The Halifax III was a marked improvement on the bombers used
earlier in the war. The Halifax II had suffered from several design
flaws such as lack of power that Tolley says made them "easy
prey" for German fighters and anti-aircraft fire. But even the
best bomber had little chance against fighter planes, he said.
In this case, the Germans reacted quickly and scrambled wave
after wave of faster, more nimble fighters. They caught up to the
Allied planes, whose only real defence was to swirl the bomber in a
corkscrew motion to avoid fire.
As they flew over the village of Ly-Fontaine, Hughes' plane
collided hard with another Allied bomber. Villager Pierre Laurence,
the last remaining witness to the crash, was 23 years old at the
time, said Lantiez. Laurence had heard the planes overhead and was
outside, rushing his wife and baby into a bunker.
He heard a crash and looked up.
"Various parts in flame fell as a rain of fire. It was a
nightmare for the inhabitants," said Lantiez.
Lantiez said one man did manage to parachute out, but was crushed
by a falling piece of fuselage, just one piece of the debris that
spread over a diameter of more than three kilometres.
"The poor man screamed just before dying," Lantiez
said.
Laurence assisted German authorities in collecting the bodies.
Limbs were found in trees and on rooftops. A few other men may have
briefly survived the crash, as their bodies were found near the
wreckage with whistles in their mouths.
"I think they tried to call help, they were fatally injured
but with all the noise of the bombing raid no one could help them,"
Lantiez said.
The bodies were placed near a pond in the village.
11 a.m., April 19, 2014 - Ly-Fontaine
On that exact spot, Hughes and his 14 fallen comrades will be
honoured by villagers later this month. Laurence, Lantiez and others
formed a local committee to raise funds for a memorial. A stone
engraved with the names of Hughes and the others will be unveiled in
a morning ceremony.
Tolley said many who served or grew up during the war were
reluctant to talk about it. He thinks that's changing as most
realize the need to learn from the past.
"There's a new generation that wants to learn about what
happened," Tolley said. "People in Saskatchewan should
know about this man."
Nov. 11, 2014 - Vonda
Hughes' memory will be preserved back in Vonda as well. Mayor Dan
Sembalerus, who has served in Cypress, the former Yugoslavia, and
other locations, said Vonda's Remembrance Day service will be
dedicated to Hughes this year.
"He made the ultimate sacrifice," Sembalerus said. "Our
town is very proud of him. We're not going to forget."
2 Avions type Halifax, LW522 & LV946 collision en
vol, 14 membres d'équipage (les 2 avions), sont décédés,
cimetière de Seraucourt le Grand 02
falling piece of fuselage, just one piece of the debris that
spread over a diameter of more than three kilometres.
"The poor man screamed just before dying," Lantiez
said.
Laurence assisted German authorities in collecting the bodies.
Limbs were found in trees and on rooftops. A few other men may have
briefly survived the crash, as their bodies were found near the
wreckage with whistles in their mouths.
"I think they tried to call help, they were fatally injured
but with all the noise of the bombing raid no one could help them,"
Lantiez said.
The bodies were placed near a pond in the village.
On that exact spot, Hughes and his 14 fallen comrades will be
honoured by villagers later this month. Laurence, Lantiez and others
formed a local committee to raise funds for a memorial. A stone
engraved with the names of Hughes and the others will be unveiled in
a morning ceremony.
2 Avions type Halifax, LW522 & LV946 collision en
vol, 14 membres d'équipage (les 2 avions), sont décédés,
cimetière de Seraucourt le Grand 02
Retour 
