Investigation Summary
On the night of August 29, 1944, Lancaster PB202 took off from RAF Little Staughton as part of a 402-aircraft raid targeting Stettin and Königsberg. As the aircraft approached the Danish coast, it was tracked by Wassermann-S radar at Thyborøn and the 'Habicht' radar station at Hjardemål. These installations directed a Junkers Ju 88 G-1 night fighter, piloted by Unteroffizier Bruno Rupp of 4./NJG 3, toward the bomber. Rupp engaged the Lancaster at an altitude of 3,600 meters. Before the final impact, the crew jettisoned three photoflash bombs over farm meadows at Koustrup Møllegaard to prevent them from exploding during a crash, causing significant blast damage to local farm buildings. The aircraft subsequently entered a vertical descent and struck the heathland north of Førby Sø lake. German forces initially buried the crew at the crash site, marking the grave with a wooden cross for seven unknown airmen. In 1947, the remains were exhumed and re-interred at Nørre Vorupør Cemetery.
Final Conclusions
The loss of the aircraft was directly attributed to enemy action during World War II. The interception was facilitated by the German 'Himmelbett' night fighter system, which utilized ground-based radar to guide interceptors to within visual or onboard radar range of Allied bombers. The vertical crash profile and lack of survivors suggest the aircraft was rendered uncontrollable or the crew was incapacitated by the Ju 88's cannon fire at 3,600 meters.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Wassermann-S Radar
A German long-range early warning radar used to detect Allied bomber formations approaching occupied Denmark.
Himmelbett System
A night-fighter interception method where a ground controller used radar data to guide a night fighter into the same 'cell' as a target bomber.
Photoflash Bombs
High-intensity magnesium flares used by Pathfinder aircraft to illuminate targets for following bomber waves.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was part of the No. 8 Group Pathfinder Force, tasked with marking targets.
- 02The aircraft carried the squadron code '60-E'.
- 03The payload consisted of three 1,000 lb bombs and ten 4x7 inch flares.
- 04The crash site was cleaned up by the Nordjydske Udrykningskolonne between September 8 and 10, 1944.
- 05Two engines were recovered from the crash site by German forces and Danish cleanup crews.
- 06The pilot, Squadron Leader Allan L. Farrington, was an Australian serving in the RAF.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the wikidata coordinate.