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1944-08-11 The Loss of Paul Hellegers Halifax NA563

Crash site: Gouloux, Nièvre, France

Crash cause: shot down by enemy Flak. Halifax LW654 of 640 Sqn was also lost during this operation.

Name

1. Hellegers, Paul Marie Constant

P.M.C. Hellegers Source: @St.M.Vl.P. 1939-50 (centre photo is actually of Paul Hellegers' brother Anthony)

Rank

Res 2Lt Vl, P/O., Pilot

RAF VR 177029

Decorations

None known

Born

7/3/1923

Place

Venlo, NL

Squadron

RAF 640 Sqn Bomber Command

Ops/hr

7/44

Aircraft

Halifax Mk. II Nr. NA563 C8-Y

Base

RAF Leconfield, Yorkshire, GB

Mission

Raid on Dijon railway junction. Take-off 20:55h.

Status

KIA, aircraft shot down by enemy Flak

age

21

Killed

11/8/1944

Place

near Gouloux, Nièvre, F

Buried

The crew was initially buried Coeuzon, Nièvre; reburied Cimetière Civil du Pont du Sens, Nantes, F, grave L/4 or L/D/8

Known to

OGS

yes

CWGC

yes

Other crew

2. Sgt. William Bryce, Ag, RAF 646633, age 22 - KIA

3. Sgt. William George Jeffery, Wop/Ag, RAF VR 1800571,

age 22 - KIA

4. Sgt. George Henry Richold, Nav, RAF VR 1399324 - KIA

5. Sgt. Harold Ernest Smith, Ag, RAF VR 629543, age 27 - KIA

6. Sgt. Kenneth John Stewart, ab, RAF VR 1399585, age 22 - KIA

7. Sgt. Bernard Peter Wood, fe, RAF VR 1783228, age 19 - KIA

Remarks

Other crew not Dutch. All were initially buried locally by the Maquis. All reburied next to each other in Nantes.

Hellegers brother flew with 320 Sqn.

Memorial

Orry La Ville

GB arrival

Data

Confusion

OGS: grave L/4

CWGC: grave L/D/8

Some literature: Hellegers reported to be Belgian. He was Dutch, but he moved to Belgium in 1938.


Hellegers grave is back row, third from left. Nantes 060124 Hellegers crew

2. Crash site map

Map 86. Gouloux, Nièvre, France, crash site of Halifax NA563 with Paul Hellegers and six non-Dutch crew, on 11/8/1944. The crash site has not been pinpointed.


    We were contacted via the Helpdesk in August 2020 by Frans Janssen who pointed out the centre photo above is actually of Paul Hellegers' brother Anthony. He cited the official Dutch site nimh-beeldbank.defensie.nl who publish the full image from which our picture has been cropped.

A North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber (registration number HD306 / N) of 320 Dutch Squadron Royal Air Force with the crew at Melsbroek Air Base.In the cockpit reserve sergeant pilot A.W.V.M. Hellegers and standing from left to right: sergeant navigator R.C.H. Bamsey, Sergeant Air Gunner H.F. Meijer and sergeant air gunner H.F. McVinnie.



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