Friendly Fire incident – Gresse, Germany
Posted: Tue May 07, 2019 9:20 pm
P.O.W. Friendly Fire incident April 19, 1945 – Gresse, Germany
Allied Typhoons strafed a PoW-column 19-4-1945 near Gresse, 14 km NE of Lauenburg, Germany and 30 PoWs were killed. They were marched from Stalag 357 Fallingbostel to Lubeck. As a result of the Russian drive towards the West of Germany in the spring of 1945, large columns of British P.O.W.s were on the move in the area between the Russian and Allied Armies. One of these columns reached the little village of Greese M54/T 0142 on the 19th April 1945 and was seen by an Allied aircraft. They were moving in a Westerly direction and the pilot must have taken them for German reinforcements moving towards the front lines. This Allied airman immediately proceeded to shoot up the column. The result was devasting. After all was over 30 dead were recovered and on the eve of the next day these 30 men, of which 20 were Royal Air Force personnel, were buried in the local cemetery of Gresse by the English Padre who accompanied the column. During that day Pastor Stube of Gresse compiled of names and numbers for his cemetery records and thanks to this these 20 Air Force men can now be identified. They were initially buried at Gresse in a mass grave but in 1947 (??) exhumed and reinterred in the Berlin War Cemetery
Royal Canadian Air Force Squadrons
W/O D.J. Clayden, 901682, RAFVR, 405 Sq., Wellington Z8344, S/D 19/9/41 on Op: Stettin, Hometown: Ilford, Essex, England
Flt Lt. H. Cowan, J/12564, RCAF, 402 Sq. Spitfire RN204, S/D 19/4/45 on Op: Armed Recce, Hometown: Henleaze, Gloucestershire, Wales
W/O R.G. Douglas, R/106758, RCAF, 419 Sq. Halifax DT669, S/D 28/3/43 on Op: St. Nazaire, Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
W/O W.E. MacKenzie, R/65193, RCAF, 419 Sq. Halifax DT731, S/D 20/1/44 on Op: Berlin, Hometown: Durham, Pictou County, Nova Scotia
Flt Sgt. S.J. Wheadon, 2213579, RAFVR, 425 Sq. Halifax LW431, S/D 25/2/44 on Op: Augsburg, Hometown: Salford, Lancashire, England
W/O J. Lord, 955266, RAFVR, 405 Sq. Wellington Z8344 S/D 19/9/41 Op: Stettin, died in Hospital on the 22th April 1945 from injuries received on 19th April 1945. Hometown: Burbage, Leicestershire, England
Allied Typhoons strafed a PoW-column 19-4-1945 near Gresse, 14 km NE of Lauenburg, Germany and 30 PoWs were killed. They were marched from Stalag 357 Fallingbostel to Lubeck. As a result of the Russian drive towards the West of Germany in the spring of 1945, large columns of British P.O.W.s were on the move in the area between the Russian and Allied Armies. One of these columns reached the little village of Greese M54/T 0142 on the 19th April 1945 and was seen by an Allied aircraft. They were moving in a Westerly direction and the pilot must have taken them for German reinforcements moving towards the front lines. This Allied airman immediately proceeded to shoot up the column. The result was devasting. After all was over 30 dead were recovered and on the eve of the next day these 30 men, of which 20 were Royal Air Force personnel, were buried in the local cemetery of Gresse by the English Padre who accompanied the column. During that day Pastor Stube of Gresse compiled of names and numbers for his cemetery records and thanks to this these 20 Air Force men can now be identified. They were initially buried at Gresse in a mass grave but in 1947 (??) exhumed and reinterred in the Berlin War Cemetery
Royal Canadian Air Force Squadrons
W/O D.J. Clayden, 901682, RAFVR, 405 Sq., Wellington Z8344, S/D 19/9/41 on Op: Stettin, Hometown: Ilford, Essex, England
Flt Lt. H. Cowan, J/12564, RCAF, 402 Sq. Spitfire RN204, S/D 19/4/45 on Op: Armed Recce, Hometown: Henleaze, Gloucestershire, Wales
W/O R.G. Douglas, R/106758, RCAF, 419 Sq. Halifax DT669, S/D 28/3/43 on Op: St. Nazaire, Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
W/O W.E. MacKenzie, R/65193, RCAF, 419 Sq. Halifax DT731, S/D 20/1/44 on Op: Berlin, Hometown: Durham, Pictou County, Nova Scotia
Flt Sgt. S.J. Wheadon, 2213579, RAFVR, 425 Sq. Halifax LW431, S/D 25/2/44 on Op: Augsburg, Hometown: Salford, Lancashire, England
W/O J. Lord, 955266, RAFVR, 405 Sq. Wellington Z8344 S/D 19/9/41 Op: Stettin, died in Hospital on the 22th April 1945 from injuries received on 19th April 1945. Hometown: Burbage, Leicestershire, England