6 Bomber Group February 10/11 1944
6 Halifaxes from 419 squadron were ordered on a mining operation to St.Nazaire. The crews were over the garden at 15,000 feet, sowing 12@1500 lb mines. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
JN959 was lost on February 10/11 1944, flying Operation Stables 6 to drop supplies to Yugoslav Partisans in the Cetinje area of Montenegro, near the village of Bjelosi. There was only one survivor, Sgt. A.H. Elkes, who was later held at Stalag 5B, in Germany. He was interviewed by the camp administration, to provide an account of the crash, which was then passed on to the IRCC in Geneva. What is believed to be a censored version, was incorporated into communication between the air forces and next of kin of the rest of the crew.
The crew were believed to have crashed into a mountain, flying at low level, in poor weather conditions. The deceased crew members were buried initially in a special plot at Bjelosi's village churchyard, then were reinterred at the CWGC area of the Belgrade New Cemetery.Michael "Mick" Elkes, great nephew of Sergeant A.H. Elkes POW
