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TEMPSFORD AIRCREWS BURIED IN DENMARK

Some of these details are taken from the book "Faldne Allierede Flyvere 1939-1945" by Anders Bjornvad, Others have been obtained while communicating with Danish Veteran Resistance Members and Col Gramm, during enquires to identify graves of ‘unknown Airmen’.

Almost 300 allied aircraft crashed in or near Denmark in the course of the War. Of the surviving airmen, many were taken prisoner, but almost one hundred were given assistance by the Resistance Movement to reach safety in neutral Sweden. From the afore mentioned planes some 1160 bodies were buried in Danish soil. Around 500 airmen were lost at sea and their bodies never recovered.

At first the German Command sought to concentrate the burial of allied airmen at a few large cemeteries. These were situated at Esbjerg; Aabenra; Frederikshavn and Svino and almost half of the allied dead are interred there. Some were also buried in some 114 cemeteries, the reason for this being bodies being washed ashore and buried in the nearest local cemetery.

From 1940 to 1943, allied air crews were given a military funeral arranged by the German authorities. This consisted of a service by a German Army chaplain, a salute fired by German soldiers, and a wreath. Danish Country Councillors, police chiefs, Lord Mayors attended in full dress bearing wreaths. Countless Danes stood outside the cemetery as they were refused admittance.

Following a directive from the German High Command the religious service ceased, and the laying of wreaths were forbidden. Yet another directive in September, 1944, this time believed from Hitler, instructed that the bodies were to be buried where found. This resulted in clashes between the German and the Danes, when the Danish people insisted on proper burials. In one case where 8 RAF aircrew were buried in a bare field, the local vicar together with the aid of the local inhabitants moved the bodies into the churchyard, where a funeral service took place in the presence of the entire local community. When the Germans heard of this they arrested the vicar and several members who had helped him. All were sent to a Concentration Camp. Many Danish clergymen showed great courage and determination to ensure the airmen received a Christian Burial.

From enquiries made it has been learnt that some bodies were disfigured to prevent identification. In other cases ‘dog tags’ were removed as proof that the aircraft had been shot down allowing the gun crews to claim extra leave. As a result there are a number of graves market ‘Known only to God’ while the resting places of other aircrew have never been found.

The dates quoted in the following entries are the day of the interment.

The Tempsford Special Duties Squadrons