Crash Site R.A.F. Vickers Wellington Mk 1C Geetbets

Sunday April 5th 1942. Easter. At 22.58 pm, a R.A.F. Vickers Wellington Mk 1C bomber (NZ X 9764) of the 304th Polish ‘Silesian’ squadron, took off the British airfield Lindholme (South Yorkshire). Destination Cologne. On board six Polish airmen. On the way home the plane was detected by German radar and pursued by a night fighter from the Brustem airfield (near Sint-Truiden). After a short pursuit, Oberleutenant Heinrich Peters and Feldwebel Ludwig Leidenbach (6./NJG 1) in a Messerschmitt BF110, at an altitude of 4.900m (16.000ft) and from a distance of 35m (115ft) hit the port engine, which caught fire. The plane flew another three minutes and then crashed here at 02.28am along the Hulsbeekstraat. All six Polish airmen died. Initially they were buried in Sint-Truiden and after the War at the Heverlee War Cemetery.
This commemorative plaque wants to honour these Poles, who also fought and died for our freedom.

This commemorative plaque was erected in 2009 by the town council of Geetbets i.a.w. the historical society Limes Gates and unveiled by Jerzy Rajski, relative of Dominik Grajnert.

P/O Alfred Osadzinski PAF (P1570)
P/O Kazimierz Ziemianski PAF (P1586)
F/L Zygmunt Natkanski PAF (76775)
Sgt Dominik M. Grajnert PAF (783452)
P/O Ludwik K. Assman PAF (P1538)
Sgt Zdislaw Babraj PAF (780935)

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Source

• Text: Informatiebord
• Photos: Luc Van Waeyenberge