At about 01:45 19 Nov 1943, the Consolidated Liberator Mk III BZ891 "K" of 178 Squadron RAF took off from the Terria airbase in Libya on a sortie to lay mines in the waters off the coast of Crete. For unknown reasons, perhaps damaged by the anti-aircraft defences, the aircraft came down in the residential city of Heraklion. The entire crew perished.
Crew:
Pilot: S/L Ronald J S Wootton DFC (42088) Age 24
Pilot: F/O Geoffrey Sanderson Hall (127026) Age 23
Nav: F/Lt John Wright (88664) Age 24
Wop: P/O Albert F Smith (172941) Age 35
A/G: W/O John McMorland (643807) Age 25
A/G: F/Sgt. Thomas Hooper (654322) Age 23
Flt/Eng: P/O Janusz Zbyszynski (P0150) Age 37
Crew:
Pilot: S/L Ronald J S Wootton DFC (42088) Age 24
Pilot: F/O Geoffrey Sanderson Hall (127026) Age 23
Nav: F/Lt John Wright (88664) Age 24
Wop: P/O Albert F Smith (172941) Age 35
A/G: W/O John McMorland (643807) Age 25
A/G: F/Sgt. Thomas Hooper (654322) Age 23
Flt/Eng: P/O Janusz Zbyszynski (P0150) Age 37