Crash Site R.A.F. Short Stirling Mk3 Geetbets

On July 3th 1943 at 11.27pm, a R.A.F. Short Striling Mk3 bomber from the 149th squadron (OJ-B BF 530) took off from the British airfield Lakenheath (Suffolk). The destination was the industrial area in Cologne. On board eight airmen: 6 Britons, 1 American, 1 New Zealander and a load of over 10.000 pond of incendiaries. The bomber was detected by the German radar and pursued by a night fighter from the Brustem airfield (near Sint-Truiden). At 01.01am Oberleutenant Schnaufer in his Messerschmitt BF110 G4 (G9 DC) sealed the bomber’s fate. The bomber crashed here along the Hulsbeekstraat and the Heirbaan. It was Schnaufer’s 19th victory on a total of 121 (he was the most successful night fighter of WW2). Hodge (NZL) and Needham (USA) were the only survivors. Needham spent the rest of the war in German prison camp. Hodge was taken care of by the local resistance and managed to get back to England in October, via France and Spain. He died in March 1944 in a plane crash offshore Canada. Hodgkinson died here on his 19th birthday. The British airmen were buried at the Heverlee War Cemetery. Schnaufer died in 1950 in a car accident in the south of France and his Bordfunker Baro died in 2000 at the age of 85.


Heroes are often common people who only do their duty. This commemorative plaque wants to keep the memory of these young men alive.
This commemorative plaque was erected in 2008 by the town council of Geetbets i.a.w. the historical society Limes Gatia, on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of these crash. The plaque was unveiled by Patrick Hodgkinson, the flight engineer’s nephew.

P/O G.A. Cozens DFM, killed
Sgt R.F. Hathaway, killed
Sgt P. Hodgkinson, killed
F/O E.G. Redman DFC, killed
F/O J.J. Needham RCAF, POW
F/Sgt. Roy A. Hodge RNZAF, evaded
Sgt W.J. Williams, killed
P/O L.W. Curtis, killed

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Source

• Text: Informatiebord
• Photos: Luc Van Waeyenberge