, W/O. Arthur STANDRIN (+), at rest at Hanover War Cemetery, Niedersachsen, Germany.

USAAF 9th AAF losses were 5 P-47 MIA's, they were:
44-20272 - 367 FG - 1Lt. Silas P. BECK - MACR 13623 (+).
42-29126 - 368 FG - 2Lt. Thomas T. LAYDEN - MACR 13621 (+).
44-33205 - 368 FG - 1Lt. George L. BAUER - MACR 13622 (+).
42-28289 - 373 FG - 1Lt. James D. ALLAN - MACR 13525 (POW).
42-28887 - 406 FG - 2Lt. Vern Jerome HENDERSHOTT - MACR 13526 (POW).


Ref for the above details is "Fighter CommandWar Diaries - July 44 to May 45" by John Forman, 9th AAF losses lists P47 Lists on line and Air Britain's RAF serial numbers

Alex

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

28 March, 1945

No.274 Sqn Tempest V EJ887 - Pilot - AUS404982 F/O Donald Lowry BOYD RAAF. Hit by flak, baled out and landed S of Arnhem. Initially captured, later escaped and remained free until capitulation.

Col.

[mpierrela]

Thanks for the info. I will look into this.
It can't be Mac Reeves. I have checked. I wrote this on my blog.

http://rcaf403squadron.wordpress.com...-moment-redux/

He was too far away and could not fly anymore.

[mpierrela]

Originally Posted by Alex Smart

Hello Peter,
This may help ?

CWGC website have lists for this day, So to start with I came up with F/O.McKenzie Reeves,403 (Canadian) Sqdn (Spitfire SM302) MIA. He is at rest at Nederweert War Cemetery.

Another loss was a 56 Sqdn (Tempest NV973 "B") MIA. Sgt. S.A. Shepherd (+).

A third was from 274 Sqdn (Tempest EJ887) MIA. F/O. D.L.Boyd (safe).

Another was from 264 Sqdn, (Mosquito MM493 "PS-T" ) F/O. Alex Recina (+). At rest Lesquin Communal Cemetery, Nord, France. The second crewman was recorded as injured /safe but remains un-named as yet.

RAF Mustang losses:
126 Sqdn ( F/Lt. B.W. Sharpe (+) KH489 "O")
154 Sqdn ?
I found a 154 Sqdn Mustang loss for the 29th but nothing for the 28th. The 29th loss was KH697, W/O. Arthur STANDRIN (+), at rest at Hanover War Cemetery, Niedersachsen, Germany.

USAAF 9th AAF losses were 5 P-47 MIA's, they were:
44-20272 - 367 FG - 1Lt. Silas P. BECK - MACR 13623 (+).
42-29126 - 368 FG - 2Lt. Thomas T. LAYDEN - MACR 13621 (+).
44-33205 - 368 FG - 1Lt. George L. BAUER - MACR 13622 (+).
42-28289 - 373 FG - 1Lt. James D. ALLAN - MACR 13525 (POW).
42-28887 - 406 FG - 2Lt. Vern Jerome HENDERSHOTT - MACR 13526 (POW).


Ref for the above details is "Fighter CommandWar Diaries - July 44 to May 45" by John Forman, 9th AAF losses lists P47 Lists on line and Air Britain's RAF serial numbers

Alex

This can be the only one possible...

SHEPPARD, STANLEY ARTHUR

Rank:SergeantTrade:PilotService No:1587835Date of Death:28/03/1945Age:21Regiment/Service:Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 56 Sqdn. Grave Reference21. F. 15.CemeteryREICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY Additional Information:

Son of Arthur Wallace Sheppard and Gladys Sheppard, of Ashton, Bristol.


He was a pilot. He was alone so no Mosquitos involved.
56 Squadron seems logical,


I will dig deeper.

[Alex Smart]

Hello Peter,
Just to correct the spelling.
From FCL vol 3 by Norman Franks "Sgt S A Shepherd".
CWGC has as you record in the above post "Sheppard".
FCL also has him as "shot down by an Fw190 of JG26 in th late am. South west of Múnster".

