Halifax MkIII LV905 EY-W 'Willie' - 78 Squadron
Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:35 pm
Nemo Non Paratus - Nobody Unprepared
Halifax MkIII LV905 EY-W 'Willie' - 78 Squadron
24th May 1944... RAF Breighton... 10:25pm...
The lumbering shape of a heavily laden Halifax, belonging to 78 Squadron (Preston' s Own) No 4 Group Bomber-Command, is seen slowing inching its way away from the runway at RAF Breighton. Many look on not knowing that 'Willie' and her crew of 7 wont be coming back home, It would be their 22nd operational raid, but thy never make it back.
Slowly 'Willie' gains height and joins the scores of allied bombers, some 400+, to drop their payload on the Marshalling Yards at Aachen, Holland. Succesfully droping their load on the target LV905 turned for home with the rest of the survivors of the Allied Bomber Stream. 'Willie' however wouldnt make it home with her comardes. At 01:28 pm the aircraft was attacked by a 10./NJG1 Me110G4, flown by night fighter ace Oberfeldwebel Karl-Heinz Scherfling (6 September 1918 – 21 July 1944).
Unleashing the Me110's deadly arsenal of weapons, 'Willie' entered a dive and started to break up. The aircraft subsequently crashed near Bergse Maas, approximately 1KM south of Hank (Noord-Brabant). Two of the crew were thrown from the aircraft on impact, the other five were buried deep in the peat with the wreckage.
The Salvage Halifax 1944 Foundation established with the intention of salvaging the surviving wreckage and laying to rest the remains of the crew. In June 2010 the number 3 engine of LV905 (Starboard Inner) finally completed the aircrafts mission some 66 years after the fateful night. Recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft by the Salvage Halifax 1944 Foundation, the number 3 mount was returned to the aircrafts original base of Breighton, now home to the Real Aeroplane Company.
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
And a different effort for this one...
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
The crew of LV905 were subsequently reunited and buried in Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen.
They are:
Pilot - P/O E.B. Wilson
Flight Engineer - Sgt W.J. White
Navigator - F/O S.C. Peterson (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer - F/O N.A. Marston (DFC)
Wireless Operator - F/Sgt J. Henderson
Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt G.H. Butler
Rear Gunner - Sgt J.T.L. Leblanc (RCAF)
The engine has been made into a simple yet evocative memorial in honour the crew of LV905 and all 78 Squadron personel who lost their lives during World War Two.
Thanks for looking!
Halifax MkIII LV905 EY-W 'Willie' - 78 Squadron
24th May 1944... RAF Breighton... 10:25pm...
The lumbering shape of a heavily laden Halifax, belonging to 78 Squadron (Preston' s Own) No 4 Group Bomber-Command, is seen slowing inching its way away from the runway at RAF Breighton. Many look on not knowing that 'Willie' and her crew of 7 wont be coming back home, It would be their 22nd operational raid, but thy never make it back.
Slowly 'Willie' gains height and joins the scores of allied bombers, some 400+, to drop their payload on the Marshalling Yards at Aachen, Holland. Succesfully droping their load on the target LV905 turned for home with the rest of the survivors of the Allied Bomber Stream. 'Willie' however wouldnt make it home with her comardes. At 01:28 pm the aircraft was attacked by a 10./NJG1 Me110G4, flown by night fighter ace Oberfeldwebel Karl-Heinz Scherfling (6 September 1918 – 21 July 1944).
Unleashing the Me110's deadly arsenal of weapons, 'Willie' entered a dive and started to break up. The aircraft subsequently crashed near Bergse Maas, approximately 1KM south of Hank (Noord-Brabant). Two of the crew were thrown from the aircraft on impact, the other five were buried deep in the peat with the wreckage.
The Salvage Halifax 1944 Foundation established with the intention of salvaging the surviving wreckage and laying to rest the remains of the crew. In June 2010 the number 3 engine of LV905 (Starboard Inner) finally completed the aircrafts mission some 66 years after the fateful night. Recovered from the wreckage of the aircraft by the Salvage Halifax 1944 Foundation, the number 3 mount was returned to the aircrafts original base of Breighton, now home to the Real Aeroplane Company.
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
And a different effort for this one...
LV905 Memorial Breighton by Jamie Ewan - Flyingmonster, on Flickr
The crew of LV905 were subsequently reunited and buried in Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen.
They are:
Pilot - P/O E.B. Wilson
Flight Engineer - Sgt W.J. White
Navigator - F/O S.C. Peterson (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer - F/O N.A. Marston (DFC)
Wireless Operator - F/Sgt J. Henderson
Mid Upper Gunner - Sgt G.H. Butler
Rear Gunner - Sgt J.T.L. Leblanc (RCAF)
The engine has been made into a simple yet evocative memorial in honour the crew of LV905 and all 78 Squadron personel who lost their lives during World War Two.
Thanks for looking!