Liberator G.R. Mk.V FL949 / PP-Y of No.311 (Czech) Squadron RAF, crashed on the Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney on the 1st January 1945

Consolidated B-24 Liberator at the RAF Museum

 

Oldrich Bures Warrant Officer Pilot Killed
Milos Bodlak Flight Sergeant Co-pilot Killed
Otto Mandler Flight Sergeant Navigator Killed
Zdenek Launer Flight Sergeant Flight Engineer Killed
Ivo Karel Englander Flight Sergeant Wireless Operator / Air gunner Killed
Martin Dorniak Sergeant Wireless Operator / Air gunner Killed
Antoni Bednar Flight Sergeant Wireless Operator / Air gunner Killed
Jaroslav Zapletal Flight Sergeant Wireless Operator / Air gunner Killed

 

The aircraft was returning to Wick, though the Squadron was stationed further down the coast at Tain, from an uneventful anti-submarine patrol in near arctic conditions, with low cloud, high winds and heavy snow, and clipped to hill about 100ft from the summit and was completely destroyed and all of the Czech crew were killed.

Much of the wreckage was eventually dragged to the bottom of the hill by the recovery crew from No.56 Maintenance Unit who spent 5 weeks on the Island. Their early work during the month of January had to be abandoned due to the ground being frozen and during February and March had to stop their work due to frequent snow and gales.

Consolidated B-24D 41-11755 at Tulsa, Oklahoma, transferred to the RAF as Liberator FL949
The aircraft had been built by Douglas at their Tulsa, Oklahoma, plant under contract as a B-24D-DT with the US Army serial number of 41-11755. Above is a photograph of one of the Douglas test pilots in the aircraft at Tulsa.
Thanks to Kevin Gray of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum for providing the photograph of the aircraft.
Alan with wreckage at the crash site of Consolidated Liberator FL949, Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney
Alan stood in a pit filled with wreckage on the top of the mountain close to where the aircraft impacted.
Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engine from Consolidated Liberator FL949, Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney
A short way up the slope from the bottom of the hill is one of the Pratt & Whitney 18 cylinder Twin Wasp engines from the aircraft.
Alan with wreckage from below the crash site of Consolidated Liberator FL949, Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney
Alan stood with the first piece that we found off the aircraft. This section of skinning from one of the wings lies on the lower slopes of the mountain.

 

Following the crash all but one of the crew were buried at Tain Cemetery, Flight Sergeant Zapletal was buried at Berrynarbor churchyard in Devon. After the end of the conflict Flight Sergeants Launer and Mandler were repatriated to their native Czechoslovakia.

Grave of the crew of Liberator FL949 at Tain Cemetery, killed when their aircraft crashed on the Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney
Graves of the crew at Tain St Duthus Cemetery.
Grave of Warrant Officer Oldrich Bures at Tain Cemetery, killed in the crash of Consolidated Liberator FL949, Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney
Grave of Warrant Officer Oldrich Bures.
Grave of Flight Sergeant Milos Bodlak at Tain Cemetery, killed in the crash of Consolidated Liberator FL949, Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney
Grave of Flight Sergeant Milos Bodlak.
Grave of Flight Sergeant Ivo Karel Englander at Tain Cemetery, killed in the crash of Consolidated Liberator FL949, Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney
Grave of Flight Sergeant Ivo Karel Englander.
Grave of Sergeant Martin Dorniak at Tain Cemetery, killed in the crash of Consolidated Liberator FL949, Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney
Grave of Sergeant Martin Dorniak.
Grave of Flight Sergeant Antoni Bednar at Tain Cemetery, killed in the crash of Consolidated Liberator FL949, Cuilags, Island of Hoy, Orkney
Grave of Flight Sergeant Antoni Bednar.