Blenheim IV T1827 crashed two km. east of Kaas on 13/8-1940.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 82 Sqn. Bomber Command and was coded UX-H.
T/o 0840 Watton OP:Aalborg.
S/L Norman C. Jones tried to avoid the fighters but they seemed to be all over.
The Air gunner Sgt. John Bristow fired back at the fighters but even though he
believed to be firing accurate it did not seem to do any harm to them. Suddenly
a stream of bullets hit the fuselage, but spared the turret. Bristow called the
pilot but received no answer. Looking forward he could see Jones slumped over
the controls, and seeing no trace of the Navigator P/O T.J. Cranidge, he decided
to get out. When leaving thru the rear hatch his flying boot was caught up in
the fuselage. He managed to pull his foot out of it and dropped towards the
ground pulling the parachutes ripcord. He landed very close to F/L Ellen, from
Blenheim R3802, a couple of kilometres east of Kaas .
T1827 crashed in a field not far away. A farm hand led Bristow and Ellen on
borrowed bicycles to a house in what is today known as Kaas. When learning that
there was no resistance movement and no escape lines, they chose to have the
Danish family call the Germans. The bodies of S/L Norman C. Jones and P/O
T.J. Cranidge were recovered from the wreck and laid to rest in Vadum cemetery on
16/8 1940.
On the next day Bristow was loaded into a JU 52 together with four more flyers
and taken to an airfield near Hamburg where they were transferred to a truck
which took them to Dulag Luft in Oberursel near Frankfurt. After interrogation
Bristow was sent to Stalag Luft I Barth. He was later moved to Stalag Luft III
Sagan, Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug and Stalag 357 Fallingbostel. While being in the
camps Bristow became quite well known for being able to make everything out of
very little. Among other things he made several radios, thus being able to boost
morale by keeping his inmates informed with news from the BBC. He did this even
when the POWs were sent on the infamous marches at the end of the war.
(Ole Rønnest)
S/L Norman C. Jones
(Ole Rønnest)
Navigator P/O T.J. Cranidge
(Ole Rønnest)
Air gunner Sgt. John Bristow
Sources: Ole Rønnest, Aabybro, LBUK, WD, OLCB.
Links to the other crashed aircrafts:
August 13 1940 attack on Aalborg West
Blenheim IV R1933 crashed in Restrup enge on
13/8-1940
Blenheim IV R3800 crashed in Limfjorden on 13/8-1940
Blenheim IV R2772 ditched in Limfjorden north of
Egholm island on 13/8-1940
Blenheim IV R3821 crashed at Aalborg West on
13/8-1940
Blenheim IV R3829 crashed in Torpet Kær, Vadum on
13/8-1940
Blenheim IV R3904 crashed two km. east of Aabybro on
13/8-1940
Blenheim IV T1827 crashed two km. east of Kaas on
13/8-1940
Blenheim IV R3802 crashed two km. east of Kaas
13/8-1940
Blenheim IV T1934 crashed in Tranum dune plantation
13/8-1940
Blenheim IV R3913 crashed in Tranum dune plantation
13/8-1940
Blenheim IV T1889 crash landed near Vust 13/8-1940
Back to 1930 - 1940
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