My Dad remembers cycling from Dunstable through Dagnall and up the hill to Ringshall and Ashridge to witness the crash site of a Liberator that crashed here. Does anyone have more information?
He recalls being kept well away whilst the wreckage burned, bullets were being fired off due to the flames.
It crashed in the vicinity of Well Farm removing large amounts of the tree canopy which took years to re-grow.
Wing, Cheddington and Bovingdon are reasonably close by.
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=498500&Y=215500&A=Y&Z=3
By: Ken's Kid - 5th February 2009 at 07:41
The only thing I have at this time is the flight log. The preflight calls for a 8.5 hour mission. The actual time was 9hrs 55 min. No fighters, but heavy flak. The target was the aluminum works at Dresden. I’ll see if dad’s writings have anymore on it.
By: Propstrike - 3rd February 2009 at 10:51
Hi KK,
Great to get some feedback. I know the site well, living just a few miles away.
Are you able to expand a little more on this, about your dad and his crew, and how subsequent events unfolded?
By: Ken's Kid - 3rd February 2009 at 04:43
In case anyone is still interested, my dad was the captain on this mission.
According to his flight plan map that he filled out that morning, they ditched over Tudenham because they were out of fuel. Don’t know about it being the planes third mission, but according to the after mission notes, it was dad’s third.
By: T-21 - 21st September 2007 at 12:04
Code was DC . D+ not a big grin !! finger trouble
By: T-21 - 21st September 2007 at 12:02
It was a B-24J coded DC:D+ abandoned 5 miles East of Cheddington. Pilot was 1/Lt Kenneth L Stoddard and the aircraft had only flown 3 missions.
By: TEXANTOMCAT - 21st September 2007 at 10:33
Rightio Buster, popped to the Museum last night to take some pics for you.
Aircraft was Consolidated (Ford Built) B-24h 42-51345 from the 392nd BG, 577th BS Wendling.
Aircraft # 345, coded D-EC crashed 16/1/1945.
I researched the captions and found a lot on the web about it – am just off for the weekend so havent the links to hand but am sure you’ll find them on your own.
In any event, i enclose pics of the story of the crash and some of the artefacts recovered by one of our members in the 70’s (before the museum existed). The armour plate from the turret is nice!
ATB
TT
By: Buster The Bear - 19th September 2007 at 19:49
Many thanks for this, I appreciate your responses.
By: TEXANTOMCAT - 19th September 2007 at 11:05
Hi – one of our members visited this site many years ago – I thought I had the gen on this on my PC but have searched to no avail. We visited the site about 4 years ago IIRC its a stones throw from Whipsnade Zoo.
We didnt find much, but the original search in the 70s by one of our members yielded a few bits including the turret armour plate c/w painted ‘FACE FORWARD’ writing – there is a display on her in the Museum with all gen on the mission and crew.
There was definitely something on the web about her…away for the next few days but will try and look out some gen for you
ATB
TT
By: G-ASEA - 19th September 2007 at 06:59
I think the crew jumped over Suffolk and it flew on and crashed into the hill. I dont have anymore details, but i do know who has most of the aircraft crashes around that area.
Dave
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September 18, 2007 at 9:34 pm