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Wellington II W5576 ditched in the North Sea on 11/9-1941.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 104 Sqn. Bomber Command and was coded EP-N.
T/O 21:30 Stradishall OP: Torino.
On the return flight W5576 ditched in the North sea at 07:20 hours. Approx. one
hour later the crew, consisting of Pilot S/L D.M. Strong, Co-pilot Sgt Gordon T.
Woodroofe RNZAF, Observer P/O H.T.Beare RCAF, W/Op Sgt N.S. Fisher, W/Op-Air Gnr.
Sgt J.A. Chubb and Air Gnr. Sgt R. Ritson was picked up by a Danish fishing boat
and taken to Esbjerg.
They arrived the next day, and were handed over to the Wehrmacht. They were taken to Esbjerg airfield and kept there for two days.
In
that period of time, Woodroofe tried twice to escape, but without any luck. They
were then sent to Dulag Luft in Oberursel where they were interrogated for nine
days.
They were then passed on to different prisoner of war camps. Woodroofe was
taken to Stalag 344 Lamsdorf where he arrived late September and stayed until
June 1942. He was then moved to Stalag Luft II Sagan for two months.
Then in
July 1942 on to Jagerndorf. While detailed to working party 367 at Jagerndorf in
May 1943 Woodroofe managed to escape and stayed at large for two weeks.
When he
was caught, he was put in the cooler in the local camp in Landeck, Austria on a
diet of bread and thin potatosoup.
Early June he was sent to Stalag XVIIIC Markt
Pongau, St. Johan where he was put in solitary confinement for three weeks..
Later the same month he was sent to Stalag 344 Lamsdorf where he stayed until
September 43. He was then part of different working parties until August 1944.
On August 17 1944 he managed to escape with three more prisoners. They split in
two teams and Woodroofe and Private Glasnau tried to reach the Baltic.
In Brieg
Glasnau was arrested as he had no papers. Woodroofe continued by train to Wismar
where he managed to get onboard a Swedish ship. On 29/8-1944 the ship arrived in
Karlsham, Sweden and on September 9. Woodroofe landed at Leuchars airbase in
England.
Strong was sent to Stalag IXC Mühlhausen, Stalag VIB Mauveerssen bei Meppen,
Stalag XXIB Turs to end up in Stalag Luft III Sagan.
Beare was sent to Stalag XC
Nienburg a.d. Weser and later to Stalag Luft III Sagan.
Chubb was sent to Stalag
VIIIB Lamsdorf, to Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug to end up in Stalag 357 Thorn/Fallingbostel.
Fisher was sent to Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf, Stalag Luft III Sagan to end up in
Stalag 357 Thorn/Fallingbostel.
Ritson was sent to Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf,
Stalag Luft III Sagan, Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug to end up in Stalag 357 Thorn/Fallingbostel.
They all returned to England after the war.
Sources: AIR 27/821, WO 208/3323, BCL, OLCB.
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