Crash site: Hamburg-Rahlstedt, Germany
Crash cause: unknown, enemy action presumed. It is unclear how the aircraft, said to be on a raid against Bremen, would end up over the heavily defended city of Hamburg, some 90 km Northeast of Bremen. The Gedenkrol KM mentions Bremen as the crash site.
Name |
1. Bolte, Johan Berend |
Dutch RAF aviator datasheet |
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Ohlsdorf 050712 Bolte JB |
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Rank |
Vltg Maker 3kl MLD, Ac1. |
Stb.Nr. 90196/Z |
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Decorations |
None known |
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Born |
19/4/1916 |
Place |
Amsterdam, NL |
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Squadron |
RAF 320 (Dutch) Sqn Coastal Command |
Ops/hr |
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Aircraft |
Hudson Mk. III Nr. T9435 NO-R 'Balikpapan' |
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Base |
RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk, GB |
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Mission |
Raid against Bremen (?) |
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Status |
KIA, cause unknown, enemy action presumed |
age |
26 |
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Killed |
26/6/1942 |
Place |
Hamburg-Rahlstedt, Germany |
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Buried |
British War Cemetery, Hamburg-Ohlsdorf, G, grave 5a/H/14 |
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Known to |
OGS |
yes |
CWGC |
no |
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Other crew |
2. Korp Vltg Telegr MLD J. But - KIA 3. F/Lt. C.J. van der Graaff - KIA 4. Ltz 2kl W. Mattijsen - KIA |
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Memorial |
Soesterberg |
yes |
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Memorial |
Other |
yes |
Bircham Newton General Memorial
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GB arrival |
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Remarks |
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Data confusion |
OGS: grave Z35/2/28. The local Z35 coordinate leads to a field with German military WW1 burials. The outdated OGS data comes from a listing made shortly after the War, found in the CAD-MVD archive Nr. 5.050.5220/81 (Gravendienst/DIB). OGS corrected this to author's request on 20/12/2005 |
Name | 2. But, Johannes | Dutch RAF aviator datasheet | |||||
J. But Source: @St.M.Vl.P. 1939-50 | Loenen 041030 But | ||||||
Rank | Korp Vltg Telegr MLD, Cpl. | Stb.Nr. 13292 | |||||
Decorations | Vliegerkruis | ||||||
Born | 21/2/1916 | Place | Oost en West Souburg, Zeeland, NL | ||||
Squadron | RAF 320 (Dutch) Sqn Coastal Command | Ops/hr | |||||
Aircraft | Hudson Mk. III Nr. T9435 NO-R 'Balikpapan' | ||||||
Base | RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk, GB | ||||||
Mission | Raid against Bremen (?) | ||||||
Status | KIA, cause unknown, enemy action presumed | age | 26 | ||||
Killed | 26/6/1942 | Place | Hamburg-Rahlstedt, Germany | ||||
Buried | Initially at Hamburg Ohlsdorf, grave Z35/2/27. Reburied 11/1/1952 at Nederlands ereveld Loenen, Gelderland, NL, grave E/561 Source: OGS, email 20/12/2005 | ||||||
Known to | OGS | yes | CWGC | no | |||
Other crew | 1. Vltg Maker 3kl MLD J.B. Bolte - KIA 3. F/Lt. C.J. van der Graaff - KIA 4. Ltz 2kl W. Mattijsen - KIA | ||||||
Memorial | Soesterberg | yes | |||||
Memorial | Other | yes | Bircham Newton General Memorial | ||||
GB arrival | 31/5/1940 with Dutch vessel 'Batavier II' from Cherbourg, France, after an escape from Holland on 16/5/1940 | ||||||
Remarks | Vliegerkruis, 28/5/1942, wegens Het gedurende geruimen tijd op oorlogspatrouillevluchten van het 320e Squadron R.D.N.A.S. van Onzen Marine Luchtvaartdienst blijken geven van moed, bekwaamheid, volharding en plichtsbetrachting.
