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142 Squadron losses - page under
development
The operational history of 142 Squadron
will be on-line in due course. As part of the
research into 142 Squadron, the losses of its
Wellington aircraft are listed below. Please
contact us if you can add further information, or a
relative served on 142 Squadron. We would like
to hear about any 142 Squadron aircraft crash sites
that have been found.
There is a good account of 142 Squadron's Fairey
Battle losses on the Traces
of World War 2 site.
12/01/1941
Wellington II W5373 crashed almost immediately after
take off from Binbrook for a training exercise.
Three of the crew were injured.
28/06/1941
Wellington II W5386 Failed to return from Bremen. The
crew are buried in Hamburg cemetery, Ohlsdorf.
31/07/1941
Wellington II W5364 Crashed on heath land in Ashdown
Forest, Kent, returning from Cologne. All of the
six crew were killed and there is a memorial
at the site. This is known as the Airman's
Grave, although none of the crew are buried
there.
13/08/1941
Wellington II W5433 Abandoned over the Netherlands
returning from Berlin. All of the crew were
taken prisoner.
10/09/1941
Wellington II W5499 Lost. No further details.
20/09/1941
Wellington II W5384 Ditched 8 miles E of Orfordness,
returning from Stettin. 5 of the crew failed to get to
the dinghy and only 1 was rescued.
30/09/1941
Wellington II W5378 Failed to return from Stettin.
Shot down near Kiel, where the crew is buried. Site
found in Germany
22/10/1941
Wellington IV Z1210 Failed to return from Bremen.
Presumed lost over the sea. 4 of the crew are buried
in Sage War Cemetery, Oldenburg.
08/11/1941
Wellington IV Z1211 Failed to return from Mannheim.
Shot down by Oblt Egmont Prinz zur Lippe Weissenfeld
of 4./NJG 1. 5 of the crew managed to bale out and
were captured before the aircraft crashed into into
the sea off Bergen-aan-Zee, Holland. The pilot was
lost.
25/11/1941
Wellington IV Z1243 Stalled after take off and crashed
1/2 mile south west of Grimsby. 4 of the crew were
killed and the rear gunner was injured.
01/12/1941
Wellington IV Z1202 Failed to return from Hamburg.
Presumed lost over the sea.
Wellington IV Z1292 Failed to return from Hamburg. The
crew are buried in the Kiel War Cemetery. Site
found in Germany. Sgt
Sumner and some details of the loss
18/01/1942
Wellington IV Z1330 Failed to return from Bremen.
Believed to have crashed in the sea off Bridlington,
Yorks.
21/01/1942
Wellington IV Z1207 Took off from Grimsby at 20-21 and
failed to return from Emden. Presumed lost off the
Dutch Friesian Islands, where 2 of the crew are
buried. Very likely to have been the Wellington
claimed by Oblt Ludwig Becker of 6./NJG 2 at 21-37
hours, north of Terschelling. Becker
shot down Z8370 of 12 Sqn at 21-00 and this
Wellington had taken off from Binbrook half an hour
before Z1207 left Grimsby.
07/02/1942
Wellington IV Z1247 Failed to return from Brest.
Presumed crashed in the sea.
25/03/1942
Wellington IV Z1321 Failed to return from Essen. Shot
down
by
flak
and
crashed
at
Vlaadingen,
10 km west of Rotterdam Netherlands. 5
of the crew are buried in Westduin Cemetery.
26/03/1942
Wellington IV Z1283 Failed to return from Essen. Believed to have
crashed at Keilerstrasse
Oberlohberg Wald NE Dinslaken. The crew are buried in
the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
29/03/1942
Wellington IV Z1203 Failed to return from Lubeck. Ran
out of fuel and crashed at Mijdrecht, Netherlands. The
crew were taken prisoner.
Wellington IV Z1274 Failed to return from Lubeck. The
crew is buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf.
07/04/1942
Wellington IV Z1205 Failed to return from Essen. Shot
down by flak over the city and fell in three main
sections. The crew are buried at the Rheinberg War
Cemetery.
