Cycle Route Wings of Freedom: Crash Site Lancaster ED-449

On March 12th a massive airstrike was launched and the main target was Essen, the home base of the Krupp factories.
At 19.40 hrs 457 planes, among them 156 Lancasters, left from Skellingthorpe
airfield. The Lancaster ED449 had already made 7 successful flights, but this time it crashed on the way there.

The successful Oberleutnant Manfred Meurer steered his Messrschmitt under the Lancaster and shot off one wings with his gun(s) and the plane caught fire.
Five crewmembers burned on the plane; a sixth died owing to an unopened
parachute after jumping from the aircraft. Two Dutchmen, Jeu Urselmann
and Thei Keiren, were the first to arrive at the crash site and was met with a blaze
of fire. The tailgunner, Kissick, was seriously injured while jumping and still
tried to flee. He was shot by a German patrol. Frans Verkoyen was in 1947 at his reburial (Venlo to Jonkerbos) and sent the found pocketknife to the family.

The crash took place at the coordinates: 51.602263, 6.074642.

Crew:
Pilot Frederick Ward (22) RCAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Flight engineer Robert Wilson (21) RAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Bombardier Frederick Stephens (21) RAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Navigator Ronald Heslop (20) RAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Radio operator Andrew Allan (26) RAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Aerial gunner Victor D. R. Kissick (22) RCAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Aerial gunner Richard J. Jenkins (21) RAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery

In collaboration with the municipalities of Bergen, Gennep, Mook-Middelaar and Weeze, the initiative was created for cycling routes 'Wings of Freedom' along crash locations.
In the four municipalities, 28 crash sites have been definitively confirmed. Near each crash site is a memorial sign with information about the cause of the crash. Using the network of cycling nodes, there are four routes of approximately 30 - 40 km. deployed along these places.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: Arjan Vrieze + Werkgroep Wings of Freedom
• Photos: Arjan Vrieze (1, 2, 3), Werkgroep Wings of Freedom (4), Peter Schipper (5)
• Vliegtuigcrashroute Wings of Freedom