Luftwaffe Dornier Do-217E-4 4342 U5+GR
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Dornier Do-217E-4 4342 U5+GR. North York Moors
On the night of 17 December 1942, German bomber Do 217 4342 flying from its base at Deelen- Arnhem in Holland, crashed on the moors east of Northallerton while on a bombing raid on the city of York.
The Dornier struck a wall on Easterside Hill in what is now the North York Moors National Park, some 24 miles from its intended target.
All those on board were killed in the crash. The remains of the pilot and observer were never recovered.
We found just one small fragment of debris remaining (pictured above) which we buried close to the crash site.
CREW
Oberleutnant Rolf Hausner – pilot
Unteroffizier Sirius Erd – observer
Oberfeldwebel Hartwig Hupe – wireless operator
Oberfeldwebel Ernst Weiderer – engineer
In this view below (the poppy cross and debris fragment photographed without flash) you can see where the Dornier, approaching from overhead, crashed through the drystone wall which has not been rebuilt since. Upon impact the bombs detonated and the Dornier’s BMW engines were hurled over the ridge in the distance.
Although nearly 2,000 Do 217s were built, there are no survivors anywhere in the world today.
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Bundesarchiv_…
Photo of Luftwaffe Dornier Do-217s in flight from wikipedia commons.
Great work.. Excellent flash exposure..
Lovely photo Ian, nice compositon and excellent work with the flash. Good of you to place a rememberance poppy for the crew.
Another moody and poignant image Ian. Whilst its now a long time ago its incredible residual debris still lingers on but its also commendable that you took the trouble to remember the event and the crew’s memories by your actions!
Well done ian
yes well done Ian, great work on your part , a very nice gesture
Ian, another successful effort for you…which results in the honoring of those very young men who had perished in belief of their cause. Great photographs, too.
story: darn tragic as always.
research: wow. love it. amazing work here, love the two shots dark & light. fantastic info in the notes and attached image. i keep reading of the Dornier bombers but always never get round to ‘looking them up’, so this puts an image in my head.
Yet again , another great shot and a belting write up mate!
That top pic is an absolute stunner. So crisp and clear on the foreground cross. Well done Ian.
I was was up not far from here + we used to play on the site of a dummy airfield which was lit up when bombers targeted Teeside My old man remembers it very well Wooden planes+buildings It was just grass + huge craters when I was a kid
Top shot captures the mood of the spot with the weather conditionds perfectly.
I too found discrepancies with the pilots name . Wonder which one is correct?
That chunk of wreckage is of course alloy and despite being a sturdy ‘L’ section is tisted and bent with a tear on one side . It also contains rivets ,of the sort that can be seen in the wings of aircraft everywhere. I suppose it indicates that it was part of the aircrafts structural strength.
Another striking shot Ian – hope you are enjoying the break
Excellent research as always….
I was just saying on Paul’s latest shot, that I only just realised it was you guys that left the memorial crosses. I know I’m thick not to realise this before, but wow, you two are terrific!!
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/amybigkiss]
Aww thanks Amy. Have I drawn attention to your account name before, Amybigkiss? Anyway, you deserve one for saying such nice things! Mine’s MayContainTracesOfNuts which was created long before I started taking my photography seriously. Oh well.
Grovelling aside, yeah we leave the poppy crosses. Sometimes there are already crosses and poppies at some of the more well frequented sites, but not usually, and never when there is no wreckage left. Our motivation is as a mark of respect to the crews that lost their lives and also to provide a subject for our photos when there is very little else to see. Every November I buy a job lot from the old soldier selling poppies at Sainsburys.
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/cachelog]
Back at work now Bryan : (
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyholmfirth]
I thought this was your old stomping grounds!
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/nondesigner][http://www.flickr.com/photos/bill_fawcett] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/p47koji] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/29288836@N00] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/redrocker_9][http://www.flickr.com/photos/29730035@N04][http://www.flickr.com/photos/longsidepies][http://www.flickr.com/photos/32431958@N07]
Thank you very much, very good of you to view and comment. I will catch up with you all soon.
Another cracker mate.
Beautifully composed and lit, Ian,
happy holidays!
Nice one Ian. Never forget, thanks to you we don’t
Nice one Ian. Never forget, thanks to you we don’t
Always interesting and touching to see and read your work. I rally like the main photo, with the poppy and debris lit up against the gloom of the Moors. Am surprised the wall wasn’t properly rebuilt, and frankly amazed that you still find debris after all these years; would have thought it would have been lost to nature long ago.
Nice Shot.
An image full of mood, thank you for the notes….
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Seen on your photo stream. ( ?² )
Zoek informatie dornier 217e-4 van 6./kg 2,neergesort 2 joli 1943. noordwest Utrecht.