Accident Avro Lancaster Mk I R5544, Tuesday 2 June 1942
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Date:Tuesday 2 June 1942
Time:01:30 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic LANC model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Avro Lancaster Mk I
Owner/operator:61 Sqn RAF
Registration: R5544
MSN: QR-E
Fatalities:Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:near Düsseldorf-Eller, Nordrhein-Westfalen -   Germany
Phase: Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Takeoff at 22:50 hrs for participation in the second 1000 bomber raid; this time the target being Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen.
The aircraft was hit by heavy (schwere) Flak of the 3./Reserve-Flak-Abteilung 133 and crashed.
Those who had died were initially buried in Düsseldorf's Nordfriedhof. After the cessation of hostilities they were reinterred at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery:

Pilot:65555 Fg Off Gordon Leslie Tofield - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery 9. E. 1. (NCO:1169756 Commission Gazetted : Friday 30 May, 1941)
Pilot:1270204 Sgt Ronald Larter - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery 9. E. 6.
Observer:1164030 Flt Sgt Leslie James Partridge - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery
39359 Fg Off Walter Rice Williams PoW Stalag Luft 3 Zagan & Belaria. PoW Number 3644 (Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 05 November, 1940)
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner:1057551 Sgt John Titterington - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery 9. E. 3.
Air Gunner:104427 Plt Off Samuel Partington Walsh - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery 9. E. 4 (NCO:965829 Commission Gazetted : Friday 19 September, 1941)
Air Gunner:951680 Sgt Roy Buglar Ganderton - Reichswald Forest War Cemetery 9. E. 5.

Sources:

Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part three
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=R5544
Google Maps
Bomber Command Losses 1942
CWGC
Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
30-Sep-2017 15:04 w.bleumink Added
04-Jan-2018 21:27 Red Dragon Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
04-Jan-2018 21:28 Red Dragon Updated [Aircraft type]
17-Mar-2018 21:15 Red Dragon Updated [Registration, Cn]
29-Jun-2018 06:52 ehren69 Updated [Location]
03-Nov-2018 09:21 Nepa Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator]
28-Oct-2019 14:39 Uli Elch Updated [Operator, Location]
01-Nov-2019 19:52 Anon. Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]
22-Apr-2020 19:12 TigerTimon Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative]
09-Oct-2022 06:10 Kennethstone1@bigpon Updated [Cn]
22-May-2024 08:06 Rob Davis Updated [Source, Narrative]

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