Seven British crew members of the Royal Air Force were shot out of the sky near Anreep on October 20, 1943. The annual commemoration for this is slightly different this year.
Not only is the tragic death of the seven crew members exactly 80 years ago this Friday, the organization of the commemoration itself is also being overhauled.
Youth is taking over
The Friends of the Lancaster Monument Committee Anreep erected a monument in 1999 at the site of the crash, near the Gat van Dries. A commemoration ceremony has taken place here every year since then. From the upcoming commemoration, Friday at 2:30 PM, Dr. Nassau College in Assen is responsible for the care of the monument and the organization of the commemorations.
To reflect on this, the outgoing committee asked the Royal Netherlands Army to fly over with a historic aircraft. There will also be a speech by Mayor Marco Out, an eyewitness and Jan Willem Broos, teacher at Dr. Nassau College. A quintet from the Royal Military Band Johan Willem Friso provides the musical accompaniment.
Shot out of the air
The English Lancaster JB 154 bomber with seven crew members on board was returning after a bombing near Leipzig on October 20, 1943. They were shot out of the sky by German fire and all crew members were killed. They were between 20 and 32 years old.