Oblt. zur
Lippe Weissenfeld was patrolling in his box
over northwest Groningen when the ground
controller directed him towards a "kurier",
the German codeword for enemy bomber. Oblt
zur Lippe Weissenfeld intercepted Sgt.
Norfolk's Halifax and a fierce exchange of
fire between the German night fighter and de
gunners of the bomber ensued. Unable to keep
the Halifax airborne, Sgt. Norfolk ordered
the crew to bail out.
The rear
gunner, Flight sergeant Salway, was not able
to reach his parachute and jumped out of the
aircraft, clinging to his friend, Sgt.
Smith. This brave attempt unfortunately
failed when the parachute opened and the
jerk made F/S Salway loose his grip. Sgt.
Smith and three others survived by bailing
out.
Mr. Bouwman, a
local farmer, was woken up by the steady hum
of heavy bombers. He got up to see if he
could see anything. Looking in the Direction
of Emden, he could see the sky colored red
from the fires, the searchlights and the
flares. Then he observed a bomber being shot
down. The plane circled over Leens,
Hornhuizen, Zoutkamp, Houwerzijl and back to
Leens in an ever shorter circle. Then the
plane came down not far from his farm. It
hit the ground with its wingtip, turned
around its axis and crashed into the small
road leading to the farm, setting the barn
on fire. The body of Sgt. Norfolk was found
in the garden with an partly opened
parachute hanging from a tree. A short
distance away the body of the wireless
operator/air gunner, Sgt. William
Charlesworth was found.
All three are
buried at Ulrum General Cemetery.
(picture by
Wim Bastiaanse)
