Wellington W5720 at Lindholme airfield.
On the night of 2nd / 3rd September 1941 this 304 Squadron aircraft was to be used for an operational flight to Frankfurt but a faulty fuse in the IFF caused it to explode just before taking
off and damage the aircraft. It is not known if anyone was in the aircraft at the time but the squadron ORB lists the crew who should have flown in it that night
as being as shown below. Not long after this incident Rach, Mironow, Szewczyk and Siuda were awarded the Virtuti Militari on 21st November 1941.
Wellington W5720 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Weybridge. It was initially received by 10 MU on 20th April 1941 and was taken on charge
by 304 Squadron based at Syerston on 13th May 1941. On 19th July 1941 it moved with the unit to Lindholme and as a result of the fire on 2nd September 1941
Cat.A/GA would have been the damage assessment although it is not recorded on the aircraft's AM Form 78. It was repaired on site and returned to the unit but was lost on 26th October 1941 when it failed to return from Ops to Hamburg when it was ditched off Cromer. One of the then crew was killed but five were rescued.
Pilot - P/O Rach.
Second Pilot - F/O Hirsz (probably Zdzislaw Hirsz).
Observer - F/O Witold Siuda PAF (P/1444).
Wireless Operator - Sgt Kazimierz Szewczyk PAF (P/783263).
Wireless Operator - Sgt Wladyslaw Jankowski PAF (P/782335).
Air Gunner - Sgt Jan Kazimierx Mironow PAF (P/780600).
Sgt Jankowski was killed on 24th April 1942 on Ops to bomb Rostock flying in Wellington X9829. He is buried in Sage War Cemetery.
Sgt Mironow was killed on 18th April 1943 and buried Banneville la Campagne, France. By this date 304 Squadron were part of Coastal Command.
Siuda and Szewczyk were in Wellington R1002 when it crashed at Stiffney, Norfolk on 15th July 1941 on return from Ops to Bremen and both survived with just minor injuries.
A S/Ldr Zdzislaw Kirsz died on 6th February 1945 and he may well be the same person as involved in this incident in September 1941.