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The Hampden, part 2 (long)

Posted by Christer on Wed Nov 28, 2001 05:45:37 PM

In reply top The Hampden, part 1 (long) posted by Christer on Wed Nov 28, 2001 02:13:57 PM

08/07/99
One of the propellers, a machine gun fitting and a landing gear leg is still in a museum in SVANN?S, 30 km north-east from ARJEPLOG. (It was brought there not too long after the crash as I understand it.) One of the propeller blades is missing and there are bullet holes and other damage to indicate that this Hampden was probably shot down. Eye witnesses tell about german fighters following the Hampden shooting it down over ARVEDSTUOTTAR, then heading for Norway along the river PITE?LVEN. The museum still keep stories written by eye witnesses and also photographs from the site and the recovery of the dead airmen. One eye witness says that the aircraft was shot down on September 2nd 1942 (note different date) after having been followed by Luftwaffe fighters from STRIMASUND (in Norway I believe) and afterwards the fighters returned to their base in BOD? (also in Norway).

The eye witness mentioned in the first part, a reindeer keeper, was so frightened that he abandoned his animals and walked home to JOKKMOKK and sat there for three days before being able to report the event to the police. It took another couple of days to get a rescue team going and on September 10th they went off. Finally their guide, the reindeer keeper, stopped and made a gesture with his arm pointing into "nowhere" saying: Here it is. When asked how far away the wreck was he said: Veeeeery far away. He was still frightened and ran back to JOKKMOKK. (In those days people in nortern regions were very superstitious and he was afraid of the ghosts.)
The team started searching which obviously took quite some time, judging by the fact that they ran out of food on the 14th but, using binoculars someone finally saw a sign, something flapping in the wind. The object was found and identified as a map covering an area from Scandinavia to the Ural Mountains. They started walking up wind
and after some distance they saw debris and finally the impact crater. Four bodies where found, the crater was water filled which made further investigation impossible. Thefore they left the site to return later.

More personnel joined the team and when they went back it took one day to recover the remains of the four airmen who were brought to UME? (and then to G?TEBORG for burial).
Also a lot of personal belongings, other items such as weapons and ammo and, of course, documents were collected and brought back and forwarded to the airforce headquarters in STOCKHOLM.
One document was missing which meant that a third visit to the crash site was neccessary.
When all documents had been examined the conclusion was that there must have been a fifth crew member.
A fourth trip was made to find the last airman and he was found in so bad condition that he had to be buried close to the wreck.
Several years later the team leader made a fifth visit to the site, this time to guide the family of the buried airman.
The team leader died a few years ago, over ninety years of age.
He was frequently asked about the crash and the site but never revealed anything.

That?s all for now, folks!

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