Cycle Route Wings of Freedom: Crash Site Lancaster Mk I, W4919, Code SR-A

Dortmund had not been attacked for a year. This new action was undertaken by 826 planes and bombing the Ruhr area was the biggest attack up to that moment. It was especially the Hoesch steelworks that formed the main target.

On 24-05-1943 at 2.30 am the dreaded Oberleutnant Manfred Meurer, night-fighter pilot and stationed at the Venlo airfield, shot the plane which burst into flames. It was his 28th victory. All the crew members lost their lives, four of which most certainly were burnt. Seeing so many charred bodies lying there was horrible.
One of them had fallen onto a tree and was pierced by a bough. The (Australian)
pilot was an only child. His mother afterwards wrote some emotional letters to the RAF and signed them 'A mother’s broken heart'.

Crew members:
Pilot John H. T. Hayes (22) RAAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Flight engineer Walter R. Cook (31) RAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Bombardier James A. Park (23) RAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Navigator Percy G. Eames (25) RAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Radio operator John W.G. Evans (21) RAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Aerial gunner Leslie G. Smith (20) RCAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery
Aerial gunner Own H. Sibson (21) RCAF KIA Jonkerbos War Cemetery

The crash took place at the coordinates: 51.613725, 6.071398.

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: Werkgroep Wings of Freedom
• Photos: Werkgroep Wings of Freedom
• Vliegtuigcrashroute Wings of Freedom