Land projects
Over the next few years we hope to locate and survey several aircraft crash sites on land which include:
De Haviland Dominie NR795 - Station Flt,Skeabrae - Millfield Camp. 1/6/1945.
This DH-89 Dominie NR795 was flying back up to Skeabrae from Scotland with 3 passengers who were due to take up residence in Orkney, it was seen to fly over the golf course, harbour and Stromness town and at very low height of around 40-60ft it flew over the army camp at Millfield,it was during this manoeuvre that something went tragically wrong and the aircraft struck the roof of a Nissen hut, hit a parked lorry and then crashed to the ground killing the 3 passengers instantly and critically injuring the pilot who was to later die in hospital.
Pilot: F/O T.G.R.Rowe. RAFVR.
Pass: Sgt W.Dennis. RAFVR.
Pass: Sgt W.F.Colborne. RAFVR.
Pass: Cpl N.C.Brimmicombe. RAFVR.
Above: Two photos taken at the time show the wing of the Dominie on the left and the battered army lorry on the right. Photo: Orkney Library Photo Archives.
Grave of F/O Thomas G.R.Rowe in St.Olaf`s Cemetery,Kirkwall. Photo: Dave Earl.
B 24H Liberator 42-50331. 492nd BG/856th BG 31/03/1945. Walliwall.
US 8th Air Force 
856th BG Patch.
In the early hours of March 31st 1945, a lone B-24H all-black Liberator of the 492nd Bombardment Group 856th Bomb Squadron at Harrington,Norfolk, crashed at Walliwall with the loss of 13 men of the US Army Air Force and Norwegian Special Operations group.
Photo Tom Bacak Via Dave Earl
The B-24 Liberator was part of the USAAF `Carpetbagger` top secret operations squadron,and returning from a scrubbed mission over Norway because of heavy cloud cover, and losing height due to icing in carburetors which caused engine failure, the doomed aircraft came down in a field near Wivenoe cottage and burst into flames, only two men baled out,but one died when his chute failed to open at low altitude, the other,the Co-Pilot survived with minor injuries.
Crew:Pilot: 2/Lt Henry L.Polansky.
Co-Pilot: 1/Lt Peter C.Pulrang.
Bomb: 2/Lt Fred W.Smickle.
Nav: 2/Lt Charles J.Allessio.
Radio: S/Sgt William E.Lewis.
Eng: Sgt Kenneth W.Stevens.
W/Gun: Sgt Edward W.Kussman.
Tail Gun: Sgt Eugene J.Graf.
Passenger N.O.R.S.O agents.
T/5 Gjerulf Ottersland.
T/5 Edward Kjelness.
T/5 Eddie O.Sondeno.
T/5 Johannes Rorvick.
T/5 Leif E.Meland.
T/Sgt Trgve Berge.
Above: The navigators brother Louis Allessio with a piece of heavy alloy from the B-24 which was found by a local after the war, Louis had this tested at the Pratt and Whitney plant when he returned to the USA an a technical analasys showed it to be the same specification of that used in aircraft propeller blades.
Below: Close up of the part. Photos: Dave Earl.
For more information see `The Orkney View` article in No.99 Dec 2001/Jan 2002.
Also see the account of this crash on Dave Earl`s website:
http://www.webspawner.com/users/daveswrecks/
Also find lots more info on these units at the Harrington Carpetbaggers Museum:
http://harringtonmuseum.org.uk/AirfieldHistory.htm
Blackburn Skua L2946 803 Sq 11/1/1940. Tor Ness,Stronsay.
Skua L2946 spun in of a turn and crash landed on Stronsay 11/01/1940 with the loss of both crew. Midshipman Barr J.D.W. died in hospital and L/A Uren G died in the Ambulance. Locals on the Island of Stronsay who remember the crash have pointed us to the area but told us that the wreck site was cleared and what was left was thrown over a cliff. This wreckage that was left was then later cleared for scrap.
