An Important & Classic Early Lancaster Mk1 'Aircrew Europe' Casualty Trio
To:
748097. Flt/Sgt. L.J. LEA. (207 Sqd) 'NAVIGATOR' RAFVR.
Killed-in-Action on The Bremen raid of 3/4 June 1942.
SHOT DOWN BY GUNTER RADUSCH,
Luftwaffe's 6th Top Scoring Night Fighter Ace. (65 kills)
Lancaster Mk1 R5847 (EM-Y) of 207 Squadron took off from RAF BOTTESFORD at 23:37hrs on the late evening of 3rd June 1942 en-route to bomb the German town of Bremen.
In the event the aircraft didn't make the target and was intercepted and shot down over Holland by non other than the famous night fighter pilot Major Hans Gunter Radusch of Luftwaffe 11/NJ62. Radusch was the 6th highest scorer night fighter pilot of the entire WW2 German Air Force and had no less than 64 allied four engine bomber kills to his credit. Radusch gained the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves had was personally decorated by Adolf Hitler in the Great Hall of The Berghof at Obersaltzberg on 5th May 1944.
Only three enemy pilots scored more than 65 kills in WW2.
Gunter Radusch 11.11.1912 - 29.7.1988Flt Sgt Lea's Lancaster crashed at 01:14 on 4th June at ZWIGGELTE (Drenthe) 14km SSE of Assan, Holland.
There were 14 other aircraft losses during the raid from 207 and other squadrons. It was the first loss for 207sqd since mid January 1942 and this loss broke a long run of very good luck for the squadron. The Bremen raid cost the lives of 71 of the aircrew who flew that night with only 13 surviving to become prisoners of war.
The other crew members of R5847 (EM-Y) were .
W/O C.Wathey
Sgt R.R. A. Jones RNZAF
F/S G.L.Musitano
F/S T.D. Atkinson
Sgt C.J.M.Hall
Sgt S.G. Kerr.
ALL ARE BURIED IN WESTERBORK GENERAL CEMETERY.
ALL ARE BURIED IN WESTERBORK GENERAL CEMETERY. 'LEST WE FORGET'
All medals are mint state and as issued in the original box ( addressed to Mrs D.J.I. LEA of 38 Bristol Road,Edgebaston, Birmingham. They come complete with the original condolence slip and 'ticked' medal issue slip
( Flt/Sgt Lea is now also entitled to the recently authorised Bomber Command Clasp)
THIS GROUP HOLDS A SIMILAR POSITION AND STATUS AS WOULD A WORLD WAR ONE CASUALTY TRIO TO AN RFC MAN SHOT DOWN BY THE RED BARON OR A MEMBER OF THE FLYING CIRCUS, BUT AT ABOUT 25% OF THE PRICE.SOLD