Crash Site Avro Lancaster ED927 AJ-E

AJ-E, E-Edward, piloted by Flt Lt RNG "Bob" Barlow, was the first aircraft to take off at 21:28 during Operation Chastise, tasked with attacking the Sorpe Dam. Tragically, just before midnight, the Lancaster struck high-tension electricity cables east of Rees, near the German border. The aircraft crashed at high speed, breaking apart and bursting into flames. All crew members perished, though the Upkeep mine remained intact, rolling away from the wreckage.

Germany’s top bomb disposal expert, Hauptmann Heinz Schweizer, defused the unexploded mine and transported it to Kalkum, near Düsseldorf, for analysis.

A monument marks the crash site. The route to the monument is indicated by a blue sign "DAMBUSTER THIS WAY".

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: Kaj Metz