Wellington HE697 Memorial, Nederhorst den Berg

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On the night of 13–14 May 1943, Wellington HE697 of No. 426 (Thunderbirds) Squadron RCAF was shot down at 02:53 approximately 10 kilometres north-west of Hilversum. The aircraft came down near Nederhorst den Berg, a village in the Vecht river area of North Holland.

The kill was claimed by Oberleutnant Hans-Dieter Frank of 2. Staffel, NJG 1. Wikipedia's account of Frank's kill record lists HE697 as his 31st aerial victory — the research brief stated 27th, but the Wikipedia source gives 31st; this discrepancy should be resolved against primary sources before this record is elevated to Comprehensive. Frank had also claimed two other Wellington kills earlier that same night (kills 29 and 30 on 13–14 May) and two more on 5 May 1943.

Frank was born on 8 July 1919 in Kiel and died on 28 September 1943, aged 24, after bailing out following a mid-air collision with another German nightfighter north-west of Celle. He was strangled by his radio cable.

The Nederhorst den Berg memorial incorporates actual wreckage from the crash site into a corten steel sculpture — a distinctive form of commemoration that speaks to the depth of local research and the physical evidence that survived at the site.

Every memorial has a story — why it was built, who campaigned for it, and what it means to the local community. If you know the story behind this memorial, we would love to hear it.

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