Crash Site British Lancaster LL951 AR-C Achtmaal

Achtmaal (Laveibos) 22 May 1944 Lancaster LL951 AR-C
On the night of Sunday 21 to Monday 22 May, at about 02:00, the Lancaster LL951 of No. 460 Squadron RAAF (RAF Station Binbrook, Lincolnshire) down next to the house of the Van Dijck family at No.3 Laveibosstraat. Because the plane hit the roof, the house was badly damaged. The Lancaster Mk I, with a crew of 7 under the command of the Canadian pilot F/O. Reginald Mc.Dougall, was part of a bomber fleet of 510 Lancasters, of which 21 Lancasters of 460 Squadron, and 22 Mosquitos.

The target that night was Duisburg, an important logistics center in the Ruhr area with iron, steel and chemical industry. The southern part of the city was hit hard. About 350 buildings were destroyed and 665 damaged. 31 Lancasters were lost with approximately 200 crew killed. The LL951 was the only one of 460 Squadron not to return to its home base in Binbrook. The LL951 was shot down by Oberstleutnant Günther Radusch of Fliegerhorst Deelen who shot down two more 4-engined bombers that night with his JU-88.

Lancaster LL951 AR-C crew members were:
Pilot F/O. Reginald E. Mc.Dougall RCAF † --
Navigator F/Sgt. Ronald R. Bunker RAF † 26 years
Wireless On Sgt. James Herkes RAF † 22 years
Air Gunner Sgt. Harold R. Elsbury RAF † 20 yrs
Air Gunner Sgt. William F. O'Neill RAF † 31 yrs
Air Gunner F/O. Eugene O'Donoghue RAF POW
Air Gunner Sgt. W. Leaney RAF POW

Only O'Donoghue and Leaney survived this flight; they managed to escape by parachute but were later captured. There was a lot of uncertainty about the number of occupants. The plane was completely scattered and fierce fires raged throughout. Initially, it was assumed to be a twin-engined night fighter, which was later adjusted to a bomber. The crew members were scattered in parts and the remains were estimated to belong to three persons. The crew members Mc.Dougall, Bunker, Herkes, Elsbury and O'Neill were buried in one coffin on May 22 at 21:30 in the cemetery of the Protestant church in Zundert. During a re-excavation in 1948, again no identification could be made. They are now divided into three graves of which only Sgt. James Herkes has his own tombstone.

Sgt. Leaney was soon apprehended and then taken to Stalag Luft VII (Bankau). F/O. Eugene O'Donoghue landed with his parachute near Brasschaat. When he left the plane he lost his shoes. He made contact with a farmer who hid him for several days and provided him with new shoes and civilian clothes. On May 26, he was taken to a suburb of Antwerp by a Belgian, with O'Donoghue as a passenger on the back of the bicycle. He changed places several times. At his last hiding place they tried to obtain information from him by means of a questionnaire, which he refused. On June 8, he was picked up with the promise that he would be taken to France. After two more evaders were picked up in Antwerp, the three were delivered to the Gestapo headquarters in Antwerp. Eugene O'Donoghue had ended up in an escape line infiltrated by the German Abwehr.

F/O. O'Donoghue was taken via Oberursel to Stalag Luft III (Sagan). He was then placed in Stalag IIIA (Luckenwalde) where he was liberated by the Russians on April 22, 1945. A month later he was back in England.

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Source

• Text: http://www.militairhistorischmuseumachtmaal.nl/
• Photos: Martin Damen