31/05/1942
Wellington IV Z1208 Failed to return from Cologne. The crew are
buried at the Rheinberg War Cemetery.
Wellington
IV Z1209 Failed to return from Cologne. Believed
to
have
been
shot
down
off
Vlissingen
at
01.16,
possibly by Oblt.Wittgenstein of III/NJG 2. The
bodies of two of the crew were later recovered from
the sea and are buried in Holland and Belgium.
02/06/1942
Wellington IV Z1410 Took off to operate against Essen,
but turned back with failing engines and crashed in
forced landing, Thoresby Bridge, Lincs. Only the
rear guner survived.
10/06/1942
Wellington IV Z1261 Hit hangar on take off, Middle
Wallop.
10/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1324 Failed to return from minelaying;
shot down by Oblt Ludwig Becker of 6./NJG 2 over the
North Sea, NE of Terschelling. With one
exception, the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede
Memorial.
14/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1341 Operating against Duisberg, lost
engine power in bad weather and crashed in forced
landing, Scole Road, Diss, Norfolk. Only the
rear gunner survived.
22/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1408 Failed to return from Duisberg;
lost without trace; the crew are
commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
26/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1287 Failed to return from Duisberg;
presumed lost in the North Sea: the pilot's body was
later washed ashore and he is buried in Sweden, while
the rest of the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede
Memorial.
26-27/07/1942
The squadron was tasked to attack Hamburg. The
route given to the target was 54°35'N - 07°08'E -
54°06'N - 09°05'E - 53°48'N - 09°50'E – HAMBURG -
53°26'N - 09°54'E - 54°08'N - 06°42'E to Base.
Ten aircraft from 142 Squadron attacked the target and
2 of these were lost. A 3rd aircraft had been attacked
by a German nightfighter before reaching the target.
Wellington IV Z1319 Failed to return from
Hamburg. Research
into the crash in Germany. Two of the crew
are buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf and three
were taken POW.
Wellington IV Z1376 Failed to return from Hamburg; lost without
trace; the crew are commemorated on the
Runnymede Memorial.
Wellington
IV Z1461 Took off at 22.57 and failed to return.
The aircraft was brought down at Waddewarden, 6
kilometres northeast of Jever at 02.17 hours on 27
July 1942. The crew were buried by the Germans in
Wilhelmshaven. In 1949 the crew was moved to
Oldenbourg Sage British Military Cemetery.
30/07/1942
Wellington IV Z1316 Failed to return from Saarbrucken;
shot down by Oblt Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin of 7./NJG 3
and crashed near Olmen, 11 km ESE of Geel,
Belgium. The crew are buried in the Canadian War
Cemetery at Adegem.
05/08/1942
Wellington IV Z1487 Failed to return from minelaying;
crashed off the island of Noirmoutier on the west
coast of France. The crew is buried in
Noirmoutier-en-L'Ile Communal Cemetery.
28/08/1942
Wellington IV Z1266 Failed to return from Kassel;
unclear where the aircraft crashed, but 4 of the crew
were taken POW, one being treated for his wounds in
Duisberg. One of the crew is buried in the
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
Wellington IV Z1338 Failed to return from Kassel;
circumstances unclear: one of the crew was taken POW
and the other four are buried in the Rheinberg War
Cemetery.
Wellington IV Z1396 Failed to return from Kassel;
crashed near Meppen on the Ems Canal. The crew
are buried in Hannover War Cemetery. Z1396 was
probably shot down by Oblt Rudolf Altendorf of 6./NJG
3 - this was his 8th claim.
Wellington IV Z1411 Failed to return from Kassel; circumstances
unclear: the crew are buried in the
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
Wellington
IV Z1424 Failed to return from Kassel. The crew were
originally buried in the North Military Cemetery at
Dusseldorf, so presumably the Wellington crashed in
this area. The crew now rest in the Reichswald
Forest War Cemetery.
142 Squadron suffered its worst losses of the whole
war on this night. The RAF's losses were high (31 of
the 306 aircraft) and this was attributed to night
fighter activity. Most of the night fighter action was
over Holland. There appears to be more to the story
though and it is possible that the Grimsby and
Binbrook Wellingtons flew through the Rhur valley and
close to Duisberg, falling victim to the heavy flak.
