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Halifax II JD273 crashed near Kliplev 29/1-1944.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 10 Sqn Bomber Command and was coded ZA-Y.
T/o 23:59 Melbourne. OP: Berlin.
Outbound the Halifax was attacked by a JU 88C night fighter of II./NJG 3 with
the crew of Pilot Hauptmann Gerhard Raht, Funker Feldwebel Anton Heinemann and
Bordmechaniker Unteroffizier Werner Hesse and controlled by the radar station
“Star” based at Lütjenhorn in Northern Germany.
At 02:34 hours the Halifax crashed in the Kliplev moor killing all onboard.
The night fighter had started from Jagel air base at 01:22 and after having
claimed JD273 at 02:34 hours it shot down Halifax JB412 at 02:37 hours over
Varnæs. The JU 88C then landed at Neurruppin air field near Berlin at 04.05.
Pilot Sgt Arthur S. O`Connor, Flt.Engr. F/Sgt James Watters, Air Bomber P/O
Gerald A. Twigge RCAF, W/Op Albert Mayes and Air Gnr. Sgt Albert J.W.Saxty were
all laid to rest in Aabenraa cemetery on 2/2 1944.
On 30/4 the dead body of Navigator F/O Vernon L. Miles RCAF was found in Kliplev
moor. He was laid to rest in Aabenraa cemetery on 3/5 1944.
(Bager Weber, Bjerndrup)
(Bager Weber, Bjerndrup)
Pictures showing the Civil Air Defence working on the crash
site spring 1944.
The Germans closed the area to the Danes but soon The Civil Air Defense started
to search the area for bombs and wreckage. This was stopped on 18/2 due to heavy
frost making digging impossible. In April the digging started again and finally
on 30/7 1944 the area was declared to have been cleaned of wreckage.
On 30/8 at 09:00 hours Farm bailiff Revsbeck found the body of Air Gnr. F/Sgt
Thomas K. Dudley in Kliplev moor some two hundred metres from the crash site.
Only an arm and a leg and an unopened parachute could be seen. The Wehrmacht was
informed and they excavated the remains which was laid to rest in Aabenraa
cemetery on 1/9 1944.
Pilot Hauptmann Gerhard Raht
Funker Feldwebel Anton Heinemann
Sources: Heinemann, Nonnenmacher file, LBUK, AS 70-361, RL 19/68, BCL, CWGC, BA,
ORB from 10 Sqn via Christian Jørgensen, Kliplev.
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