Crash information T4279 Wagenpad

During World War II more than 40 different bombers and jet fighters have crashed within de county borders of Hollands Kroon. The crashes were mostly on land, in the Ijssel lake and the Wadden sea.

Few crew members were arrested after using their parachute to reach the ground, others could flee with the help of the Resistance. However, the majority lost their lives and did not return home safely to their family and loved ones.

Plane crash Whitley T4279 at the Wagenpad near Middenmeer

On 12 June 1941, 23.12h, the Witley bomber took off from Topcliffe airport in England. This particular evening 227 bombers took off from England to several missions above Germany. The Whitley’s target was the shunting yard of the German city Schwerte.

At 01.10h the bomber crashed on its way to Schwerte. An eye witness stated that during his patrol he witnessed the shooting by the night hunter of Flugzeugfuhrer Oberleutnant Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weissenfeld. The aircraft immediately set fire, before it broke down in many pieces and crashed nearby Wagenpad. All crew members lost their lives.