The RAF Bomber at Barsmark
The bomber was shot down on 18 August 1943 at 03.01
The plane was on its way home to England after an attack on Peenemünde, which was the test area for the German V2 rockets.
East of Løjtland, the plane was captured at high altitude on the radar of a German night fighter of the type Messerschmidt Bf. 119 from Jagel near Schleswig. The German plane managed to sneak behind the bomber without being detected. From a distance of 50 m the RAF bomber was set on fire. It exploded in the air at 03.01 above Tosthøj.
The wreckage was spread over a large area - The largest part of the plane hit the ground close to the place where the memorial stone, erected by the local population, was dedicated on May 5, 1949.
All seven crew members were found dead in and around the wreckage. They were buried on August 21st 1943 at the cemetery in Aabenraa.
An account form an eyewitness
Rasmus Jensen was 17 years old. He saw the crash from the pavement outside his home in Løjt Kirkeby.
“There was violent engine noise from many planes in the air above us. Suddenly there was gunfire and a moment later we saw a violent explosion. Three large and many small parts of a plane fell burning to the ground. In the morning I went out to the crash site.
The Germans were collecting the killed airmen. They were placed in a row just inside the field behind the field link, where the memorial stone stands today.”
The aircraft was a Lancaster III. It belonged to No. 49 Squadron, which was stationed at the base Fiskerton a few kilometers east of Lincoln. It had the number JA691 and was coded EA-L. EA is the squadron code and L is the letter of the aircraft in the Squadron.
596 aircraft crossed the Danish coast at Manø and then headed for the northern tip of Rügen. From here, the approach took place towards the various targets at the Peenemünde rocket test area. 40 bombers were shot down in the attack, the 27 over the target and 32 aircraft were damaged.
The Crew
The aircraft was a Lancaster III. It belonged to No. 49 Squadron, which was stationed at the base Fiskerton a few kilometers east of Lincoln. It had the number JA691 and was coded EA-L. EA is the squadron code and L is the aircraft letter in the Squadron.
Crew on the 17th/18th. August 1943
F/O Harry John Randall Pilot
Sgt. Leslie James Henley Flight engineer
Sgt. Leslie Frank Freeman Navigator
Sgt. Reginald Fowlston Wireless Operator
Sgt. William John Stiles Bomb Aimer
F/Sgt. Norman William Buchanan Mid Upper Gunner
Sgt. Robert William Slaughter Rear Gunner
The entire crew perished in the crash
