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TheWellington with serialcode Z-8409 fuselage code PH-P took off at 02.04 hrs from Binbrook in the county of Lincolnshire.

The aircraft was part of 12th Squadron RAF and was one of 211 planes that attacked the Kruppsfactories at Essen.

The crew consisted of 6 men and there was a bomb load of 4000 pounds.

Very soon after dropping the boms the plane was damaged by Flack.

Aboven Holland the Wellington was shot by Oberleutnant Rheinhold Knacke of 2/NJG 1 (source. film C.2031/I 93905/42) In total 8 planes were shot that night.

Kruppsfactories at Essen

Oblt. Reinhold Knacke, born 1919 at Alt-Strelitz, was awarded July 1, 1942 after 25 victories with the Ritterkreuz. He gained in total 43 victories and was postumously awarded with the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz.

In the night of 2 to 3 February 1943 his plane was hit, followed by an explosion in the cockpit. This happened when he was attacking a bomber for the fifth time.

Kurt Bundrock, his "bordfunker" succesfully bailed out. Reinhold Knacke however crashed with his plane at Achterveld. (NL)

Reinhold Knacke

Kurt Bundrock

According to the official police report, made by policeman F. B. Leenders and H. winter of the military police."the plane came burning down near the duckdecoy of the van Beesd brothers at appr. 600 meters outside the village of Dreumel.

The plane fell apart in several burning parts. On the plane there were the following markings: serialcode Z-8409 and fuselage code PH-P. The crashlocation was blocked by the local police and the official authorities were warned.

"In the direct vicinity of theplane were three carbonised bodies. It was not possible to go near the plane because of the continuous explosions. At dawn it was noticed that in the direct vicinity of the fuselage there a partly carbonised body, while another body was found at another part of the fuselage. At about appr. 25 meter of those remnants a surviving member of the crew was found."

By the local doctor J.J. van der Kleij, first aid was given. The German authorities that were present by then, ordered to transport the wounded man to the sisters convent in the centre of the village where he was secured by the Germans while waiting for further transport. Officer H. Winter of the military police was assisted by four collegues in order to guard the crash location. At 20.00 hrs the Germans took over.

Ofcourse the local people tried to take a look. In the beginning of march it was considerably cold. For worse: it was was freezing! One of the local people has a recollection of skating with others over the drainage canal to the Drie Bruggen. The German guards however prevented people to take a look at the crash location.

In the days afterwards the Germans started the clear the crash location. Local people were ordered to help. Burgomaster Waals sent a lettre to the German authorities in order to receive compensation for the work that had been done.

Lettre of burgomaster Waals requesting the Germans to compensate the work of the local blacksmith A. van Rossum and A. de Vree for delevering a horse-drawn weagon and two servants.

Soldiers of the German Wehrmacht were billeted in houses of the local people. The owners were allowed to ask for compensation.

Five of sic crewmembers were killed. March 11, 1942 they were buried in the vicarage garden at Uden. After the war the bodies were reburied at the Military Cemetry at Uden.

Sgt. A. C. Macey, the reargunner, was the wounded man. He succesfully bailed out of the plane but got severely wounded. After his stay in the sisters convent he was transported to a hospital and repatriated to England in 1943. He passed away in 1979.

Report from Operations Record Book

(Click photograph for enlargement)

The victims

Name:	Michael Sedgwick Duder
Country:		England
Rank:	Flight Sergeant (Pilot)
Service:	RAF Volunteer Reserve
Squadron:	12e Squadron
Age:	19
Service no:	1152502
Relatives:	son of Alexander Francis and Constance Mary Duder, from Ambleside, Westmorland.
Cemetry:	War Cemetry Uden		grave M.S. Duder
Gravereference:	1. E. 13		(Click photo for enlargement)

Name:	Francis Joseph Menshek
Country:		Canada *
Rank:	Flight Sergeant (Pilot)
Service:	Royal Canadian Air Force
Squadron:	12e Squadron
Age:	27
Service no:	R/68709
Relatives:	son of Frank F. and Margaret Menshek, from St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A.
Cemetry:	War Cemetry Uden
Gravereference:	1. E. 9		grave F.J. Menshek
* Menshek an American that served with Canadian Airforce			(Click photo for enlargement)

Name:	Eric Ian Campbell Wood
Country:		Engeland
Rank:	Sergeant (Observer)
Service:	RAF Volunteer Reserve
Squadron:	12e Squadron
Age:	unknown
Service no:	918372
Relatives:	unknown
Cemetry:	War Cemetry Uden		grave E. I. C. Wood
Gravereference:	1. E. 11		(Click photo for enlargement)

Name:	Kenneth Crouch
Country:		Engeland
Rank:	Flight Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.)
Service:	RAF
Squadron:	12e Squadron
Age:	23
Service no:	624759
Relatives:	son of William James Louis Crouch and Harriett May Crouch, from Chilham, Kent.
Cemetry:	War Cemetry Uden		grave K. Crouch
Gravereference:	1. E. 10		(Click photo for enlargement)

Name:	George Edward Warren
Country:		Engeland
Rank:	Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.)
Service:	RAF Volunteer Reserve
Squadron:	12e Squadron
Age:	25
Service no:	1250053
Relatives:	son of Clara Warren, from Bedminster, Bristol.
Cemetry:	War Cemetry Uden		grave G. E. Warren
Gravereference:	1. E. 12		(Click photo for enlargement)

War Cemetry Uden


	In the early morning of March 9th, 1942 a Wellington of 12th Squadron RAF was shot down by a German nightfighter. The plane crashed in the Nieuwstraat near the duckdecoy owned by the van Beesd brothers........