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PostPosted: 17 Jul 2012, 11:53 
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Welcome Old Stooge. :smt006

Good memories of walking into the old crew room at Ysters in the late 80's and wondering who was going up for a training sortie that morning. 8)

Thanks for posting and looking forward to your contributions. :smt023


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PostPosted: 17 Jul 2012, 17:43 
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Welcome :smt023

Awesome !! Great FB page Old Stooge \:D/ =D>

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PostPosted: 19 Jul 2012, 21:53 
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Old Stooge wrote:
I am also about to post a doc from a nephew of Sgt J Cox (RAF) who was on board 667 when it went down. In his account he mentions that an extra crew member on this sortie was WO Thirion, who went with for the ride on his first ops sortie of the war, which was also his last ( this is so tragic about this specific mission).

Cheers
Old Stooge

Have you had opportunity to make available this doc? If not, please advise when, looking forward to reading it.

Plans are on course to pay respects this year, at the crash site, to those who perished on HD667 in 1945.

Keep up your good work. Cheers!

'At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them'

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PostPosted: 14 Sep 2012, 11:43 
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We arrived on the outskirts of Zagreb, Croatia, yesterday after travelling through pouring rain for the past two days through Austria and Slovenia. It has stopped - for now? - but still overcast.

However, we will be making for the railway line north of Tedrovec near Dugo Selo (just east of Zagreb) where the German AA gun position was that shot down Marauder HD667. Then later today or tomorrow to the neighbouring village of Cemernica Lonsjka where the Marauder actually crashed.

Am relying on wi-fi connectivity in Croatia as we go, so will post updates soonest.

Cheers! :smt023

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PostPosted: 15 Sep 2012, 05:45 
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The abiding memory of the day's investigations will be the following picture, taken in the rain, seen when rounding a corner in rural Croatia, east of the capital Zagreb:-

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Memorial to the Yugoslav Partisans, near to where the German AA gun placements were that shot down HD667

We trundled down the A3 motorway skirting Zagreb south of the city making our way to Tedrovec, near Dugo Selo, just east of Zagreb. It was a rainy day which somehow suited the mission -

- to locate the position of the German AA gun placements that shot down HD667
- to locate (get as near as possible) to the crash site of the stricken Martin Marauder
- to locate the initial burial site/cemetery of five of the crew of seven (two were buried at the crash site)

Rounding a corner on the outskirts of the sprawling community of rural Tedrovec we had a view of the picture shown above. I parked and started looking around and saw some people in a backyard shed. The man, who turned out to be the property owner and husband, acknowledged my greeting as I walked nearer. He spoke no English, but said he could speak German, so on to plan B we went, and a mutually entertaining conversation was had in German for the next hour. He had no part in the war (aged 46) but could clarify some of the questions I had on the surrounding area.

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Next to the flag pole was this stone, with an inscription dedicated to the Yugoslav partisans of the Moslavackom region.

That some major skirmish took place here involving various forces from opposing sides, was clear to me. A verifiable target area, a memorial to partisans and remains of fortifications or bunkers. See the following pictures:-

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A railway bridge, with remains of a bunker centre left, part of the target area of 25 Sqd SAAF on 4 May 1945

The following picture also shows remains of fortifications / bunkers presumed to be German. According to my guide there was much more visible when he arrived in the area during the 1970's. Much is now covered under grass, with blocks of fortified concrete in evidence.

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Train crossing the rebuilt railway bridge, with remains of a bunker to the left.

Further along into Tedrovec I came across these remains which seems like further evidence of bunkers. The caved in area looks like the remains of a roof and the dug out and fortified nature of the open area supports this theory.

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Remains of a fortified position

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View of the memorial and adjacent newly built road bridge.

My looking around and investigations will continue today - Saturday 15 Sept 2012.

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Last edited by Tally-ho on 10 May 2018, 16:11, edited 4 times in total.

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PostPosted: 15 Sep 2012, 09:45 
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Wonderful feedback Tally-ho, thanks for making us feel so much part of of your investigations and travels.


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PostPosted: 16 Sep 2012, 17:30 
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Dean wrote:
Wonderful feedback Tally-ho, thanks for making us feel so much part of of your investigations and travels.

Thank you Dean, also to all Forum members who have taken an interest in this topic.

I will be posting soon on the final findings of this story. I'm currently sorting the details of what is quite an intricate storyline given to me by locals (one aged 93) in the area ....