02/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1478 Operating against Saarbrucken, the
aircraft crashed south of Aldham Rectory near
Hadleigh, while trying to land at Wattisham,
Suffolk. All of the crew were injured.
03/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1466 Failed to return from Karlsruhe;
circumstances unclear: all of the crew are buried in
Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Nijmegen, Holland.
05/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1214 Failed to return from Bremen; shot
down by Lt.Lothar Vinke of 5./NJG2 and crashed in the
North Sea off Callantsoog, Holland. Three of the
crew are buried in Holland, but two have no known
graves.
09/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1342 Ditched in English Channel after
engine failure, returning from Frankfurt. One of
the crew was lost and the remainder were picked up the
same morning.
11/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1477 Failed to return from Dusseldorf;
circumstances unknown: all of the crew are buried in
Rheinberg War Cemetery.
17/09/1942
Wellington III DF550 Failed to return from Essen; shot
up by a night fighter; abandoned at 3,000 feet at St.
Omer, Pas de Calais; two of the crew were taken POW,
three evaded.
Wellington IV Z1380 Failed to return from Essen; circumstances
unclear: the crew are buried in the
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
Wellington
IV Z1480 Failed to return from Essen; crashed near
Dusseldorf, the crew are
buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
24/09/1942
Wellington IV Z1219 Failed to return from minelaying;
presumed crashed in the target area and the pilot is
buried in Hamburg Cemetery, Ohlsdorf. The rest
of the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede
Memorial.
06/10/1942
Wellington III BK281 Crashed at Princetown, Dartmoor,
returning from Aachen. Four of the crew were
killed, one injured.
14/10/1942
Wellington III BJ653 Failed to return from Keil;
aircraft borrowed from 12 Sqn. The
crash at Linstrup, Denmark. All of the crew
were taken POW.
16/10/1942
Wellington III DF642 Operating against Cologne, hit by
flak and crashlanded at Manston on return. Ran
into a parked Hudson and damaged beyond repair, but
the crew were unhurt.
Wellington III X3960 Operating against
Cologne, ordered to orbit base at 2000 feet on return,
but flew into the ground near Ludborough,
Lincs. There were no survivors.
25/10/1942
Wellington III BK385 Failed to return from minelaying;
lost without trace; the crew are
commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Wellington
III X3455 Failed to return from Milan; crashed in the
North Sea west of Schouwen island. All of the
crew are buried on the Dutch coast.
26/10/1942
Wellington III BK298 had landed at Manston on return
from Torino, but hit a hangar, taking off to return to
Waltham. Only the pilot was injured.
08/11/1942
Wellington III BK198 Failed to return from minelaying
off Texel; claimed at 00.41 hrs by Flak unit
3.Lei.Abt/845. The Wellington crashed 7 km W of Bergen
aan Zee into the North Sea. Two of the crew are
buried in Bergen General Cemetery, while the others
are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
09/11/1942
Wellington III BJ768 Failed to return from minelaying;
this crew was shot down by flak from the airfield of
Vannes-Meucon; BJ768 crashed at Lesranigo and there is
a memorial
to the crew in the village of Grand-Champ, 11 km
NW of Vannes.
10/11/1942
Wellington III BJ711 Failed to return from Hamburg;
circumstances unknown, the crew is buried in Hamburg
Cemetery, Ohlsdorf.
13/11/1942
Wellington III BK280 Crashed on take-off, Davidstowe
Moor, when a tyre burst. No injuries.
17/11/1942
Wellington III BK278 Failed to return from minelaying;
circumstances unknown. The whole crew were taken
POW. The pilot, F/O
John Stower, was one of the 50 men murdered by
the Gestapo on Hitler's orders after they escaped from
tunnel Harry at Stalag Luft III - The
Great Escape.
21/11/1942
Wellington III BK536 Failed to return from Turin;
abandoned due to engine failure 30km east of Paris; 4
of the crew were taken POW, 1 evaded.
