ED470 QR-W

Zelhem, Gelderland Province, the Netherlands

A brand new memorial was dedicated on 23/09/24 - the 80th Anniversary of the loss of 61 Sqn Lancaster ED470 QR-W which crashed close to the village on 23/09/44

The aircraft had departed Skellingthorpe at 1920 for Ops Munster.

It was intercepted at 2200M in the Nijmegan-Rhenen area by a Nightfighter captained by Lt Otto Teschner (Stab IV/NJG1) and shot down at 2323 for his 6th Abschuss.

The aircraft crashed into the River Waal. Six of the crew were killed, they have no known grave they are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. One crewman became a POW.

RAF loss info source; Chorley's BCL Vol 5 - Nachtjagd claim info source; Boiten's NCA 1944 Part 4

Images taken by and reproduced with the kind permission of Arjan Vrieze