Nightfighter claim for 7/8 March 1945 please can anyone help

[mikebee62]

I am researching lancaster PD278 HA-V , can anyone give me any information about nightfighter claims?? The plane crashed near Marisfeld Germany on the 7/8 March 1945,
Many thanks

[RodM]

Hi Mikebee,

218 Sqdn Lancaster PD278 crashed, as you say, 2 km from Marisfeld, along the homeward route from the target, Dessau. It is the only aircraft known to have crashed in that immediate area (bearing in mind that there are three further losses from that raid where the crash locations have not been identified/published to date).

According to an air situation report (Reich Luftlagemeldung) prepared by the Air Operations Staff of the Luftwaffe High Command (Oberkommando der Luftwaffe Führungsstab Ic) on the morning of 8 March 1945, the Nachtjagd claimed 23 certain victories against the aircraft on the Dessau raid. The details of some 20 of these claims have been uncovered and/or published to date. Of the known claims, only one roughly matches the location where PD278 crashed:

Pilot: Fw. Helmut Burkhard
Unit: 1./NJG5
A/C Type claimed: Lancaster
Location of claim: S.S.W. Meiningen
Time of claim: 22.45

Source: The Nachtjagd War Diaries Vol 2, Boiten/Mackenzie (Red Kite, 2008)



As it often the case in these situations, the best that can be said is that Burhard most likely shot down Lancaster PD278, pending verification and publication of all claims and crash sites.

Cheers

Rod

[mikebee62]

Hi Rod,
Many thanks for your interesting information. The Marisfeld crash must be PD278. the Church has a memorial plaque written in German to the members of the crew. My friends relative Derek Duckworth is on the plaque along with the rest of the crew. One of which is from Onehunga Auckland!! He is Kenneth James MacKenzie. Rod is there any way to find out if he has any living relatives in New Zealand??, I have been trying to trace relatives of the other crew members over here, but this is proving difficult so far, It would be great if someone had a photo of the crew and plane
Many thanks again,
Mike.

[RodM]

Hi Mikebee,

the following is from Vol 3 of the trilogy, "For Your Tomorrow - A record of New Zealanders who have Died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1945", by Errol W. Martyn (ISBN 978-0-473-12829-6, 2008, Volplane Press, Christchurch, NZ):

MacKENZIE, Flight Lieutenant Kenneth James.
NZ413442; b Auckland 4 Sep 18; Mt Albert Grammer; warehouseman - Motor Traders Ltd, Auckland. RNZAF Levin/ITW as Airman Pilot u/t 15 Jun 41, 4EFTS 28 Jul 41, 3FTS 6 Sep 41, Pilots Badge [wef 18.10.41] & Sgt 29 Nov 41, att RAF & emb for UK 18 Dec 41, 3PRC 10 Feb 42, 3(P)AFU 24 Mar 42 (att 1523BATF for c. 1 wk late Apr.), 2FIS 17 Jun 42, 11(P)AFU (Oxford) as FI 12 Aug 42 [att 1BAS (Oxford) 26 Oct-c.2 Nov 42, att 1524BATF (Oxford) 9-c.16 Jun 44], Comm 30 Nov 42, 16OTU (Wellington) 11 Jul 44, 51 Base [redesignated 75 Base 3.11.44] for 1660HCU (Stirling) 30 Aug 44, 5LFS (Lancaster) e.Nov 44, 218 Sqn (Lancaster - 20 ops) 26 Nov 44 to kao 8 Mar 45. Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery - 14.B.11, Germany. Son of Duncan John & Amelia MacKenzie (nee Waite), Onehunga. [phot. TWN 9.5.45]

From this you will see that his parents lived in Onehunga, a suburb of Auckland city in the North Island of New Zealand and that he went to Mount Albert Grammer school. The school still exists so I would suggest contacting them: http://www.mags.school.nz/MainMenu (note - see the page http://www.mags.school.nz/Section?Ac...&Story_id=4668 concerning that school's project to restore the photographic portraits of their war dead)

You could try the onerous route of contacting all the Mackenzies listed as living in Onehunga, see www.whitepages.co.nz

'TWN' is an abbreviation for 'The Weekly News', which was a weekly photographic supplement to a major Auckland newspaper that was published through out the war years. Among other things, it published a section during the war that contained passport-sized portraits of NZers, killed, wounded, reported missing, or decorated. Mackenzie appears in the issue dated 9 May 1945.

Cheers

Rod