Eighty years ago, the last German aircraft to be brought down over British soil in the Second World War crashed at Elvington near York.
The Junkers JU88 Night Fighter had been attacking the nearby RAF bomber base – now the Yorkshire Air Museum – when it struck a farmhouse, on March 4 1945.
Three people in the house and the Junkers crew were killed.
Now the museum is preparing a new display, telling the story of what happened that night – which began with an attack on British bases by German aircraft, called ‘Operation Gisela’.
The museum is also holding a service of remembrance and reflection to remember those killed on both sides.
On March 4, 1945, the German air force, the Luftwaffe, sent 200 night fighters to attack Allied bombers when they were most vulnerable – as they landed at their home bases.
A number of bombers were brought down, including three from RAF Elvington operated by French aircrew. One of these had diverted all the way to Norfolk and belly landed in a field, killing two crew members.
Closer to the home, another Elvington Halifax came down at Sutton on Derwent. The pilot stayed at the controls while his crew mates safely bailed out. He did not survive.
Carried to safety
At Elvington, one of the German aircraft, piloted by Johan Dreher, was circling the airfield for another attack when it crashed into Dunnington Lodge (now the site of York Maze and a nursery).
The farmer, his wife and daughter in law died, as did the German crew. The farmer’s son survived, carrying his own child to safety from the burning building.
The Yorkshire Evening Press report at the time stated: “Two women lost their lives and a farmer was seriously injured when a German ‘plane, after machine-gunning the farmstead and a cluster of cottages in a North-East village, crashed on to their house.
“Mrs Helen Moll (60), wife of Mr Richard Moll (68), and her daughter-in-law Mrs Violet Moll (29), died soon after their admission to hospital. Mr Moll, senior, is in hospital suffering from severe burns.”
The Yorkshire Air Museum, which stands on the site of RAF Elvington, is marking the 80th anniversary of Operation Gisela with a new display and an animation telling the story of the attack on the base. This will play in the museum’s small cinema.
The display, in the Museum’s Bomber Command building, includes the remains of a JU88 propellor, recovered from the North Sea near Filey in 1987. This is possibly from one of the Operation Gisela attackers.
There will also be a Service of Remembrance and Reflection in the museum Chapel on Sunday 2 March at 1pm.
Guests will include Ross Oliver, the nephew of Flight Lieutenant Jack Laffoley of No.10 Squadron, RAF Melbourne, who was shot down and killed during Operation Gisela.
He was on his last (33rd) mission, aged just 22. Ross is attending from Canada, along with his daughter Tanya and her husband from the United States.
You can find out more about Operation Gisela on the Yorkshire Air Museum website.