Lancaster LM424 Memorial, Oppendorf

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On 16/17 December 1943, 625 Squadron contributed to a major Berlin raid. LM424 had barely crossed into Germany when Maj. Helmut Lent — one of the Luftwaffe's most successful nightfighter pilots, who would achieve 110 kills before his death in a landing accident in October 1944 — intercepted it in the Himmelbett box over the Quakenbrück area and claimed it as his 79th victory at 19:07.

The aircraft came down on Oppendorf, a small village near Quakenbrück. The crash and subsequent fire destroyed 19 buildings. Two local men — Christoph Kalkhake, aged 61, and Heinrich Waering, aged 29 — died while attempting to rescue animals from the burning farmsteads. The main bomb exploded after the crash, widening the devastation. Six of the seven crew died; only Sgt Pallett survived, having bailed out near Lemförde.

The memorial at Oppendorf commemorates both the RAF crew and the two German civilians who lost their lives — an unusual dual acknowledgement that reflects the reality of bomber crash consequences for rural communities.

Oppendorf village community. The memorial marks the deaths of both the RAF aircrew and two local civilians — Christoph Kalkhake and Heinrich Waering — killed when the aircraft came down on the village.

Do you know of any commemorative events or annual services held at this memorial? We would love to hear from local communities who remember.