A Xanten Crash

Ken Bell

Canadian Army photographer, Captain Ken Bell, also shot Varsity aircraft passing overhead. It doesn’t appear he was with or at same location as Barney Gloster. He also attended and documented a sporting event that same day (24th).



Regards …

 

A Crash Variation

I came across what appears to be the same two C-46 clips in a newsreel entitled “Airborne Armies Join the Big Attack on Germany, 1945” from my computer for which I can’t find a web link. It looks like the same aircraft in the first clip that we discussed earlier. But it seems different somehow, perhaps farther along in its flight? Instead of finishing off with the Xanten explosion in the second clip they add a more impressive one from another well known crash which is sometimes misused.



This is not to say that the first clip is not what is implied with its placement, but there is a possibility it was shot elsewhere and is not the C-46 that crashed at Xanten. Then again we might never know for sure. Entertaining all the same and will keep my eyes peeled for other examples.

Regards …

 

Cee,

This is the weblink you probably mean, but i have seen this crash in other reels to.

Air Army Invades Germany 1945 2:35

Interesting is that, whatever website you will find, there is nothing mentioned about a crash in Xanten. Except the Chitham movie where is mentioned in the comment Xanten.
but as you mentioned probably we will never know for sure.
- Chitham movie is mentioned Xanten
- Photo from opening post, is Xanten (here the double doors) still confusing photo in post 1.

 

This crash took place west of the Rhine - the footage comes from the IWM. We used it back in 1994/95 for a film we made about the war in the Wesel area and the Rhine crossing. The aircraft crashed next to a farm - and near to British RAMC unit, at least a British motor ambulance can be seen in the footage. I cannot tell whether it is a C-46 or C-47 - my guess would be a C-47, though.

 

The newsreel I have from Buyout Footage is similar to yours but with a different narrator and does include the Canadian footage of the final descent into Xanten, followed by the separate big explosion crash.

Regards ...

 

The Loading compartment of a double door version C-46 Commandos. This rail on the top "what is this" still not clear for me.
But for now i stop.....with searching.

 

Looks like Chinese men in first pic. Probably from when the Americans flew over the "hump" during WW2 to supply the Chinese.

Regards ...

 

Just more poof

A clearer comparison that shows conclusively that the “final descent” clip was also shot on the hill overlooking Xanten as the same building can be seen in both the Gloster photo and film stills.

 

I’m having the same problem.

Part of me wants to say it’s the top of the other door. If so then we are likely looking at 2 crashes as the entire upper rear corner of the door is visible in the footage. I did wonder if maybe the inside element of the fuselage separates from the exterior.

I think I might try and figure out the exact angle of the photo using some trig then try and work out what should be there in theory. Then doing the same and another drawing out the buildings and 2nd crash site / potentially other half of this crash site.

It also appears I was wrong about the open pilot door (mentioned above) and that probably is just the engine in shadow.

BR
SH

 

Doors

What I didn't realize until shown on here is that the two rear port doors were within the two larger lift-up cargo doors. That creates a big gap and you have to wonder if loss of the rear fuselage/tail was common in C-46 crashes.

Regards ...

 

The C-46 Door Arrangement

An interesting and somewhat complex layout of doors.



Regards ...

 

Lt. Barney Gloster,

Still no pics found of Gloster or his cine partner. He took this well known photo of the cameramen assigned to the Canadian Paras on March 27th. There is someone on or near a jeep in the distant background. Gloster continued in the photo business postwar, dying at 51 years of age in Windsor, Ontario.



Regards ...

 

Jeep and Trailer

A thought - how did the above Jeep and trailer arrive? There are two cine cameramen and one photographer (Richer to right) in photo. Did they all come in on the Canadian Hamilcar to DZ 'A'? A photo of Mike Lattion as posted here by alberk. Original source presently unknown.



Regards ...

 

I think I recall that the jeep and one of the guys came from the Rhine and joined Richer and the camera operator - the location could be near Bergerfurth, in a caption Wissel is given as a location. But that does not exist in the area - however, Vissel is halfway between Bislich and Bergerfurth. It's only a short distance (3 km) from the bridges that were built at Bislich.
A Wissel is found near Calcar - but that would be west of the Rhine, which would mean they headed away from the frontline back to the hinterland.

 

Pure speculation but I wonder if one of the cine guys was on that hilltop with Gloster when the C-46 crash footage was taken? Of course there is still the possibility Gloster had his own assigned partner from the CFPU.

Regards ...

 

Photo from JunoBeach website PA-145591 No digital object on BAC-LAC

Cee is see you contacted already Dale, i had the same idea today ;-)

Vissel, Wissel, i read a lot of diaries, sometimes it is a spelling or phonetic problem. So in my opinion Wissel is Wesel.

 

Yes I contacted Dale Gervais and he suggested the Canadian Albums. Suspect that some info on Canadian cinematographers may be have been lost in the fire whenever that occurred.

Regards ...

 

Directions …

Not sure if I have these cardinal points exact. The C-46 comes in from a southerly direction and crashes. Some debris, including an engine, continues to the north as seen in the Paradata photo.



Regards …

 

Pretty sure this is the remains of C-46 44-77637 Tail letter Q Chalk45 crewed by 2nd Lt Donald D Shire, 2nd Lt John D Stroud, Sgt Bernard Isenburg, T/Sgt Norman E Rhoads, the only man to survive the crash. from information I was given the approximate location of this crash was Bonninghardt, Germany

 

Hi Nightdriver,
the following report suggests that 44-77637 crashed east of the Rhine near Bislich/Im Loh. Another C-46 (44-77612) crashed nearby and one of its crew members, Lt Henderson bailed out east of the Rhine in the Marwick area near Bislich. He saw 44-77637 before he was evacuated by the British who advanced in the area after crossing the Rhine.
I attached a report from 48th TCS.