P-47 Thunderbolt Crash – Leicestershire, U.K.

P-47 plane crash on Dovedale Road 1944

Yes, I think Don already knows about the link to another string… but this my be of interest on the subject.

13Leicestershire Link – Forum

Hope this helps.

P-47 Update

New information on this aircraft has recently come to light, thanks to Alan Clark for this!

Searching through the ORB for 108 OTU there is the following entry:

24.10.44 “A Thunderbolt from Atchan crashed near Shepshed, the pilot being killed. Later an identity was found which led to the identity of the Pilot and Aircraft as belonging to a USAAF unit”.

I myself have searched through AAIR’s online database; October 1943 shows (what I thought to be) 2 possible candidates; 42-8001 and 42-8007. I have now discounted these on the basis of the new information.
For October 1944 there are no details that match.

I am in the belief that the USAF have lost/destroyed/forgotten to microfilm the report.

Research continuing…

Lt Abel was badly injured in a P-38 landing accident at Atcham and died a few days later.

I am not too sure what happened to Abel, however he was in a crash in mid August 44 and may have died as a result. See P-38J 42-67490, 18/08/44, the aircraft was a Cat.5 which normally means hundreds of small pieces.

P-47 Thunderbolt Crash, Finney Spring, Shepshed

Dear Don

We corresponded some 3 years ago on the Shepshed P47 Thunderbolt crash and although I have continued (on and off) to try and find out more information I am still not much further on. About 12 months ago I did track down another gentleman in Shepshed who visited the crash site the day after the accident. Unfortunately he was unable to provide anything in the way of a date or even the year.

I read with interest this recent correspondence in the Aviation Forum and wondered whether anything turned up in the accident report for 41-6262. This is a serial number that I have not come across as a possibility in my searching.

Regarding the other serial number 41-6234, I believe that this refers to a forced landing made by 1st Lieutenant Luther J Abel on Sunday Jan 09 1944 at Wymeswold. According to the American Battle Monuments Commission Luther J Abel was killed on Friday 22 Sep 1944 although I can find no reference to this on the Accident-Report.com web site.

One other long shot that I tried was serial number 42-75147 as it’s crash site was listed as Donington and I thought this may have been a mis spelling of Donnington, not that far from Shepshed. This turned out not to be the case and this particular P-47D piloted by Joseph A DelCorso did indeed crash in Donington, Lincolnshire on Friday 06 Apr 1945. This was a bit of a forlorn hope since I think the Shepshed aircraft is more likely to be a P-47C and April 1945 I think is too late a date for the crash.

It’s good to see that there is still interest in trying to solve this one and I will continue to pursue any new lines of enquiry in a bid to finally put this one to rest. I would welcome your current thinking on this accident and I will keep in touch over any new information that I may come across.

Regards

Neil Entwistle

Well, if not one of the above mentioned aircraft it wouldn’t be the first time the USAAF forgot to microfilm an accident report. I have come across it a few times.

As for other records, does anyone know what happened to ROC records? They would be useful for finding more about certain accidents.

I spoke to Roy Bonser last night, author of Aviation in Leics and Rutland and an old friend of mine. He can’t remember his source for the info but certainly didn’t make it up! The Bird’s Eye book (which I have) got its info from ARP reports and similar records so the crash list should be accurate as regards dates, if not aircraft types.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your replies.

The aircraft was definitely an early P-47, as I have found small parts at the site which identify the type. I have spoken to several local people who either witnessed or attended the crash, and they confirm that the pilot was killed. However, no-one seems to recall the exact date.

I have sent for the accident reports for 41-6234 and 41-6262 today, though I am fairly sure the former came down near the Wymeswold airfield.

Incidentally, the published sources with the (apparently) incorrect dates are “Birds Eye Wartime Leicestershire” (T C Cartwright) and “Aviation in Leicestershire and Rutland” by Roy Bonser.

I will of course keep you posted of any developments.

Best Regards,

Don Bryans

Midlands Air Crash Research

“Lest We Forget”

The Kirby Muxloe aircraft were 41-6348 and 41-6213 both pilots killed. Ferrying from Speke.

The Dovedale Road P-47 was 41-6178 of 495th FTG. Pilot Lt Herbert C Belford killed.

Doesn’t seem to be any record of the Shepshed fatality, assuming the basic details are correct.

P-47 crashes Leicestershire

Hello
The book birds eye Leicester lists

1.2.43
Thunderbolts collided over park house farm and new bridge farm Kirby Muxloe. two fatal

15.9.44
Thunderbolt Dovedale road stoneygate Leicester
one fatel

28.10.44
Thunderbolt Nr. shepshed
one fatel

Finally managed to find the info on this one. I believe it was 41-6234 of 495th FTG which force-landed “near Loughborough” on 9/1/44 after engine failure. Pilot was Luther J Abel, an instructor who was killed some time later in a P-38 crash at Atcham. If the pilot was killed, maybe there was another P-47 accident in the area? Another fairly local 495th crash involved 41-6251 at Arbury Park, Nuneaton on 15/4/44. Lt James F Gerrits lost control and baled out successfully.

Well Don, as you already know, I reckon that this crash was 41-6262 since the details are the closest match and you have already said that the Notts/ Leics crashes attributed to the 495th FTG didn’t occur near there. The next nearest was 41-6234 but that was at Wymeswold, though I didn’t see it in their ORB, might not have been looking hard enough though.

This was from the 495th FTG at Atcham. Don’t have the info to hand but will post it asap, unless someone else does first!