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Lancaster III ND675 crashed near Filskov 10/4 1944.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 100 Sqn Bomber Command and was coded HW-S.
T/o 21:23 Grimsby. OP: Gardening Privet, Spinach and Tangerine (Gdynia, Danzig
Bay and Pillau Channal).
After having dropped the mines in the allocated areas ND675 was very nearly hit
by another Lancaster but Pilot F/Lt Alexander G. Dickie RCAF managed to take
avoiding action. The course was then set for England.
When over the Jylland peninsula the Lancaster was attacked by a German night
fighter believed to be piloted by Oberleutnant Berger of 2./ NJG 3. There was a
explosion in the bomb bay and the whole Lancaster shuddered. Dickie took
immediate evasion action and all loose equipment was flying around inside the
fuselage. The bomb bay was on fire and Dickie ordered the crew to put on their
chutes. He was having difficulties with controlling the aircraft. After the
evasive action he was trying to level off, but the plane kept going up and down
and it was obvious that it would not keep flying. He then ordered the crew to
bale out.
(Via Ole Kraul)
Dickie, Banks, White, Lamb, Massey, Rayment, Price
Flt. Engr. Sgt William (Bill) Banks was trying to undo and jettison the
front escape hatch. It was stuck but after a while he managed to do so. He then
sat down and rolled out. Next Bomb aimer F/Sgt Ray R. Lamb got out and third was
Navigator F/Sgt Arthur G. White. He was a tall man and had difficulties getting
out. It helped when he did a forward roll and W/Op Sgt Reg Massey kicked him at
the same time. Also Mid upper gunner Sgt W. “Lofty” Rayment and W/Op Sgt Reg
Massey managed to bail out before the bomber hit the ground approximately 2
kilometres north of Filskov after having blown up while still flying.
All pictures of the wreckage via Besættelsessamlingen, Grindsted
It crashed
at 04:00 hours in a field west of the railroad, crashed through it and ended up
in a field east of the line belonging to “Nørgaard” farm owned by Widow Kathrine
Mikkelsen.
Pilot F/Lt Alexander G. Dickie RCAF and Rear gunner Sgt Arthur W.
Price were both found dead in the wreck by personnel from the Wehrmacht in
Filskov. The bodies was placed on the ground beside the wreckage and covered
with blankets. Only in the evening were they removed from the site and taken to
Grindsted. They were later moved to Esbjerg and were laid to rest in Fourfelt
cemetery on 15/4 1944.
Banks, Lamb, Massey and Rayment were captured by the Wehrmacht within a few
hours. One flyer was captured in Stakroge at 10:40 while another was captured in
Kirkeby School at 10:40.
White landed safely and decided to stay where he was until daylight. At 07:30
hours he was roused by men singing. It started raining and he felt sorry for
himself. He next moved to a nearby river bank where he hid under a fir tree and
stayed there until twilight. By help of a newspaper he found he was able to
figure out that he was somewhere in the Brande area. When approaching the
village of Blaahøj he circled it and found the church which he entered. After a
while he left again and continued his journey. In Vorslunde he slept in a barn
and next day meet the owner Jacob Jørgensen. White was invited in for breakfast
and was informed that a neighbour had gone off to call the police. After a quick
breakfast Jørgensen told him how to avoid the police. It actually turned out
that Police constable Quitzal Dreyer had received the phone call while still in
bed. He then went back to bed. Sleeping late he got up and dressed, had
breakfast and went to his garage to check his car and found that it needed quite
a bit of attention before he would be able to leave.
After about five hours he and Ivan Sahlertz, a member of the underground
movement in Give, set out looking for the flyer. When they arrived at the farm
they were informed in which direction the flyer had gone, and started searching
in the opposite direction. In the evening Dreyer had to report to the Wehrmacht
and told them that he believed that White was travelling in a certain direction
while he in fact was moving in the opposite direction.
On the road he met Søren
Petersen who gave him food and promised to help him and took him home to the
farm where he lived. Early in the morning they arrived at the farm in Farre
where White went to sleep in the barn. In the evening he was questioned by a
member of the resistance movement. After eight days White was picked up by
Doctor Gullestrup of Give and stayed in his house for the night.
On the next day
White was followed to the train station where he was to follow Mr. Ivan Sahlertz
on the train to Vejle and Fredericia. Here Sahlertz left and White was handed
over to Gullestrup Nielsen who was the Doctors brother. When arriving at Odense
White was handed over to Thygge Hansen with whom he stayed until the next day
when he was taken to Nyborg and the next day across the Belt to Korsør. Then by
car together with Peter Carlsen to København (Copenhagen). Here he was taken to
an apartment belonging to Peter Carlsens brother. After having had lunch at a
restaurant White was handed over to a Doctor for the night. Later he was passed
on to Duelund and wife Alma Duelund. Eventually the plans for his further
journey were set and he was taken to a flat where he met the American flyers
Gill and Markowitz with whom he would cross the Sound to Sweden. On 26/4 they
arrived in Sweden and on 7/5 1944 White was back in England.
(Besættelsessamlingen, Grindsted)
(Besættelsessamlingen, Grindsted)
The wreckage being loaded in Grindsted
On 5/5 2008 Filskov local archive inaugurated a memorial for
the airmen.
Sources: Police reports Give and Vejle police. LBUK, BE, Report by Arthur White.
On the night of 9/10 April 1944
Lancaster III JB725 crashed near Jellinge 9/4 1944
Lancaster III ND625 crashed Sejrø Bay 10/4 1944
Lancaster III JB600 crashed near Torrild 10/4 1944
Lancaster III ND420 crashed at Brande 10/4 1944
Lancaster III JB734 crashed near Gunderup 10/4-1944
Lancaster BI ME663 crashed Aale 10/4 1944
Lancaster III ND675 crashed near Filskov 10/4 1944
Lancaster III JB709 crashed into the North Sea
10/4-1944
Lancaster I ME688 crashed into the North Sea
10/4-1944
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