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Cycle Route Wings of Freedom: Crash Site Spitfire LF Mk. IX, NH356

Reports say that on this specific day The German island of Helgoland was bombed involving 981 planes (but without accompanying Spitfires). After this attack the island was uninhabitable.
It is unknown and unreported what the mission for this Spitfire was when it headed for Germany.

Pilot L.J. Vickery carried out an emergencylanding. It is, as yet, unknown whether
the plane was hit by enemy gunfire or that engine trouble caused the landing.
The pilot could put the plane down in liberated area near the farmhouse of the Brouwers’ family. This family had just returned, sooner than expected, from evacuation. They used the petrol they had drawn from the plane for their own purposes.

De crash vond plaats op de coördinaten: 51.732734, 5.992350.

In samenwerking met de gemeenten Bergen, Gennep, Mook-Middelaar en Weeze is het initiatief ontstaan voor fietsroutes 'Wings of Freedom' langs crash-locaties.
In de vier gemeenten zijn 28 crashplekken definitief bevestigd. Dicht bij elke crashlocatie staat een herdenkingsbord met informatie over de toedracht van de crash. Gebruikmakend van het netwerk van de fietsknooppunten zijn vier routes van ca. 30 - 40 km. uitgezet langs deze plekken.

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