6 Bomber Group May 5, 1943
3 Wellingtons from 426 and 429 Squadrons were ordered out on a sea search. All crews returned safely, but unsuccessful. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
On May 5, 1943, the Vickers Wellington NA-K HE 727 bomber crashed in Wilnis (now part of De Ronde Venen) in a field near what is now the roundabout at Mijdrechtse Dwarsweg-Ir. Enschedeweg. The Vickers Wellington was part of the 428 Ghost Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force and had taken off the day before with five crew members from Dalton Airfield in Graafschap Yorkshire, England.
The target was Dortmund. The attack on Dortmund was, at that time, the largest Allied air raid on a German city during World War II. A total of 596 bombers participated, 31 of which "failed to return." Of these, 31 bombers crashed in the Netherlands.
From a military perspective, the attack was successful. Reports indicate that the bombing caused severe damage to the city. More than 1,200 buildings were destroyed, and nearly 2,000 others were damaged, including factories of Hoesch and the Dortmund Union Steelworks. The bombing resulted in nearly 700 deaths, with around 200 prisoners of war who had been forced to work in the war industry among them. Almost 1,100 people were injured.
The Vickers Wellington was attacked on its return flight by a Messerschmitt Me-110, piloted by Hauptmann Hans-Dieter Frank. The bomber caught fire and lost altitude.
The pilot, Warrant Officer Class I Robert Moulton, ordered the crew to bail out. Navigator Flight Sergeant Gordon Carter and wireless operator/gunner Flight Sergeant Howard Hoddinott managed to parachute out and were taken as prisoners of war. They survived the war. It appears that pilot Robert Moulton attempted an emergency landing to prevent the burning aircraft from crashing into the village of Wilnis. About one kilometer north of the village, the aircraft hit the ground and quickly disappeared almost entirely into the soft peat soil. Although Flight Sergeant Hoddinott was handed a parachute, pilot Robert Moulton did not survive the crash. Bomb aimer/gunner Flight Sergeant Joseph White and rear gunner Flight Sergeant Adrien Thibaudeau also lost their lives and were declared missing.
During a recovery operation in September 2002, the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Army Identification Service found the mortal remains of the three missing crew members. They were identified, and a military burial followed, with three individual graves at the Dutch Reformed Cemetery in Wilnis.
The recovery of the three crew members was initiated by the Vickers Wellington 1943 Recovery Foundation in Mijdrecht. The process took seven years, including legal procedures and research.
2019 / Mr. Jan C.K. van Loo
Chairman of the Vickers Wellington 1943 Recovery Foundation
About the crew of the Vickers Wellington HE727