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Lancaster ME301
Lancaster ME301/BQ-X was flown by the F/O M D Hayes crew when it was lost on the 4/5 April 1945 on a raid on Lutzkendorf. ME301 was brought down by flak, and crashed next to the village of Wernsdorf.
The crew were a s follows:
- F/O M D Hayes (P) [KIA]
- Sgt H Hartley (F/Eng) [KIA]
- F/Sgt E H Hagyard (Nav) [KIA]
- F/Sgt M V Fuller (B/A) [KIA]
- W/O A T Gill (W/Op) [KIA]
- Sgt R S Smith (A/G) [KIA]
- Sgt D Gunn (A/G) [KIA]
Pictured below the F/O Hayes crew:
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L-to-R: F/O Hayes (P), F/Sgt Hagyard, F/Sgt Fuller, W/O Gill, Sgt Hartley, Sgt Smith, Sgt Gunn |
All of the crew were killed in the crash, and were laid to rest in Wernsdorf.
Other information about the flight and the target available here.
The entry on the 550 Squadron Roll of Honour is available here.
Recent Research
The aeroplane came down close to Wernsdorf, which lies West of FRANKLEBEN. The village of Wernsdorf is now long gone because of "Braunkohlentagebau" - brown coal opencast mining. Wernsdorf was west of Frankleben - now there is Lake Geiseltalsee instead.
- http://www.schloss-frankleben.de/images/flyer_2.pdf
- http://maps.google.de/maps?hl=de&tab=wl (search for Frankleben, Geiseltalsee)