6 Group Unavailable
The aircraft (KC-M), piloted by Flight Lieutenant GS Stout, DFC,RAF was returning to its base at Woodhall Spa from an abortive sortie to the Dortmund-Ems Canal near Ladbergen (they could not bomb because cloud obscured the target markers) . It was attacked by a night fighter, which knocked out three of the engines and started a fire. unable to jettison their Tallboy bomb, the crew abandoned the aircraft and it crashed close to the town of Lochem, the Netherlands . Two of the crew (Flight Lieutenant Stout and Flying Officer CEM Graham, MID, RAF) were killed, and a third (Pilot Officer AW Benting,RAF) died of his wounds on September 25.
There was one Canadian in the crew, Flying Officer WA Rupert, who successfully evaded. Of the other crew members, all in the RAF, Flying Officer RN Petch DFC and Flight Sergeant FL Whittaker evaded, and Flying Officer RJ Allen was taken prisoner.
