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An English Halifax bomber was on its way to Berlin to wreak death and destruction there, just before the start of 1944. But it did not get that far. A German fighter plane opened fire on the huge aircraft with seven crew members. A monument along Hardenweg near Ruinerwold marks the approximate spot where the aircraft came down.
All seven occupants of the bomber were killed: six British and one Canadian bomber. Six of the seven crew members were found at the time, four of whom were identified. They are buried at the cemetery Blijdenstein in Ruinerwold (two of them as unknown persons).
The seventh victim was never found, but he was reportedly buried somewhere in the field where the plane came down on the orders of the Germans. Two searches by the Koninklijke Landmacht (Netherlands Royal Land Forces (BIDKL)) in 2017 and 2018 also turned up nothing. The search continues.
The monument was unveiled on 3 May 2017. Family members of three of the fallen crew members were present at this unveiling. An information sign has since been erected by the Ruinerwold History Foundation. Flowers are laid every year. The six graves in the cemetery are managed by the Commonwealth War Graves.