Crash Site Halifax MkV DG423 'H for Harry'

During the German occupation, the Carlton Hotel had been requisitioned and put into use by the German Luftwaffe to house German officers, among others. Other buildings in the area were also used by the Luftwaffe.

This naturally made it a potential Allied target, and for a while it seemed a deliberate attack, but German anti-aircraft fire had hit an English Halifax bomber on the night of April 26-27, 1943, which crashed right behind the Carlton Hotel at 2:32 a.m. The burning plane landed on the houses in Reguliersdwarsstraat and the hotel itself was also badly damaged.

As a result, there were 3 explosions and the largest fire in the Amsterdam city center in centuries. The crash and fire destroyed almost all the buildings between Herengracht and Singel up to Geelvincksteeg.

On board the 'H for Harry' belonging to 71 Squadron were pilot Sgt Donald Gordon McNab, flight engineer Sgt John Wood, bomb aimer P/O Noel Douglas Fleming, navigator Sgt Fred Noel Slingsby, radio operator Sgt Bertie Frederick Keable and air gunners Sgt Jack Clegg and Sgt Clifford Clarence Strain. McNab was a New Zealander, Strain a Canadian. The other five were from Britain. All were killed and are burried All perished and are buried in the Nieuwe Ooster Cemetery in Amsterdam.

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

Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Rick Hoogervorst (1), Beeldbank WOII NIOD (2)
• - De Carlton-crash in het hart van Amsterdam - Up in the Sky