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Wieringerwerf in Hollands Kroon, North Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe
 

Vliegtuigcrash Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 Herdenking
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Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 Crash Memorial

 
 
Vliegtuigcrash Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 Herdenking / Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 Crash Memorial Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 2, 2026
1. Vliegtuigcrash Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 Herdenking / Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 Crash Memorial Marker
Inscription.  
Vliegtuigcrash Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 XD-H van het 139 Jamaica Squadron
Nabij de Wieringermeerdijk in het IJsselmeer

Op 20 april 1943 was de snelle Mosquito bommenwerper om 22.25 uur opgestegen vanaf het vliegveld Marham (Norfolk) in Engeland. Vanuit Engeland steeg deze avond een kleine groep van 21 bommenwerpers op voor een missie naar de hoofdstad Berlijn. De Mosquito's hadden als doel om Hitlers verjaardag te verstoren door enkele bommen af te gooien en het luchtalarm in werking te zetten.

De bommenwerper stortte neer op de terugweg om ongeveer 02.30 uur, nadat deze was neergeschoten door de Duitse nachtjager van Staffelkapitδn (squadron kapitein) Lothar Linke. Het rapport van de Luchtbeschermingsdienst Wieringermeer vermelut dat men vanaf de gereformeerde kerk in Wieringerwerf het vliegtuig in het IJsselmeer heeft zien neerkomen. Een check op locatie door deze dienst resulteerde in het vinden van aangespoede vliegtuigonderdelen op circa 500 meter ten zuiden van de Schervenweg. De bemanning werd niet aangetroffen. Bemanningsleden Handley en Shand kwamen terecht in het Usselmeer en zijn aan
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de oostzijde geborgen op 11 mei en begraven op 12 mei op de protestantse begraafplaats van de Van Doniakerk in Makkum.

De bemanning:
William Peter Shand, Wing Commander, piloot, 27 jaar, UK.
Christopher Dinsdale Handley, Pilot Officer, navigator, 22 jaar, UK.

Tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog zijn meer dan 40 verschillende bammenwerpers en jachtvliegtuigen neergestort binnen het grondgebied van gemeente Hollands Kroon. Ook in het Usselmeer en de Waddenzee zijn vlle tuigen neejekomen. Enkele bemanningsleden becelkten met hun perachute de grond en werden σf opgepakt σf konden vluchten met hulp van het Verzet. De meesten van hen kwamen echter om het leven en keerden niet terug naar familie en geliefden.

Deze herdenkingspaal is een initiatief van Stichting Herdenkingspalen Hollands Kroon. De stichting heeft als doel het herinneren en herdenken van vliegtuigbemanningsleden die tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog zijn neergestort.
Voor meer informatie, contact of opmerkingen: www.shhk.nl.


(English translation:)
Crash Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 XD-H of the 139 Jamaica Squadron
Near the Wieringermeerdijk in the IJsselmeer

On April 20, 1943, the fast Mosquito bomber took off at 10:25 PM from Marham Airfield (Norfolk) in England. That evening, a small group of 21 bombers took off from
Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 Crash Memorial - wide view image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 2, 2026
2. Mosquito Mk. IV DZ386 Crash Memorial - wide view
England for a mission to the capital, Berlin. The Mosquitoes aimed to disrupt Hitler's birthday by dropping a few bombs and triggering the air raid siren.

The bomber crashed on the return journey at approximately 02:30, after being shot down by the German night fighter of Staffelkapitδn (Squadron Captain) Lothar Linke. The report from the Wieringermeer Air Defence Service states that the aircraft was seen crashing into the IJsselmeer from the Reformed Church in Wieringerwerf. A site check by this service resulted in the discovery of washed-up aircraft parts approximately 500 meters south of the Schervenweg. The crew was not found. Crew members Handley and Shand ended up in the IJsselmeer and were recovered on the east side on May 11 and buried on May 12 at the Protestant cemetery of the Van Donia Church in Makkum.

The crew:
William Peter Shand, Wing Commander, pilot, 27 years old, UK.
Christopher Dinsdale Handley, Pilot Officer, navigator, 22 years old, UK.

During the Second World War, more than 40 different bombers and fighter aircraft crashed within the territory of the municipality of Hollands Kroon. Many aircraft also came down in the IJsselmeer and the Wadden Sea. Some crew members hit the ground with their parachutes and were either captured or managed to escape with the help of the Resistance. However, most of them lost their
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lives and did not return to family and loved ones.


This memorial post is an initiative of the Hollands Kroon Memorial Posts Foundation. The foundation aims to remember and commemorate aircraft crew members who crashed during the Second World War.
For more information, contact, or comments: www.shhk.nl.


 
Erected 2024 by Stichting Herdenkingspalen Hollands Kroon.
 
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & SpaceWar, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is April 20, 1943.
 
Location. 52° 49.371′ N, 5° 6.564′ E. Memorial is in Wieringerwerf, Noord-Holland (North Holland), in Hollands Kroon. It is on Zuiderdijkweg near Schervenweg, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Wieringerwerf, Noord-Holland 1771, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Benelux Low Countries, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 21 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Vliegtuigcrash Haviland Mosquito DZ316 Herdenking / Haviland Mosquito DZ316 Crash Memorial (approx. 9.6 kilometers away); Jewish Deportation Memorial (approx. 20.2 kilometers away); Claes Stapelhofje / Claes Stapel Almshouse (approx. 20.2 kilometers away); Doelengebouw / Shooting Guild Buildings (approx. 20.3 kilometers away); Sint Pietershof (1692) (approx. 20.3 kilometers away); Graaf van Bossu (approx. 20.4 kilometers away); Ramen 34 (approx. 20.4 kilometers away); Burgerweeshuis / Orphanage (approx. 20.4 kilometers away).
 
Also see . . .  Crash-informatie DZ386 IJsselmeer (Stichting Herdenkingspalen Hollands Kroon, in Dutch). The QR code on the marker leads to this page, including photos from the dedication, as well as more information concerning the crew, the airplane, and the mission. (Submitted on June 4, 2026.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 4, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 4, 2026, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on June 4, 2026, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
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Jun. 5, 2026