From vol 2 of Donald Caldwell's JG 26 war diary.
"Oblt Dortenmann took a dozen Fourth Gruppe aircraft off the ground at 11.05. Dortenmann led part of his force in a bounce of No.56 Sqd. Tempests; one fell, claimed by Dortenmann and Uffz. Hein."[ claim times given as 11.35 and 11.34 hrs].

"Lt. Prager also claimed a tempest today, probably in this combat, but the claim was apparently not filed." [ no claim time].

"Lt. Crump and his wingman flew off alone. Near Múnster Crump spotted a formation fo between ten and twelve P-47's strafing a freight yard. Crump sent his wingman home rather than endanger the youngster in a dogfight with superior numbers of enemy aircraft. Crump used the sun and the clouds to sneak undetected into the attackers circle. He shot one P-47 down and zoomed up into the clouds".[ claim time 11.50 hrs].

"According to the American records , Lt. Vern Hendershott of the 406th Fighter Groups 512th Squadron was hit from behind at 3000 ft(900 meters) by Crumps quick bounce and spun out, still carrying his bombs.After two turns he got out of his P-47 and made a successful parachute decent into the rail yard".

"it appears that the Gruppe lost four pilots. East of Múnster at 1645, 15 Fw190's were bounced by 8 Spitfire XIV's of 130 Squadron. Uffz Reinhard Flakowski [ Osnabrúck-Laer], Ofhr Hans-Júrgen Hansen [ Osnabrúck-Hardenstetten] and Uffz Harry Kaps [ Osnabrúck area] were probably shot down by the Spitfires. Kaps was still missing in 1998; the remains of the other two pilots were not conclusively identified until the late 1980's. While making his escape at low altitude Uffz Otto Weigl hit a row of oak trees and crashed [ Vreden ]. Weigl's remains were not found until 1988".

So have all four of these Luftwaffe pilots now been recovered and identified ?

Alex

[mpierrela]

I wrote this information to Peter.
He has not replied yet.

Thanks for your help.

Pierre

[mpierrela]

Peter answered back this morning.

Hi Pierre thank you for this it sure is a interesting lead I have now found the names of the 2 men trying to help the pilot! I will keep you updated
Peter

I gave him Alex's information.

Just to correct the spelling.
From Fighter Command losses, volume 3, by Norman Franks "Sgt S A Shepherd".

CWGC has as you record in the above post "Sheppard".

Fighter Command losses also has him as "shot down by an Fw190 of JG26 in th late am. South west of Múnster".

From vol 2 of Donald Caldwell's JG 26 war diary.

"Oblt Dortenmann took a dozen Fourth Gruppe aircraft off the ground at 11.05. Dortenmann led part of his force in a bounce of No.56 Sqd. Tempests; one fell, claimed by Dortenmann and Uffz. Hein."[ claim times given as 11.35 and 11.34 hrs].

"Lt. Prager also claimed a tempest today, probably in this combat, but the claim was apparently not filed." [ no claim time].

[Leendert]

Just a reflection: weren't all mentioned British and American pilots lost (very) far from Schoonrewoerd?

If the statement of 28 March 1945 holds, I wonder if this crime was investigated after the war, as was done with regard to any involvement of some soldiers of the mentioned radar station near Leerdam (code name Gorilla) in the execution of 15 civilians on 20 September 1944.

Regards,

Leendert

[Leendert]

Peter,

Perhaps you'd like to read this personal account (in Dutch) of the doings around the radar post during WW 2.
It has quite some details, but no reference to a downed Allied pilot in March 1945. Of course this doesn't rule out that something has happened then.

As a surprise, it does mention the crash of a German Fieseler Storch near the radar station! The crew apparently were a bit too overconfident while doing aerobatics and flew into the ground instead....Crew of 2 were killed in the process.


Link: http://www.historischeverenigingleer...woerd_215.html

Groet,

Leendert