18/12/1942
Wellington III DF708 A tyre burst on take off from
Gibraltar during the squadron's transit to Tunisia; damaged beyond
repair on landing at Blida. No casualties.
18/01/1943
Wellington III DF732 Damaged over Bizerte by Ju88C of II./NJG
2's 5 Staffel, flown by Uffz. Tolksdorf; one crew
member baled out, the remaining crew extinguished the
fire and the aircraft belly-landed at Blida.
22/02/1943
Wellington III DF691 Failed to return from Bizerte
09/04/1943
Wellington 'C' Failed to return from Enfedaville,
Tunisia. The crew is commemorated in Massicault
cemetery, Tunisia.
10/04/1943
Wellington III DF561 Failed to return from
Decimomannu, Sardinia
17/04/1943
Wellington III DF696 Failed to return from Tunis
29/04/1943
Wellington III HF702 Engine cut; crashed in forced
landing near Blida
30/04/1943
Wellington X HZ102 Crashed on take off, Blida
07/05/1943
Wellington III DF552 Forcelanded on beach in bad
weather, Algeria
09/05/1943
Wellington III DF731 Engine cut; abandoned near
Montcalm
10/05/1943
Wellington III HZ200 Engine cut; abandoned near
Montcalm returning from Palermo
16/05/1943
Wellington III DF697 Failed to return from Trapani
Wellington III DF709 Failed to return from Trapani
21/06/1943
Wellington X HZ311 Engine cut 6m NE Ras Mustapha
30/06/43
Wellington X HZ528 hit a van on take-off at night,
Kairouan West
04-05/07/1943
Wellington X HZ474 QT-R was equipped to carry the
4000lb Cookie and was almost certainly carrying one
when it failed to return from Catania, after reporting
engine trouble an hour after take off. It crashed into
the sea, 4 miles off Augusta, Sicily. This is close to
Catania, so the crew probably resumed their sortie
after solving the engine problem and may have been
brought down by enemy action. The aircraft sank
immediately and the navigator, P/O I I Samuels, was
able to swim to the surface and was captured by the
Italians, ending up in at Stalag Luft
III, but the other 4 members of the crew
were lost. Squadron Leader A P Craigie DFC, the pilot
belonged to the Malayan
Volunteers
Group in 1939. James Croxall is
commemorated on the Banstead
War Memorial. The
story of the last sortie is told here.
06/07/1943
Wellington X HE760 Failed to return - not listed in
ORB, so needs confirmation
07/07/1943
Wellington X HE333 Failed to return from Palermo
17/07/1943
Wellington X HE600 Failed to return from Naples
22/07/1943
Wellington X HZ353 Failed to return from Capodichino
(Naples). Took off 23.28 to attack Capodichino,
Italy. Aircraft
crashed
approx.
03.00
at
Pomigliano d'Arco, 7m NE of Naples, presumably
as a result of enemy action. The crew of five
are buried in the Cassino War Cemetery.
06/08/1943
Wellington X HE629 Failed to return from Cap Peloro
07/08/1943
Wellington X HF763 Failed to return from Messina
09/08/1943
Wellington X HE586 Ran out of fuel returning from Cap
Peloro and abandoned 15m S of Cap Serrat
12/08/1943
Wellington X HE437 Ditched returning from Messina
16/08/1943
Wellington X HE266 Failed to return from Viterbo
landing ground - believed to have exploded over the
sea. The crew are listed on the Malta Memorial
and have a page with the Aircrew
Remembrance Society. Pilot
was W/Cdr Gibbes. Another
page on W/Cdr Gibbes.
09/09/1943
Wellington III DF551 Ditched on ferry flight, 80 miles
north of Bizerte
23/09/1943
Wellington X HE972 Ditched off Sicily
13/10/1943
Wellington X HE216 Undercarriage collapsed on landing
at Kairouan
21/10/1943
Wellington X LN350 Failed to return from Furbara
airfield
24/11/1943
Wellington X HZ305 Engine cut; crashed near Borgo,
Corsica
25/11/1943
Wellington X HE929 Failed to return from Turin
Wellington III HF694 Failed to return from Turin. Crashed
at
Polverara
north
of
La Spezia. The
crew
were buried locally and later re-interred in the
Staglieno Cemetery, Genova.
