© Fred Schaaf
Halifax Memorial “Marscherwald”
Where? L-6240 Graulinster
In August 1943, a British Halifax MKII bomber with seven soldiers on board was shot at by a German night fighter during a routine flight.
The memorial is dedicated to the crew members of the Royal Air Force (RAF) who lost their lives between 1940 and 1945 in aircraft crashes over Luxembourg territory under German occupation.
On 27 August 1943, a British Halifax MKII bomber of the 158th Royal Air Force, which took off from Lissett airfield in Yorkshire with seven soldiers on board to bomb Nuremberg, was shot at by a German night fighter during a routine flight. The bullets hit the engines, causing a fire. The on-board mechanic was killed instantly, as was a sniper. Four crew members managed to save themselves. The navigator landed in the vineyards near Wormeldingen, the others at Rodenbourg, Altrier and Lilien. Although the pilot managed to get out of the aircraft before it hit the ground, his cords unfortunately became entangled in a treetop and he was burnt on impact.
The memorial, a plaque made of local wood, is partly in the shape of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The names of the three crew members who died in the crash were engraved on this plaque.
A well-signposted forest path leads to the memorial, which also has a plaque with historical explanations and graphics.
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