From Senj on the Croatian coast - watching the sunset from our camperstop, shortly after arrival. :D

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Last edited by Tally-ho on 10 May 2018, 16:19, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: 17 Sep 2012, 10:21 
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I spent the final day of our visit around the area of operations of 25 Sqd SAAF, on 4 May 1945, looking for the (interim) resting place of five of the crew of Marauder HD667. For a full rendition of this story, of looking and searching and the kindness of strangers, please read the entry on my Blog CROATIA - ZAGREB. The link is at the bottom of this post.

It is an intriguing story. The grave has no names and no reference to SAAF airmen, however ....

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Interim resting place of five SAAF airmen

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Churchyard in Beslinec

http://anewad.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/cr ... agreb.html

PS Post updated to reflect the fact that this was an interim place of burial, they were eventually moved to Belgrade War Cemetery in modern day Serbia.

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Last edited by Tally-ho on 11 May 2018, 17:18, edited 3 times in total.

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PostPosted: 17 Sep 2012, 18:07 
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Fantastic stuff ... !!!!


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PostPosted: 19 Sep 2012, 20:30 
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Below is the full crew and they are in Belgrade, they may have been temporaily buried in that church yard. After the War the Allies had burial teams going around and tracked down graves and centralised the graves.

25 Sqn B-26 Marauder Mk.III HD-667

HD-667 was lost on the Squadrons last combat mission and is also the last B-26 Marauder to be lost in combat

Lt. L.J van ROOYEN 18523V Pilot SAAF ** † Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia
Collective Grave 5, A. 3-7
Lt. M.C BEKKER 582086V Pilot SAAF 21 † Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia
Collective Grave 5, A. 3-7
Capt. D.E HARDING 103865V Observer SAAF 38 † Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia
Collective Grave, 5, A. 3-7
W/O1. J SMIT 328853V W.Op-Air Gnr SAAF ** † Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia
Collective Grave, 5, A. 3-7
W/O1. J.N THIRION 581450V Air Gnr SAAF 21 † Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia
Collective Grave 5, A. 3-7
Sgt. R.S NEALE 185957 Air Gnr RAFVR 20 † Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia
Grave 5. A. 1
Sgt. J.G.H COX 1813120 Air Gnr RAFVR 19 † Belgrade War Cemetery, Serbia
Grave 5. A. 2


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PostPosted: 19 Sep 2012, 22:07 
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This really is a great read....thanks for sharing the journey of discovery. :smt023


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PostPosted: 20 Sep 2012, 04:45 
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Thank you W40- for that reminder and update. I've subsequently corrected my post of the 17th September.

Thank you to all for your continued interest in this story, akin to walking 'in the footsteps of history' ....

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PostPosted: 18 Nov 2012, 19:17 
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Tally-ho wrote:
Dean wrote:
Wonderful feedback Tally-ho, thanks for making us feel so much part of of your investigations and travels.

Thank you Dean, also to all Forum members who have taken an interest in this topic.

I will be posting soon on the final findings of this story. I'm currently sorting the details of what is quite an intricate storyline given to me by locals (one aged 93) in the area ....

From Senj on the Croatian coast - watching the sunset from our camperstop, shortly after arrival.

Image


Hello!
I do not know whether you know that the city of Senj in World War II was bombed several times by 25 sqdr SAAF, especially car camping where you stayed. If one of the locals can remember something regarding Senj I would be grateful. I published a book about bomb attacks on Senj, Croatia, during WWII. I have a lot of data on 25 sgd SAAF and their attacks on Senj, but any additional information is appreciated.
Mislav


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PostPosted: 18 Nov 2012, 20:45 
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cyber2000 wrote:
Hello!
I do not know whether you know that the city of Senj in World War II was bombed several times by 25 sqdr SAAF, especially car camping where you stayed. If one of the locals can remember something regarding Senj I would be grateful. I published a book about bomb attacks on Senj, Croatia, during WWII. I have a lot of data on 25 sgd SAAF and their attacks on Senj, but any additional information is appreciated.
Mislav

Hi Mislav
Thank you for that information, very interesting! What is the name of the book you published and where can it be found? Is it in English?

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PostPosted: 19 Nov 2012, 20:47 
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If you are interested I can send you a book for free. Just give me your physical address. The book is not in English, but is based primarily on photographs and has a summary in English.


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