An expedition to the WW II crash site of theAVRO LANCASTER NF920 "Easy Elsie".
The Brittish Lancasterbomber who chrashed in Sweden on 29 th october 1944, at 11.50 AM.
OPERATION OBVIATE (See also:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Obviate)
The "Easy Elsie" Lanchaster bomber was one of 37 Lancaster bombers on a mission to sink the German battleship Tirpitz in Norway 1944.
Only one Lancaster bomber did not return after the mission to RAF base i Lossiemouth, 617th squad. That was the Lancaster "Easy Elsie". She was hit by German anti aircraft gunswhen they where trying to drop bombs on the battleshipTirpitz.
Two enginees on "Easy Elsie" was blown away and she take several hits in the fuselage, so she lost a lot of fuel, but manage to fly to Swedenw here she chrash-landed. The radio was hit under the attack of Tirpitz, so the crew was unable to communicate with other Lancaster bombersand the air base in Lossiemouth, Scotland.
There are a lot of information on internet to read about this plane an her crew. The crew survived the crasch in the bog in Porjus. Only the pilot Daniel. William . Carey was the only who got injured. He injured his knee during the landing. The rest of the crew were unhurt. After interrigation from the Swedish Air Force and they where sent to Stockholm, the capitol city in Sweden. After some more interrigations the crew where sent back to England.
The navigator of "Easy Elise", Alex McKie was visiting the crash site in 2002 with his family. He got the trip back to "Easy Elsie" as a gift from his sons on his 80th birthday. Alex McKie died 1th August 2008, aged 86. He was the last living person from the crew of "Easy Elsie".
The last radio communication from the plane was when she split from the formation of the squadron trying to bomb the battleship Tirpitz, but was taking several hits from German AA-guns.
I have studied photos of and drawings of the plane, and I have located the radio operators place close to the cockpit. So i will be trying to take place in the remainings of the cockpit and transmitt from that position.
Hope to have a QSO with you on the HF band from "Easy Elsie" in 2012.
We are a team of radio amateurs who will be at the crash site. From 16th to 17th of june 2012.
Web site is finished and here are the adress for the event:
http://www.sm2tos.se/easyelsie/eng/
Pictures from 2011, the first expedition at "Easy Elsie",click here!
INFO - Easy Elsie
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The crew onboard “Easy Elsie”
Flying officer: (Pilot) Daniel. William . Carey - Australia
Flight sergeant: (Mechanics) Leslie W Franks - England
Pilot officer: (Navigator) Alexander.M. McKie - England
Pilot officer: (Bombardier) Douglas.H. McLennan - Canada
Flight sergeant: (Wireless operator) Arthur .E. Young - England
Flying officer: (Tail gunner) Gerald. A. Witherick - England
Technical data on the bomb plane “Easy Elsie” after rebuilding for the attack against Tirpitz.
Type: Avro Lancaster Mk1 NF920, code KC-E
Span: 31,11 metres
Length: 20,98 metres
Height: 6,08 metres
Weight: Empty: 16,8 tons; Maximum load: 29,6 tons
Speed: Max: 450 km/h
Engines: Four Rolls-Royse MK 24, starting effect 1620 HP/engine
Fuel: Aviation petrol-100octane, tank capacity 10940 litres.
Armament: 1 bomb, “Tall Boy”, weight 6000 kilos for this commission.
Other data: The machine-gun tower on the back, some armour plating and remaining equipment dismantled to save some weight. Two extra fuel tanks erected in the fuselage.
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Here is some information from R.A.F (http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/oct44.html)
Royal Air Force Bomber Command 60th Anniversary
29 October 1944
358 aircraft - 194 Lancasters, 128 Halifaxes, 36 Mosquitos - of Nos 1, 3, 4 and 8 Groups attacked 11 different German ground positions on Walcheren. Visibility was good and it was believed that all the targets were hit. 1 Lancaster lost.
37 Lancasters - 18 from No 9 Squadron, 18 from No 617 and a film unit aircraft from No 463 Squadron - were dispatched from Lossiemouth in Scotland to attack the battleship Tirpitz, which was now moored near the Norwegian port of Tromso. The removal of the Lancasters' mid-upper turrets and other equipment and the installation of extra fuel tanks, giving each aircraft a total fuel capacity of 2,406 gallons, allowed the Lancasters to carry out this 2,250 mile operation. A weather reconnaissance Mosquito had reported the target area free of cloud and the Lancasters formed up at a lake near the bay in which the Tirpitz was moored and commenced their attack. Unfortunately the wind had changed and a bank of cloud came in to cover the battleship 30 seconds before the first Lancaster was ready to bomb. 32 aircraft released Tallboy bombs on the estimated position of the battleship but no direct hits were scored. 1 of No 617 Squadron's Lancasters, which was damaged by flak, crash-landed in Sweden and its crew were later returned to Britain.
Info about No 617 Squadron RAF:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._617_Squadron_RAF
Location of crash site:http://wikimapia.org/#lat=67.008635&lon=19.7283554&z=13&l=0&m=b&v=8&ifr=1
Picture link of "Easy Elsie" :http://www.warbirdregistry.org/lancregistry/lanc-nf920-2.html
Operation Obviate:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Obviate
More pictures and location of chrash site:http://www.panoramio.com/photo/26550069
