W4840

On the return flight from a mission to Krupp Works in Essen (Germany), the Avro Lancaster Mk I was shot down (at an altitude of 6 km) by a Messerschmitt Bf 110 F-4 and crashed in flames near the IJssel River, at the height of Velp on January 3, 1943. The men were buried at Heiderust Cemetery in Rheden. Later, the three Canadians were reburied at the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek.

The Messerschmitt had the following crew (stationed at Twente airfield): Christian Költringer (Salzburg, Austria) - 22 years old - pilot, and Willi Vogt (Tübingen, Germany) - 23 years old - flight engineer.

The crew had to wait several days before the mission of January 3 because of bad weather. There was a lot of rain at the time, making flying impossible. They were briefed on January 1 and 2 about an experiment with a new system to bomb more accurately. This system was called Oboe because the sounds it used resembled those of the musical instrument, the oboe. Twice, the mission was called off due to the bad weather.

My name is Bartel van Yperenburg and I am researching the crash of the Lancaster W4840 on January 3, 1943, near the pumping station 'De Volharding'. I would like to bring more attention to this forgotten event in Velp through a memorial at the crash site and a booklet. If you know more about this event and would like to share it with me, I would love to hear from you. All information is welcome!