JD117
Crashes > of the R.A.F.
On the return flight from the bombing raid on Düsseldorf, the Halifax II, JD117 was already hit by anti-aircraft fire in the Cologne area.
The aircraft crashed between Frenz and Weisweiler, exploded on impact and burnt down completely.
The crew were recovered dead with severe burns and, with the exception of Flight Lieutenant Dean, were buried as "unknown soldiers" in Cologne's South Cemetery.
It was only after the exhumation in July 1948 and the subsequent transfer to Rheinberg Cemetery that the bodies could be identified.
Above:
The approximate crash site of the Halifax II, JD117.
The Inden school chronicle states: "Crash west of the motorway between Frenz and Weisweiler."
Left:
The crew's grave at Cologne's Südfriedhof cemetery.