Wellington X LN466 Failed to return from Turin. Crashed
into
a
mountain
near
Issime in the Lys Valley, Italian Alps.
The crew are buied in Milan.
Wellington X LN566 Failed to return from Turin
30/11/1943
Wellington III DF695 Caught fire on ground, Oudna
02/12/1943
Wellington X JA137 Failed to return from from leaflet
drop over battle area; believed collided with
Beaufighter V8843, NNE Bizerte
08/02/1944
Wellington III DF703 Damaged beyond repair in accident
25/02/1944
Wellington X HE584 was abandoned over Corsica,
returning from Steyr
Wellington X HE815 Crashed 6 miles north of Avino,
Italy, returning from Steyr
Wellington X HF537 Crashed at Castel Nuovo, Italy,
returning from Steyr
16/03/1944
Wellington III HF764 Hit hills 20m W of Foggia
returning from Sofia. This aircraft seems to appear in
the records
for 40 Squadron, so may have been loaned by 142
Squadron for some time.
Wellington X LP119 Abandoned near Taranto on return
from Sofia
17/04/1944
Wellington X HZ135 Crashlanded at Amendola on return
from Budapest
Wellington X JA127 Failed to return from Budapest.
Shot down over Gyal, Hungary. The
crew
were
buried
in
Gyal cemetery and later moved to the Commonwealth
War grave cemetery, Budapest.
Wellington X LN503 Failed to return from Budapest
21/04/1944
Wellington X LN848 Failed to return from Genoa
22/04/1944
Wellington X ME873 Failed to return from Genoa
08/05/1944
Wellington X MF198 Failed to return from Bucharest
30/05/1944
Wellington X LN318 Failed to return from Feuersbrunn
airfield. It
crashed near Hofstatten, East of Graz, Austria, all
of the crew became Prisoners of War.
09/06/1944
Wellington X LP125 Ditched 20 miles north of Biferno
en route to Trieste
14/06/1944
Wellington X LN700 Failed to return from Munich
26/06/1944
Wellington X LN748 Failed to return from Budapest. Claimed
shot down by Wilhelm Johnen, Staffelkapitan of
8./NJG 6. Johnen's
photographs.
14/07/1944
Wellington X HE293 QT-D Failed to return from Milan/
Lambrate. The aircraft crashed north west of Bergamo.
The crew of 5 were all killed and were buried by local
partisans. They now rest in the Milan War
Cemetery.
Wellington X MF120 QT-Q Failed to return from Milan/
Lambrate. This collided with Wellington LN806 -S
of 70 Squadron over Pizzighettone and crashed near PIZZIGHETTONE
(Po river valley).
The crew of 5 were killed. They were initially buried
in the local cemetery and now rest in Milan War
Cemetery. LN806 crashed nearby, at
San Bassano Cremonese. Two of its crew were killed,
but the remaining 3 were taken prisoner of war.
22/07/1944
Wellington X LN808 Failed to return from Pardubice. Disappeared
en-route to targe, possibly near St. Pölten.
Possibly victim of Oblt. Josef Kraft of III./NJG 6.
08/08/1944
Wellington X LP233 Failed to return from Szombathely
09/08/1944
Wellington X LN857 Failed to return from Ploesti
Wellington X LP189 Failed to return from Ploesti
10/08/1944
Wellington X LP540 Failed to return from Ploesti
20/08/1944
Wellington X LP213 Crashed on take off, Regina
21/08/1944
Wellington X LP245 Failed to return from St. Valentin
03/09/1944
Wellington X MF631 Failed to return from Ferrara
18/09/1944
Wellington X MF249 Failed to return from Brescia. It
was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed
on
the
banks
of
the River Po near Libiole de Serraville. The
crew were all killed.
14/12/1944
Wellington X MF423 Overshot landing at Araxos;
abandoned & captured by communist guerrillas
Research
is
continuing.
We
hope
to
add
crew
names
shortly.
If you can help, or a relative was in 142 Squadron,
please contact us.
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