27 Lancasters and one
Lancaster with a camera man took off for the raid on the Tirpitz, on 15.
September 1944.
The attack caught the
Tirpitz by surprise. One Tallboy bomb hit the Tirpitz near the bows. Other
bombs damaged the battleship's engines, but they failed to sink the ship.None
of the Lancasters were lost in this attack.
The ten bodies were at
first buried in a mass grave by the germans. They were later re-buried at
Nesbyen Cemetery.
Among the debris at the
crashsite, there is a white wooden cross, with 10 black spots.
Nesbyen
Hallingdal. July 2000
On
17. September 16 Lancasters took off from Yagodnik airfield in Russia at 19.21,to
return to Lossiemouth . Probably due to engine trouble, one Lancaster crashed
at this hillside in Nesbyen at 02.15. (Pilot) F/O Frank Levy.
(Nav.)F/O Charles Lawrence Fox. Sgt. Flt. (Engr.)Peter
William Groom. Flt. Sgt. (W.Op./Air Gnr.)George Muir Mcguire.
Pilot Offr. (Air Gnr.)Allan Frank Mcnally. Flt.Sgt.Air Bomber
Eric Edward Stephen Peck. Flt.Sgt.(Air Gnr.)Daniel
Gorowny Thomas. In addition two members of another crew, who had days
before survived a crash landing that had written off their aircraft. Those two
are:Flying Offr. (W.Op.)Denis Charles Shea and Flying
Offr. (Flt. Engr.)James Frazer Naylor. There was also a tenth
body found at the crash site. His name is still unknown.(maby he was an Russian
refugee?) This crash was the only casualty of the attacks on Tirpitz in September
1944
2005
On 11.September
1944 38 Lancasters of Nos 9 and 617 Squadrons, and a No 5 Group Mosquito
for weather reconnaissance had set out to fly to Northern Russia to prepare
for a raid on the battleship Tirpitz, which was at anchor in Kåfjord.One
Lancaster had to return to Britain, and six other crash-landed in Russia at
Varna, Vascova, Onega City and at Keg Island. The rest of them managed to
land safely at Yagodnik in Arkhangel.
Avro
Lancaster III
Syningen Nesbyen
617.Squadron
RAF "Dambusters" PB416 KC-V
17.9 1944
