Date: 1941 Jul 24/25 | A/C Type: Wellington IC | SN: X9620 | Code: NZ- | A/C Nickname: | ||||||
File: 396 | Airforce: RAF | Sqn/Unit: 304 Sqn (Polish) | Mission/Raid: Emden | |||||||
1 | Pilot | F/O Leszek J. Karczewski | 9 | |||||||
2 | CP/Obs | Sgt. Zygmunt Witkowski | 10 | |||||||
3 | Nav/Obs. | Major Stanislaw W. Rzepa (Bergen aan Zee) | 11 | |||||||
4 | WO/AG | Sgt. Boleslaw Salamon | 12 | |||||||
5 | WO/AG | Sgt. Zbigniew Zuwala | 13 | |||||||
6 | Rear gunner | F/O Jan Musial | 14 | |||||||
7 | 15 | |||||||||
8 | 16 | |||||||||
Dove deep into the soft ground west of Medemblik (Opperdoes). Cause: nightfighter. |
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Only Major Rzepa could be recovered by the German recovery team in 1941. They buried him close to their base at airfield Bergen (aan Zee) on row 1 (today row 1E).
Already during the war and in the 1950's, they was a plaque on the crash site, because it was a fieldgrave. The Germans left most of the aircraft in the ground.
Post war the aircraft was recovered. Human remains were found and buried in one coffin in Hook of Holland (Hoek van Holland), in a 1945-up war graves centralisation section.
Three Polish headstones were placed on the grave, with engraved the names of the five men. The plaque from the crashsite was also moved to Hook of Holland, but it is no longer present.
See our photos on Hook of Holland cemetery: Search Menu, search on: Cemeteries - Lake Area Cemeteries - Hook of Holland.
Sources:
- local history West-Friesland
- website Polish wargraves.nl
© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War)