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Manchester I L7399 crashed near Lilholt 3/5-1942.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 106 Sqn. Bomber Command and was coded ZN-X.
T/O 22:25 Coningsby. OP: Gardening Kiel Bay.
At 04:15 Manchester L7399 tried to crashland near Lilholt after being hit by
flak further to the east. It crashed in a field belonging to farmer Oluf
Petersen and the wreck was spread over more that 500 metres.
The wreck which had
broken in two was still on fire in the front end when the Danish police arrived.
It was first believed that the crew had left the aircraft by parachute but when
the wreck cooled down five crewmembers were found in the front end.
At a nearby
farm house belonging to Oluf Petersen was found two surviving members of the
crew. Doctor Nybro from Vojens was attending to some minor brushes they had
received during the landing. They were taken to the police station in Haderslev
where they informed the police of their names. They were Wop/Air Gnr.Sgt Harold
Kendall and Wop/Mid-upper Air Gnr. Sgt Akert Edward Hanks.
They also gave the police the names
of their fallen comrades. They were: Pilot F/S William Llewis Johnston Young, Pilot Sgt
Graham Wale, Wop/Air Gnr. Sgt Richard George Davies, Observer/Navigator W/O Alexandre Collingwood Bryce
and Air Gnr. Sgt Henry MacLean.
(Bill Young)
Pilot F/S William L. J. Young
(Bill Davies)
Wop/Air Gnr. Sgt Richard G. Davies
The German Wehrmacht were informed about the
presence of Kendall and Hanks and at 08:00 they were picked up by Unteroffizier
Birkenhauer who took them to Haderslev barracks for interrogation.
From Haderslev they were sent to Dulag Luft at Oberursel and on to Stalag Luft III
near Sagan, Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug to end up in 357 Thorn / Fallingbostel at
the end of the war.
(Lokalhistorisk
Arkiv Gråsten via Martin Reimers)
(Lokalhistorisk
Arkiv Gråsten via Martin Reimers)
(Lokalhistorisk
Arkiv Gråsten via Martin Reimers)
(Lokalhistorisk
Arkiv Gråsten via Martin Reimers)
(Lokalhistorisk
Arkiv Gråsten via Martin Reimers)
Two live carrier pigeons found in the wreck were handed over to the Nachrichten-Betr. Komp. Dänemark, II Zug Kolding.
Those who died were laid to rest in Aabenraa cemetery at 06:30 on 6/5-1942. The
Marine Priest Graumann from Flensburg officiated at the graveside ceremony. Also
attending were the German Ortskommandant with his staff, Reverent Bauch, Mayor
Fink and Hr. Heidenreich of Aabenraa as well as the Chief police constable of
Toftlund and several other members of the Danish Police.
(Leif Pedersen)
(Leif Pedersen)
The memorial at Lilholt
Sources: CWGC, LBUK, T501, RL 19/454, AS 66-87, OLCB, Clive Smith.
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