Airwar over Denmark

Airwar over Denmark

 By Søren C. Flensted

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Halifax II BB309 crashed Slaglille Mark 17/9 1943.


The aircraft belonged to RAF 138 Sqn Bomber Command and was coded NF-T.
T/o 18:29 Tempsford. OP:SOE Neon 3 dropping zone Obraz 108 in Poland.


Returning from Poland after having dropped 2nd Lt M.Kryszezukajtis and B.Augustyn at Obraz 108 Halifax BB309 was attacked by a Ju 88C-6 night fighter of 11./NJG 3 crewed by Pilot Leutnant Richard Burdyna, Bordward. Obergefreiter Leo Klotz and Bordfunker Obergefreiter Fritz Merten and controlled by radar station Seehund based at Tybjerg. The Halifax was then flying at 200 ft.
 
The Halifax was damaged and Pilot F/S Tadeusz Miecznik PAF tried to crash land the aircraft at 04:45 hours but hit a house which started a fierce fire.
 

The wreck in the house


 
The rear gunner AG Sgt Roman Puchala got out of the aircraft unharmed and was soon made POW by the Wehrmacht.
Later on the same day he was sent to Dulag Luft in Oberursel for interrogation. After about a week he was forwarded to Stalag Luft VI Gross Tychow and later to Stalag 357 Thorn/Fallingbostel.

Flight Engineer Sgt Wladyslaw Barzdo PAF, Navigator F/Lt Wizenty Wasilewski PAF, Wop F/S Julian Michalski PAF and Air Gnr.Sgt Wladyslaw Patlewicz PAF all died in the crash and were buried in Slaglille cemetery at three o`clock in the morning of 18/9 1943 by members of the Wehrmacht together with Co-pilot.Sgt Eugeniusz Kasprzak PAF who had been taken to Ringsted hospital where he had died from his wounds later the same day.

 


  (Victoria Moore via Lidia Szuster)

Wop F/S Julian Michalski PAF


(Via Wojtek Matusiak)

Julian Michalski

 


(Via Wojtek Matusiak)

 


(Via Wojtek Matusiak)

 


(Via Wojtek Matusiak)

Wincenty Wasilewski

 


 
Also the pilot F/S Tadeusz Miecznik PAF had been brought to Ringsted hospital suffering from a broken arm and leg. After a while the Germans saw him fit to be moved to Germany but on 7/11 at 22:00 Marius Petersen and Jørgen Wibolt helped him escape thru the window of his room. He was taken to København and after two days he was sailed to Sweden by Erling Kiær.

Eleven persons were sleeping in the house which the Halifax hit. Three adults and 2 children died in the fire.

It should be mentioned that the JU 88 which had shot the Halifax down was hit by return-fire and circled the area at very low level and hit some threes in Bjernede skov forrest and crashed at 04:47 hours. The pilot died outright and the two crew members died later on the same day in Ringsted hospital. 

Link to Ju 88

See also from television

 


  (Bob Cobley MBE)

 

 

 

 


  (Bob Cobley MBE)

The graves in Slaglille cemetery

 

Every year a ceremony is held in honor of the fallen airmen and of the family who died when the aircraft hit their house. September 2015 the ceremony was attended by Victoria Moore, granddaughter of F/S Julian Michalski, along with her husband and their two boys. After the ceremony they had the opportunity to meet with grandchildren of the Christensen family.

 


  (Lidia Szuster)

 


  (Lidia Szuster)

 


  (Lidia Szuster)

 


  (Lidia Szuster)

 


  (Lidia Szuster)



 

Sources: OLCB, LBUK, Police report, T-501,UA, RL 19/457,RL 8/91-94, FAF, “De fandt en vej” by Bjørnvad, Wojtek Matusiak.
 

 

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