John D.W.Barr George E.Uren
Junkers Ju-88A-5 4N+AL 3(F)/22 Sandwick, 25/12/1940.
On Christmas day 1940 a little after 2pm, Six Grumman Martlets of 804 sq Fleet Air Arm took to the skies over Orkney in pursuit of a Ju-88 alegedly on a photo-reconnaisance mission off the North Scottish islands, the raider was soon intercepted by two Royal Naval pilots Sub/Lt Parke and Lt Carver and several hits were made on the machine damaging the starboard radiator and port engine oil pipe, other hits riddled the tailplane and dorsal fin leaving no option for its pilot but to make a crash landing with its air gunner badly wounded.
Above: Ju-88 4N+AL soon after a good crash landing in a field near Flotterson,just to the south of Loch Skail. Photo: Gregor Lamb Collection, Orkney Photo Library.
The pilot Leutnant Karl Schipp made a very skilful crash landing in a field in Sandwick thus saving all the crew, they quickly vacated the aircraft and thoughts turned to setting it on fire to prevent its capture by British forces,but their plans were thwarted when two farmers Thomas Harcus and his son Leslie,who were both in the Home Guard, arrived on the scene with guns, soon to be joined by others, the airmen were later picked up and taken back to the mainland for interogation and medical treatment for the wounded gunner.
Crew of the Ju-88:
Pilot: Lt K. Schipp.
Obs: Fw H.Schreiber.
W/T: Uffz H.Sportl.
A/G: Ogefr K.Rotter.
Despite the short spell of victory by the Martlet pilots, one of them Sub/Lt (A) Thomas Robert Verner Parke was to lose his life just 7 months later when on 7th July 1941 he an his Telegraphits Air Gunner L/Air E.F.Miller in a Fairey Fulmer N4038 flew into high ground on the Mull of Kintyre in bad weather. He is buried in Kilkerran Cemetery,Campbeltown.
JU88 4D + EK KG-30 17/10/1939 Pegal Burn, Hoy.
This aircraft was shot down by Anti Aircraft fire on 17th October 1939 during an attempt to attack the Battleship Iron Duke. Three of the four crew were killed. This was the first German plane to be shot down on British soil by AA guns in WW2 .
Crew:
Pilot: OBLT. Flaemig (Killed)
Obs: Obergefr. Faust (Killed)
W/AG. Uffz. Attenburger (Killed)
W/AG Uffz. F.Ambrosius (Injured)
Uffz F. Ambrosius, The only survivor.
(Dave Earl)
Pegal Burn, crash site for the Ju88, a few small pieces of the aircraft were found near the area in the centre of the photo.
(Dave Earl)
Above: A few of the pieces of the Ju88 found in 2007.
(Dave Earl)
Almost certainly the graves of three of the Ju88 crew in two unknown graves in Lyness Naval Cemetery,though it seems odd that although understandaby they may not have been able to ID the bodies due to the explosion,but why were the headstones not dated?
Part of this JU88 crash site has been found by David Earl but more work is needed to establish the size of the crash area and see what is left of this aircraft.
Blackburn Skua L3026 771 Sq 27/8/1943 Houton Head,Orkney Mainland.
Skua L3026 span into Houton Head from 300 feet on 27/08/1943 killing both the crew
Pilot. F/L Peter K.W. Nias RNVR.
TAG. L/A Alfred L Fletcher.
Local Farmer K.T.Flett was employed to drag the wreckage to the top of Houton Head where nearly all of it was taken away on an RAF lorry. Mr Flett's son Sandy who remembers the crash took ARGOS's members William Shearer & Kevin Heath to the crash site. Sandy remembers as a child picking up bits of perspex from the crash area but no other wreckage could be seen.
Sandy Flett near to the Skua crash site which his father cleared in 1943
Both crew are buried in St Olaf's Kirkwall. Photos: Dave Earl
