crach

Mission:  No 723  Merseburg, Germany

Date: 25 November 1944

Crash landing:  Loksbergen near Diest

Cause: battle damage (persumed by flack)


Nose art:

                                               Photo: 4 November 1944              Source: Fold 3

 

Photo's after crash landing:

The local people told me the plane was demolished by them. The plane should be salvaged on 13 December 1944. But as you can see the people on the photo's wearing somercloting!

Photo Rudy kenis

Photo: Rudy Kenis

 

Photo: Rudy Kenis

 

Photo: Rudy Kenis

 

Photo: Rudy Kenis

 

Photo: Rudy Kenis

 

 

Place where Honey made a belly landing:

 

Blakenberg (B-66)

 

about N 50°56'43"  E 005°03'08"

 

Late in 1944 an airfield was laid out east of the village of Assent and south of Diest on the border of the provinces Limburg and Brabant in a field known locally as 'Tienbunder' (ten acres).

The airfield, codenamed B-66, was to be used by the Canadian 39th Reconnaissance Wing.

It had a very short operational 'carreer', as rain made the field one large muddy pool.

PSP had little or no effect, and as there were no hangars mechanics had to perform maintenance in the open air in the middle of winter.

A Dakota (C-47) that was to have brought tents and the luggage of the pilots never arrived, and was listed as 'missing' on 21 Sep 1944.

As a result officers and crews of the wing were quartered with families in the Diest area..

 

Early October the 3 squadrons (including 414Sqn) left Assent/Blakenberg to operate from Eindhoven, which was both more comfortable and closer to the front.

Blakenberg remained as an emergency airstrip, manned by a small contingent of Americans repairing the aircraft that were forced to land here.

On 25 November 1944 a B-17G landed here, but as it was deemed beyond repair it remained at the base.

Over time it was slowly dismantled by the local population.

 

After the war the airfield was returned to the local farmers.

Possibly because of its short operational carreer it is very hard to find more information about this airfield.

Many thanks to Maurice Bruyndonckx for pointing out this airfield!

 

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