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Data confusion |
Name | 3. Graaf, Cornelis Johannes van der | Dutch RAF aviator datasheet | |||||
C.J. van der Graaf, May 1940 Source: @St.M.Vl.P. 1939-50 | Ohlsdorf 050712 Graaff CJ van der | ||||||
Rank | F/Lt. | ||||||
Decorations | None known | ||||||
Born | 6/11/1903 | Place | 's-Gravenhage, NL | ||||
Squadron | RAF 320 (Dutch) Sqn Coastal Command | Ops/hr | |||||
Aircraft | Hudson Mk. III Nr. T9435 NO-R 'Balikpapan' | ||||||
Base | RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk, GB | ||||||
Mission | Raid against Bremen (?) | ||||||
Status | KIA, cause unknown, enemy action presumed | age | 38 | ||||
Killed | 26/6/1942 | Place | Hamburg-Rahlstedt, Germany | ||||
Buried | British War Cemetery, Hamburg-Ohlsdorf, G, grave 5a/H/12 | ||||||
Known to | OGS | yes | CWGC | no | |||
Other crew | 1. Vltg Maker 3kl MLD J.B. Bolte - KIA 2. Korp Vltg Telegr MLD J. But - KIA 4. Ltz 2kl W. Mattijsen - KIA | ||||||
Memorial | Soesterberg | yes | |||||
Memorial | Other | yes | Bircham Newton General Memorial | ||||
GB arrival | 22/5/1940 from France after he, in a group of 24 aircraft, mostly Fokker trainers, had escaped from Holland on 14/5/1940 | ||||||
Remarks | |||||||
Data confusion | OGS: grave Z35/2/26. The local Z35 coordinate leads to a field with German military WW1 burials. The outdated OGS data comes from a listing made shortly after the War, found in the CAD-MVD archive Nr. 5.050.5220/81 (Gravendienst/DIB). OGS corrected this to author's request on 20/12/2005 |
Name | 4. Mattijsen, Willem | Dutch RAF aviator datasheet | |||||
W. Mattijsen, 1941 Source: SLH | IJmuiden 050528 Mattijsen | ||||||
Rank | Lz 2kl, P/O. | ||||||
Decorations | Vliegerkruis | ||||||
Born | 1/4/1904 | Place | Amsterdam, NL | ||||
Squadron | RAF 320 (Dutch) Sqn Coastal Command | Ops/hr | 71/? | ||||
Aircraft | Hudson Mk. III Nr. T9435 NO-R 'Balikpapan' | ||||||
Base | RAF Bircham Newton, Norfolk, GB | ||||||
Mission | Raid against Bremen (?) | ||||||
Status | KIA, cause unknown, enemy action presumed | age | 38 | ||||
Killed | 26/6/1942 | Place | Hamburg-Rahlstedt, Germany | ||||
Buried | Initially at Hamburg Ohlsdorf, grave Z35/2/29. Reburied 11/12/1951 at Westerbegraafplaats, IJmuiden. Reburied 6/12/1962 at Gemeentelijke Begraafplaats Duinhof, IJmuiden, NL, grave 6 Source: OGS, email 20/12/2005 | ||||||
Known to | OGS | yes | CWGC | no | |||
Other crew | 1. Vltg Maker 3kl MLD J.B. Bolte - KIA 2. Korp Vltg Telegr MLD J. But - KIA 3. F/Lt. C.J. van der Graaff - KIA | ||||||
Memorial | Soesterberg | yes | |||||
Memorial | Other | yes | Bircham Newton General Memorial
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GB arrival | 22/5/1940 from France after he, in a group of 24 aircraft, mostly Fokker trainers, had escaped from Holland on 14/5/1940 | ||||||
Remarks | Vliegerkruis, 25/4/1947, posthumous Heeft zich door daden van initiatief, moed en volharding tegenover den vijand onderscheiden, door als Officier-waarnemer tijdens den oorlog, tot zijn sneuvelen op 26 Juni 1942, deel te nemen aan 71 operationeele vluchten.
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Data confusion |
Incorrect Grave Positions
OGS was informed of the incorrect grave position indications of Bolte and Van der Graaff in the OGS Casualty Register on 13/7/2005, with maps and photographs to prove the point. When checking on 1/12/2005, OGS still sees the men as buried in a vast field with German WW1 military casualties. Quite incorrect. The men were originally buried at Hamburg Ohlsdorf, graves indicated as Kap. 6 Parzelle Z35 Reihe 2, graves 26 to 29. The graves were relocated to the Commonwealth 1919-1945 plot at Ohlsdorf, whilst the graves of But and Mattijsen were relocated once more, to ereveld Loenen and Duinhof, IJmuiden, in Holland respectively. OGS was notified once more on 19/12/2005, and responded the next day, that records shall be amended as suggested. Neither the CWGC nor the Hamburg Ohlsdorf management had responded to the OGS request for clarification. Now, after 60 years, the OGS can report the grave positions of J.B. Bolte and C.J. van der Graaff correctly.
Map 25. Hamburg-Rahlstedt, crash area of Hudson T9435 NO-R (Van der Graaff)
The crash site has not been pinpointed.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
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