Wellington Z8586 near Wroot, Lincolnshire.
On the night of 14th / 15th April 1942 this 305 Squadron aircraft flown on an operational flight to bomb Dortmund. In the early hours of the morning and on the return leg the fuel level began to get critical. The pilot attempted to reach Lindholme airfield where the crew were based instead of landing earlier or ordering the crew to bale out. Eight miles from Lindholme and while flying at 2500 feet both engines cut out. The crew stayed with the aircraft and the second pilot attempted a forced landing around two miles short of the airfield. This landing was made in a field near Wroot but it struck a mound in the field which saw the aircraft break its back. Two members of the crew were killed in the crash. Wroot is in Lincolnshire and this aircraft almost certainly crashed in Lincolnshire I have left it on this website for clarity. Sgt Pasich's death was registered in Thorne, Yorkshire.
Wellington Z8586 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge and was awaiting collection in February 1942. It was received by 12 MU on 11th February 1942 and was then taken on charge by 305 Squadron at Lindholme on 1st April 1942. As a result of the crash on 15th April 1942 the initial damage assessment was repairable Cat.B/FB damage but as the repair was begun the damage was re-assessed and deemed too far gone to warrant a repair. Re-Cat.E2/FB damage was recorded on 20th April 1942 and it was written off.
Pilot - F/O Stefan Sznidel PAF (P/0612), aged ? Buried Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Kazimierz Pasich PAF (P/784835), aged 22. Buried Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.
Second Pilot - F/O Kazimierz W Konopasek DFC PAF (P/1208), injured.
Navigator - F/O Kazimierz Joszt PAF (P/0933), injured.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Bronislaw Wladyslaw Sedzimir PAF (P/780511), injured.
Air Gunner - Sgt Waclaw Szmidt PAF (P/792066), injured,
The graves of the two airmen killed in this incident near Wroot.
Kazimierz Konopasek was born in July 1924 Lviv, Poland and was flying in Poland as far back as 1928. On arrival in the UK he trained at 18 OTU and then flew with 305 Sqnadron which
he commanded briefly until a posted away. He later served with 300 Squadron and returned to 305 Squadron in 1943. He later transferred to Transport Command and survived the War, the
date of his DFC is not yet known. He returned to Poland in 1947 and became a civilian pilot. He died in 1974 and is buried in Warsaw. Lviv is better known as Lwow (in Polish) and is
now in Ukraine.
F/O Joszt was admitted to RAF Hospital Rauceby and discharged on 12th May. He returned to flying duties and
was killed on 31st October 1942 in Wellington Z1279 on a mine laying trip. The medal shown above is his Polish Virtuti Militari Fifth Class, photograph found on "www.polishmedals.co.uk".
Sgt Sedzimir was killed on 2nd June 1942 in Wellington Z8593 on Ops to Essen.