Fliegerhorst Gilze-Rijen. Archaeology & Research.

Anti Char = Anti-Tank.
So its purpose was armour piercing.
It was shot with a small canon, not a rifle or something like that.

 

That's a most interesting projectile - one I'd never seen or even heard of before....

 

agree w. Martin on that, quite a find there. Nick what is your avatar representing ....... He 111 or ?

 

Typt in Ju88 on google and get that image, nice drawning I have to say.
Thanks Martin and Erich.

 

Nice find indeed. Many Hotchkiss were captured, repainted and reused by the Germans. They were stationned in Southwestern France until 1941 when thye were sent to other countries (possibly Holland too) On their way they stopped in Paris and these was a massive German Hotchkiss parade there. I don't know what happened to these units. My guess would be the Ostfront.

 

cool!
thanks for the info 272VGD!!

 

Did some more research about the Lancaster JN-D crash (you can see on page 7).
Here the story so far. Hope you like it.

Here the article I made about the crash of the Lancaster JN-D, shot down on 28 May 1944.

Airplane and serialnumber:
Lancaster JN-D
ND802

Crewmembers:
Pilot Francis Scott - KIA.
Wireless Operator/Air hunner Ron Howson - KIA.
R/gunner Reg dale - POW.
Air Bomber Steve Cook - KIA.
Flight Engineer Max Harris - POW.
M/u gunner Alan Mantle - POW.
Navigator “Red” Hill - POW.
2nd Pilot Clark - POW.

The cause:
Shot down by German nachtjagd from the Fliegerhorst Gilze-Rijen.

Location:
Ca. one kilometre from the German "Lager Chaam" in Prinsenbosch, near the road from Gilze to Chaam (Chaamseweg). South of the Witgoordreef.
Coordinates: 51°31’40.78”N - 4°54’15.86”O

Date/Time:
28 May 1944, 02.30 am.

Objective:
Railroad emplacement Aachen, Germany.
==============================

In the twilight of 27 May 1944 32 bombers started off near Ely in Cambridgeshire. The bombers belong to the 75th RNZAF squoadron. With the objective to bomb raildroad emplacements near Aachen, Germany. This together with a fleet of 570 other bombers.
They fly off to Hoek van Holland and from there in a straight line towards Aachen. With that they will cross the area of Gilze-Rijen. Where the German nachtjagd is allready in the air. Waiting for Allied planes to fly over... that happenend around 02.00 am.
Not long after that the Lancaster of Pilot Francis Scott was hit in the bombcargo by a German nachtjagd plane, who sets the plane on fire.
Alan Mantle told the other crewmembers to jump out, 5 of them did.. the others died on this spot in the Chaamse Bosschen, where the Lancasters journey ended.




Not long after the crash the bombload exploded, which caused huge fire's the following day.
M/u gunner Alan Mantle landed with his parachute not far of the crashsite, he was badly injurred. After he landed he moved south through the Chaamse Bosschen, after a long walk around 05.30 am he got out of the forest, then moving over the grassland and meadows between Chaam and Baarle Nassau.
Not long after that he reached a farm (called "Chaambeek"), where he broke in a hayschaft and fell a sleep. When he woke up a old man and 2 boys stand in front of him...
He asked the guy if he was Dutch, the man answered; No... (Because Dutch sounds like "Duits", which means German in Dutch...), again Mantle asked if he was in Belgium? Again the answer was no... Then Mantle asked him if he was in germany, on that question the old man smiles and said to him he was in Holland.
The same night a doctor from Baarle Nassau, called Bloem came and helped mantle with his injurries, he had many pieces of metal from the lancaster in his arms and legs, also his eye was badly injurred, and his hair was burn off.
But after all this there was a tiny bit of luck;
A Lancaster crew normaly had 7 crewmembers, but 2nd Pilot Clark had join the flight just before it started, when the Germans found the 3 dead bodies near the crashsite and not long after that capturred the other 4 crewmembers they stopped searching...
After 3 weeks Mantle had recoverd of his injurries, he went to another hidingplace near Ulvenhout, a farm called Hondsdonk. Where he stayed for antoher 6 weeks. Then he was put off to England, but sadly enough he got capturred in France.

Here the crewmembers of the Lancaster JN-D, except for 2nd Pilot Clark.


The tailsection of the Lancaster on the 28th of May.


The .303 machinegun recovered from the tailsection.


Some .303 rounds.



Part of a incendiarybomb, from the Lancaster.


The cotton escape map and some foreign money, in case they where shot down. Found near the crashsite.



The graves of Howson, Cook and Scott. Burried in Gilze.
Written on the grave of Howson:
FOR LIFE AND LIBERTY, THEIRS WAS A GREAT SACRIFICE, SOME DAY WE SHALL UNDERSTAND.


The crashsite in 1979. On the picture Alan Mantle stands to the left. On the right his wife and daughter.


The farm "Chaambeek" today.


With help of the books: Vijf Jaar Luchtfront and Dagboek bezetting & bevrijding Brabants Grensdorp.

 

Nice part of incendiary bomb. Glad you found something there. It must be difficult with all the water in the crater. The same night 75 Squadron lost another Lancaster which fell at Poelkapelle (Flanders, Belgium) . Any idea about the man who claimed this lanc? Hptm Hermann Greiner from 11/NJG1 has a claim at 02.29 , but no location mentionned, it could be your Gilze crash, but no evidence at this point , so you will need to check first.

 

Going after that!!!!

~ Thank you Remco. ~

 

The Lancaster story and photos is an excellent posting, 272VGD - many thanks for this....

 

Thank you very much Martin, but I'm still not done yet with this subject...

 

Got this piece of plate from a local here, who found it south of Rijen in the 1980's.
I'm very happy with it.

 

Nice, another fine addition to this forum and to your collection. Do you think the other half might be buried there too?

 

I know that for sure... its was a huge dumpplace where many items etc. where burried.
But a few years ago on that location a some houses where build, so everything is lost. By building the houses overthere many stuff was found.. what happend to it I don't know. :-(

 

That's a nice find! Too bad for the other things that are probably gone now!

 

Indeed!

 

These plates are actually quite common, they are sold at auctions here and there and usually sell for about 30 euros a piece. I saw a couple at Ebay Holland last month.

 

I have seen many for sale.... but this one is differnt! Its from the Fliegerhorst Gilze-Rijen!

= Priceless!

.....Well in my opinion.

 

Thank you.