1942-06-20-Loss of 3 Spitfires (Van Houten, Stenger, Veen)

1942-06-20 Losses of 3 Spitfires (Van Houten, Stenger, Veen)

Crash site: Reported as St.-Omer, Pas-de-Calais, France, but possibly closer to Ledquent, near Marquise, and Pihen-lès-Guînes, SW of Calais, Pas-de-Calais France. These crashes are not reported in Hugues Chevalier's 'Crashs sur le Pas-de-Calais', Lillers, 4/2006

Crash cause: shot down by enemy fighter aircraft

Name	1. Houten, Cornelis van					Dutch RAF aviator datasheet

				Grebbeberg 090204 Houten C van

Rank	Res Sgt Vl, F/Sgt., Pilot				RAF VR 1149995
Decorations	None known
Born	9/5/1919	Place	Woensel, NL
Squadron	RAF 118 Sqn Fighter Command				Ops/hr	59/85
Aircraft	Spitfire Mk. Vb Nr. EP234
Base	RAF Ibsley, Hampshire, GB
Mission	Circus 193, Escort bombers to Le Havre
Status	KIA, shot down by enemy fighter				age	23
Killed	20/6/1942	Place	St.-Omer, Pas-de-Calais, F, but possibly closer to Château de Ledquent Cemetery, Marquise, Pas-de-Calais, F.
Buried	Buried initially at Château de Ledquent Cemetery, Marquise, Pas-de-Calais, F. Reburied Militair ereveld Grebbeberg, Rhenen, NL, grave 8/19. Source: CAD-MvD 5.050.5220/81
Known to	OGS	yes	CWGC	yes
Other crew	N.a.
Memorial	Soesterberg	yes
Memorial	Other	no
GB arrival
Remarks	The British fighters were jumped in the St. Omer area by about 100 E/A with Me109 and/or Fw190 of JG26 and JG2
Data confusion	OGS: place of death unknown

Name	2. Stenger, Paul Hendrik					Dutch RAF aviator datasheet

P.H. Stenger. Source: SLH				Orry-la-Ville 050702 Stenger

Rank	Res 2Lt Vl, P/O., Pilot				RAF VR 108978
Decorations	None known
Born	21/1/1921	Place	Purmerend, NL
Squadron	RAF 118 Sqn Fighter Command				Ops/hr	34/40
Aircraft	Spitfire Mk. Vb Nr. AR449
Base	RAF Ibsley, Hampshire, GB
Mission	Circus 193, Escort bombers to Le Havre
Status	KIA, shot down by enemy fighters				age	21
Killed	20/6/1942	Place	St.-Omer or near Pihen-lès-Guînes, Pas-de-Calais, F
Buried	Initially at Pihen-lès-Guînes, Pas-de-Calais, F. Reburied Nederlands ereveld Orry-la-Ville, Senlis, F, grave B/R/1/6

Known to	OGS	yes	CWGC	yes
Other crew	N.a.
Memorial	Soesterberg	yes
Memorial	Other	no
GB arrival	Was in England on a boarding school when War broke out
Remarks	The British fighters were jumped in the St. Omer area by about 100 E/A with Me109 and/or Fw190 of JG26 and JG2
Data confusion	CWGC: Paul Hendrick, initially buried at Phien-les-Guines, F. Should be Pihen-lès-Guînes, SW of Calais OGS: grave 6, corrected 2005 in B/R/1/6

Name	3. Veen, Johannes					Dutch RAF aviator datasheet

				Orry-la-Ville 050702 Veen

Rank	Res 2Lt Vl, P/O., Pilot				RAF VR 1089983
Decorations	None known
Born	21/12/1918	Place	Garoet, Java, NEI
Squadron	RAF 118 Sqn Fighter Command				Ops/hr	46/35
Aircraft	Spitfire Mk. Vb Nr. EP134
Base	RAF Ibsley, Hampshire, GB
Mission	Circus 193, Escort bombers to Le Havre
Status	KIA, shot down by enemy fighter				age	23
Killed	20/6/1942	Place	St.-Omer or near Pihen-lès-Guînes, Pas-de-Calais, F
Buried	Buried initially at Château de Ledquent Cemetery, Marquise, Pas-de-Calais, F. Reburied Nederlands ereveld Orry-la-Ville, Senlis, F, grave B/R/1/5. Source: CAD-MvD 5.050.5220/81
Known to	OGS	yes	CWGC	yes
Other crew	N.a.
Memorial	Soesterberg	yes
Memorial	Other	no
GB arrival	Interrogation report NA 2.09.06-7957
Remarks	The British fighters were jumped in the St. Omer area by about 100 E/A with Me109 and/or Fw190 of JG26 and JG2
Data confusion	De Haan: crashed Pihen, F (=Pihen-lès-Guînes, SW of Calais) OGS: grave 5, corrected 2005 in B/R/1/5 CWGC: grave repatriated to The Netherlands

Map 24. Reported crash sites of Van Houten, Stenger and Veen

The initial burial sites of P.H. Stenger, Pihen-lès-Guînes, and of C. van Houten and J. Veen, Château de Ledquent, are 35 to 41 km West of St. Omer. Author assumes that the crashes were closer to the initial burial sites than to St. Omer. Château de Ledquent, in the hamlet of Ledquent, invisible on many maps, lies East of the A16 motorway, Calais to Boulogne, North of the junction with the D243. In the hamlet of Pihen-lès-Guînes there remains a small CWGC Cemetery, somewhat hidden behind the Communal Cemetery. The crash sites have not been pinpointed.