On 17th December 1942 this Dornier Do217 was in bound to bomb York and flew down Bilsdale. At 22.15hrs flew over Wethercote farm then struck a stone wall running across the northern side of Easterside Hill, this caused it to break up and it disintergrated with wreckage being spread over a large area of the nearby fields owned by the Wood family of High Banniscue. The engines came to rest at the back wall of Crow Nest. All four airmen flying in the aeroplane were killed with the bodies of two never being found. Unexploded bombs were later discovered across the crash site and were detonated later.
I was very fortunate to be put in contact with Mr William Wood in 2003, formerly of Ewe Cote, but then retired and living in Helmsley. He and his brother heard this crash happen, they went to through their fields to see what had happened. There were small fires burning everywhere with the odd bullet popping in these fires. On arriving they were not the first there, two RAF personnel who were staying at Sportsman's Hall and in the process of dismantling the crashed Halifax at Low Thwaites were the first there. These men told Mr Wood that the aircraft was German. He also thought the aircraft may have been shot at before it struck the moor and had lost height in order to avoid this gun fire. This prior damage does seem unlikely.
In February 2004 I was put in touch with Mr Aran Clark, formerly of nearby Bumper Castle, he also recounted a virtually exact copy of what Mr Wood had previously told he. He did add that there was a fire at the site. The crew all died instantly. They were:
Pilot - Oblt Rolf Heinz Häusner (Luftwaffe). Born 11th December 1917 in Ronneburg. Body never found.
Observer - Uffz Syrius Erd (Luftwaffe). Born 21st October 1919 in Pfronten. Body never found.
Wireless Operator - Obfw Hartwig Hupe (Luftwaffe). Born 11th December 1913 in Biesterfield. Buried Cannock Chase Cemetery, Staffordshire (Block 3, Row 7, Grave 194).
Mechanic - Obfw Ernst Weiderer (Luftwaffe). Born 28th December 1913 in Calw. Buried Cannock Chase Cemetery, Staffordshire (Block 3, Row 7, Grave 193).
The grave of the two Luftwaffe airmen whose bodies were located after the crash.
A wreath lay in Hawnby Church for many years in memory of the four German airmen who died in this crash. The pilot's daughter visited the crash after the War, she was only a baby when her father was killed here. It is thought the wreath in Hawnby Church was put here on her behalf and every Rememberance Day the four Luftwaffe airmen are remembered in Hawnby. A Dalesman article states that Mr Brian Rapier made contact with at least one family of one airman in this crash. I will therefore make the assumption that it was his efforts which resulted in this wreaths existance at Hawnby. The body of Obfw Hartwig Hupe was initially buried at Dishforth but was unidentified. He was later exhumed, identified and reburied under his full name in Cannock Chase Cemetery, Staffordshire. Obfw Ernst Weiderer was also initially buried at Dishforth but also exhumed and re-buried in Cannock Chase Cemetery, Staffordshire.
No account detailing aircraft crashes in Yorkshire would be complete without a photograph of Mr Brian Rapier and this shows him at the Dornier site. He began documenting these flying accidents in the 1960s.
The gap in the wall towards the bottom of Easterside Hill.
I first visited the crash site in June 2002, the damaged wall was never rebuilt. We also found a few very small pieces of metal on the moorland side of the wall but did not venture into the field as it had livestock in it. I have passed the site a number of times since. This is the only crash site on the North Yorkshire Moors where bodies where not recovered and should therefore be treated with the respect it deserves. The gap in the wall is exactly the same length as the Do217's wing span, around 19 metres.
My thanks to Mr William Wood, Mr Aran Clark and Mr Mark Sheldon for some of the information given on this page.