Mosquito FB VI NS913 crashed near Oue west of Hadsund 16/6 1944

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Mosquito FB VI NS913 crashed near Oue west of Hadsund 16/6 1944.

The aircraft belonged to PAF (RAF) 305 Sqn Fighter Command and was coded SM-T.
T/o 09:00 West Raynham. OP: Day Ranger to Denmark.

Pilot S/Ldr Michael J. Herrick RAF and Navigator F/O Aleksander Turski took off together with a Mosquito piloted by W/Cdr “Bob” Braham on a Day Ranger to Denmark.

They crossed the Danish west coast at 10:34 hours at low level and split up. Braham continued towards København while Herrick turned north towards Aalborg flying in the clouds at 600 metres. Their approach had been noticed by the Germans and fighters from Aalborg Ost were scrambled.

(Via Finn Buch)

Pilot S/Ldr Michael J. Herrick RAF

(Via Wojtek Matusiak)

Navigator F/O Aleksander Turski

By accident Herrick was spotted as a shadow in the clouds while flying over a Fw 190 piloted by Leutnant Robert Spreckels of 10./JG 11. Spreckles was based at Aalborg and had been in one of those aircrafts that was scrambled. Herrick appeared to feel fairly safe in the clouds and Spreckles followed him. When Spreckles had closed to about 10 metres he fired a short bust that set the Mosquito on fire. Herrick turned sharply left and by doing so came out of the clouds. Spreckles followed the Mosquito close and saw something drop from the aircraft before it crashed in a wood near Oue west of Hadsund.

(Spreckels)

Leutnant Robert Spreckels

Local people watching the aircrafts saw a person jump from the Mosquito moments before it crashed. The body of this person was found not far from the burning wreck.

Aleksander Turski was laid to rest in Frederikshavn cemetery on 20/6 1944.

The author of this home page believes that what Spreckles saw fall from the Mosquito was in fact Herrich bailing out. The level was too low and he fell to his death in Mariager Fjord.

A couple of weeks later the death body of an English flyer was found near Flintevig Hage by some fishermen. It was taken to Ourgaard Mill and placed on the bed of a waggon and placed outside the Mill.
In the afternoon the body was picked up by the Wehrmacht.

Michael Herrick was laid to rest in Frederikshavn cemetery on 6/7 1944.

Sources: Letter from Spreckles dated 6/5-68, Worsøe-Petersen of Ougaard Mill, VL, AD, BF, KF, LBUK, Wojtek Matusiak.

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