I am seeking information on a Halifax of 102 Squadron shot down over the channel on the night of 24/25th July 1944.
I know crew names and mission but I am seeking to discover if it is possible to find by whom this aircraft was shot down.
I understand that there is a German source for this information. Can anyone guide me as to how to contact that source?
Many Thanks.
Tonyw

Hello Tony, Could this be Halifax III LL552 DX-X (A. J. Page crew)?

This is the only 102 Squadron loss I can list for this Operation (Stuttgart) .

Are you sure it was shot down over the Channel? In Chorley I read it was shot down over Piencourt (Eure, Normandy) .
If this is not the one, could you give us the serial ?

As to the Luftwaffe claim list, you could either check at the Freiburg archives (the most reliable) , but there are quite a few fine searchers who have posted claim lists on the net. (Tony Woods, Safaric etc..)

My first guess would be Uffz Helmut Burghardt from 1/NJG5 who flew a ME-110 and claimed a Lancaster (they often said Lanc for a Hali that's normal) near Lisieux (French coast) . At 04.01. If the Hali was last seen over the Channel it could mean two things: It tried to force land on land , not to ditch, (but this is speculation as I don't know the details yet) . Secondly this was the last claim of the night which means it was on the return route, possibly delayed to previous combat damage.

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The Halifax of 102 Squadron that crashed into the sea on the night of 24/25 July 1944 was :- Mk III MZ298 DY-F. P/O. H W E. Donald RAAF and crew on an Op to bomb the flying-bomb site at les Hauts Buissons.

Regards
Peter

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Thanks Liberator I think this is the one except that I have this casualty listed but for July 23rd /24 1944 . This means the Halifax crashed on July 24th not 25th. I will wait for Tony to confirm. In the mean time I will check for claims . I wonder what happened to R. B. Seth who is said to have been rescued. I will check for him too. Tony are you related to any of these brave men? I have some info about Les Hauts Buissons too.

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Many thanks for the replies to my message. It was the Halifax Peter mentions in his reply to me. The pilot was my father but he was killed before I was born. Last I heard Bob Seth was alive and well and living in Australia, the home of most of the crew. i have had somme moving letters and information from Bob. It was certainly over the channel that the Halifax was shot down as Bob was rescued from the sea. (I wrote in hast after reading the story about saint Exupery in the French press and I suspect I had the date wrong - I did not go back to my notes before I wrote. Skipper, thanks for your comments. I'll do a trawl of the claim lists on the web.
You will all appreciate that I am deeply grateful for your prompt and helpful replies.
I've been to Les Hauts Buissons and seen the site. I laid a wreath there in July 2004.

Great news Tony, I will focuss on this crash then. Good to hear that Seth is alive and kicking. Are you related to any of the crew? This aircraft was possibly shot down by Ogrf. Horst Pietzschke from 2/NJG4 . He is the only pilot to claim a four engined aircraft near the Normandy coast on July 24th . (off Fécamp= means ditched in the water near that place) I believe He was flying a ME-110. The crash is around 01.39 which means the aircraft was flying back after having bombed the target .

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Skipper.
Many thanks. after consulting the list I came to the same conclusion. I know from Bob Seth that they were on the way back and the aircraft went into the sea. Bob was picked up and returned to Newhaven which, coincidentally, is where I take the ferry to France. One other body was recovered from the water.
The pilot was my father although I was not born until the end of 1944.

Sorry I lost track of this thread for a while. I doubt there will be much to find about Pietschke, I believe he was a rookie pilot and this could be his only claim. However if you are interested I can help you with Les Hauts Buissons. I have several books about the secret site in France. Was the recovered body identified?

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Many thanks. The body recovered was that of David "Buck" Rogers, the rear gunner. Another Australian he was buried at Brookswood the military cemetery in Surrey.
I would be interested in knowing more about Les Haut Buissons. I searched French maps and couldn't find it but came upon the hamlet by chance when cycling in Nomandie. The farmer whose land it was on took me to the site and I could see the ruined blockhouse, bomb craters and where the wood had been cleared for the track. I went back on the 60th anniversary of the incident and laid a wreath on behalf of the families of those who died. They were having a dinner in Melbourne to mark the event which I wasn't able to get to. We also put a wreath into the sea on our way across. I have some pictures on my computer in my hose in France.
I would be grateful for any information you might be able to let me have.

the German pilot ws flying a Bf 110G-4 or a Do 217J which NJG 4 still kept till the 110's and later the Ju 88G-1's replaced

a Bf 110 G-4 would be my choice too, I doubt that a young pilot would get the old DO217, the few that were left were left for those who were used to them. I will search for les Hauts Buissons this weekend.

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it helps to go through losses listings for July through the beginning of August 1944.........NJG 4 lost Bf 110G-4's, Ju 88R-2's and Ju 88G-1's

If I remember correctly NJG4 kept a few Do217 at coullommiers, but hardly flew tem due to lack of spares. I'm pretty certain that the Ju-88 G-1 was not there yet in July , at least for this unit. The testimonies I have from Njg4 all flew the BF-110 G4 at the time.

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