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Lancaster III ND960 crashed at Nakke on the island of Fyn
22/5 1944.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 57 Sqn Bomber Command and was coded DX-I.
T/o 21:57 East Kirkby. OP: Gardening Kiel Bay.
When having crossed the Jylland peninsula towards the target ND960 was attacked
by a German Bf 110G-4 night fighter of 10./NJG 3 while flying at 4300 metres.
The Bf 110 was coded D5+BV and was piloted by Leutnant Walter Briegleb with the
crew of Feldwebel Walter Bräunlich and Bordfunker Feldwebel Brandt. Briegleb had
taken off from Fliegerplats Schleswig at 23:50 and as his SN-2 proved to be
inoperative due to moisture he was lead to the Lancaster by ground control.
He attacked the Lancaster from below using his "Schräge Musik" and the
grenades hit the Lancaster in the wing between the inboard engine and the
fuselage setting the Lancaster on fire. Briegleb then pulled back and watched it
burn while wondering why no one left the burning aircraft by parachute as it was
clear that it would not survive. He could see both gunners in their turrets but
no one fired at him.
At 00:44 hours the Lancaster disintegrated in the air and the main part crashed
to the ground in a field belonging to “Skovgård“ farm, Nakke where one of the
mines onboard exploded. The whole crew perished. Leutnant Walter Briegleb landed
at Fliegerhorst Westerland at 02:24 hours.
(Rigsarkivet)
Wreckage
(Rigsarkivet)
Wreckage
10 minutes later one more mine exploded killing the Danish farmhand Jørgen
Andreas Brandt who had rushed to the crash site just after the aircraft had
fallen to the ground.
During the morning the body of Air Gnr. Sgt Harold De Cray Griffiths was found
500 metre from the crash site and in the same area was found the body of Rear
gunner Sgt Cyril James Woodmass still inside his turret.
(Via Finn Buch)
Rear gunner Sgt Cyril James Woodmass
A number of human remains were found spread over several kilometres.
In the afternoon the Wehrmacht collected the two bodies and human remains found
in the area and buried them in Assens cemetery at 22:30 hours.
After the war they were identified as Pilot F/L Arthur Thomas Richards, Flt.
Engr. Sgt Arthur Wilbert Chesley Bugden, Navigator F/O William Thomas Woodall RCAF, Air Bomber F/O
George Ferguson and W/Op Sgt Thomas Edwards.
Sources: Briegleb “Feindberührüngen”, Walter Braunlich Flugbuch and
Feindberürung, Interview of Briegleb by Carsten Petersen 1992, TW, LBUK, AS 31-129, BCL.
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