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Lancaster III PB292 crashed Høgsholt near Vejle 27/8-1944.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 83 Sqn. Bomber Command and was coded OL-S.
T/O 20:30 Coningsby. OP: Königsberg.
On the return flight over the Jylland peninsula PB292 was attacked by a German
night fighter piloted by Ofhr Gerhard Wartenborger of 4./NJG 3 at approx. 03:30
hrs. The
Lancaster caught fire and finally exploded in the air. The wreckage fell to the
ground at Høgsholt northwest of Vejle covering several sq. kilometres with
debris’s.
(Vejle Byarkiv)
The tail of PB292
Most fell in fields belonging to Farmers Svend Guldborg and Richard Jensen.
Three bodies were found among the wreckage and one was found in a machinegun
turret near Leerbæk Gård farm. A fifth flyer was found near Fruens Møllested
with a hole in the deployed parachute.
The Danish police found
Airbomber W/O Raymond (Ray) E. Page unharmed not far from the crashsite and took
him to the police station in Vejle from where the Germans collected him.
He was sent to Dulag Luft in Oberursel near Frankfurt a.M for interrogation and
after about two weeks he was sent to Stalag Luft VII Bankau where he was from
September 1944 to 19/1 1945. The prisoners was then force marched to Stalag IIIA
at Luckenwalde where Page arrived on 8/2-45. He stayed here until liberation.
(Sue Shore nee Page)
Airbomber W/O Raymond (Ray) E. Page
(Sue Shore nee Page)
(Sue Shore nee Page)
(Sue Shore nee Page)
(Sue Shore nee Page)
(Sue Shore nee Page)
Pilot S/Ldr
James V. Verran RNZAF DFC was found in the house of Richard Jensen, Høgsholt.
Verran was suffering from wounds and burns and an ambulance was called to take
him to the Vejle City and County hospital in Vejle.
On 2/9 the Wehrmacht moved
him to the German Lazarett in Fredericia.
When he had recovered on 14/11-44, he was moved to Dulag Luft in Oberursel for questioning and
on 18/12-44 sent to Obermassfeld Hospital in Obermassfeld Meiningen where he
stayed until 30/2-45.
1/3-45 to 5/4-45 was spend in OFLAG III at Nürnberg. He was then marched to
Stammlager VIIIA at Moosburg where he stayed from 23/4-45 to 29/4-45 when he was
released.
(Aase Olesen via Sue Shore nee Page)
Pilot S/Ldr
James V. Verran RNZAF DFC
Those who died were Rear gunner P/O Keith G. Tennent RAAF, Mid upper gunner F/Lt
William E. Frew DFC, W/op F/Sgt Alwyn V. Howarth, Navigator S/Ldr A.S. Perkins
DFC and Flt. Engr. F/Sgt Bert Smith.
Rear gunner P/O Keith G. Tennent RAAF
(Steve Dempsey)
Mid upper gunner F/Lt William E. Frew DFC
(Douglas Johnston, Canada)
Navigator S/Ldr A.S. Perkins DFC
(Douglas Johnston, Canada)
(Douglas Johnston, Canada)
(Douglas Johnston, Canada)
(Douglas Johnston, Canada)
Click on image to enlarge (Link will open in a new window)
(Douglas Johnston, Canada)
Click on image to enlarge (Link will open in a new window)
(Douglas Johnston, Canada)
Click on image to enlarge (Link will open in a new window)
Letter from the vicar in Randbøl to Perkins family.
(Douglas Johnston, Canada)
Picture of
Randbøl Church, arrow pointing at the grave.
The dead bodies were left lying in the fields for several days before they were taken
to Fliegerhorst Vejle (Vandel) and buried. Their graves carrying a black cross
with a German inscription were found in the summer
of 1945 by labourer Alfred Nielsen.
(Niels Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Niels
Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Niels
Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Vandel bunkermuseum)
A white cross with a Danish inscription was erected instead
of the black German cross and on 5/5 1946 a ceremony was held by the graves.
(Niels
Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Niels
Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Niels
Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Niels
Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Niels
Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Niels
Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Niels
Schaiffel Nielsen Archive)
(Via Finn Buch)
On 8/9 1946 they were moved to Randbøl cemetery and given a
proper Christian funeral. Ever since then a memorial service have been held in
the Randbøl church on the evening of 4. May. This was the evening in 1945 when
Denmark received the message of Germans surrender.
The above original English crosses now belongs to Randbøl
Parish Local archive but can be seen at Vandel Bunker Museum.
The graves at Randbøl cemetery today
This memorial was erected on Randbøl Churchyard by the Parish
of Randbøl/Vandel on 31/8-1947
(Aase Olesen via Sue Shore nee Page)
(Aase Olesen)
Original memorial at the crashsite in the valley
Crashsite
Memorial at new location on valleyside at the crashsite
In August 2013 the memorial stone was moved
to a site next to Høgsholtvej 273 and on the evening of 27/8 2013 it was
inaugurated and a wreath was laid by the Homeguard.
(Peer Petersen)
(Peer Petersen)
Sources: LBUK, Police report Vejle, OLCB.
26/27 August 1944
Lancaster I LM127 crashed in the North Sea 27/8 1944
Lancaster III PB180 crashed the in Baltic Sea 27/8
1944
Lancaster III PB302 ditched in the North Sea 27/8
1944
Lancaster III ND807 crashed in the sea off the
island of Sejrø 27/8-1944
Lancaster III LM652 crashed in the sea of Kattegat
27/8 1944
Lancaster III PB292 crashed Høgsholt near Vejle
27/8-1944
Lancaster III LM694 crashed Aastruplund 27/8 1944
Lancaster I ME650 crashed at Sønder Grene near
Skarrild 27/8 1944
Back to 1944
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