6 Group Unavailable
On 1945-02-01, Squadron Leader A. Ross Dawson, the Chief Technical Officer with 424/433 Sqns at Skipton on Swale, wrote in his diary:
Warning: The following material contains graphic content that may not be suitable for all readers.
". . . Got prepared for 7 Lancs from each sqdn toting no less than 1 -4000 pounder &14 five hundred pound incendiaries all the way to Ludwigshafen . . . when they returned poor old Squadron Leader Stinson was missing in 433 A Able. We had seen flames of a crash in the distance but hadn't figured out it was one of ours. Nonetheless it was Stinson who had piled in over near Dalton in a terrific smash-up. Two of the crew bailed out in time but the other 5 bought it. Fri Feb 2: Got up bright and early to rush over and investigate this latest crash. What a horrible mess it was. It looked like he was in a power dive when he went into the deck at about a 30 degree angle & there sure wasn't much left. Three of the 4 engines were buried in the mud out-of-sight with only the tip of one prop blade showing. The fourth engine had been torn out & was burst open along side. Part of the kite had skidded forward & set fire to a farmer's haystack which was still burning when I got there. It was a pretty grisly sight . . . They had enough parts together to make up approximately four bodies but one is still missing in the wreckage somewhere. The only explanation about why it piled in was from the story of the two crew members who bailed out. They were badly shot up with flak over the target & it is thought his controls must have suddenly given way.
Diary of A Ross Dawson, courtesy CWM
Crash site of NG460 Skipton on Swale 1945-02-01
