A Winnipeg resident heads to Germany this week to pay tribute to a long-missing cousin whose plane was shot down in World War II.
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Halifax NP711 bomber crashed near Leistadt, Germany, on February 21, 1945, shot down while attempting to attack a German weapons factory. All seven members of the team died in the crash, and pilot William Wallace joined in. Wagner of Napanee, Ontario.
Now, his cousin Rob Wagner of Winnipeg is one of 15 other people visiting the crash site for a memorial service honoring the men who died there. “I can’t wait to be there,” Wagner told CTV. a lot of paintings through Erik Wieman, I think about five years ago, so we’re all looking forward to coming out and paying tribute to those seven team members. “
Weiman first discovered the crash site in 2018.
As an amateur archaeologist, he temporarily learned what he had discovered and contacted the appropriate authorities.
“They gave me permission from forestry and archeology to survey the land,” Weiman said. We discovered many parts of the aircraft and also non-public (items) of the crew. It was a very large explosion, the crash site. It is almost 400 meters wide.
Once he understood which bomber had crashed and who on board, Weiman began searching for the descendants of the deceased team members. He was contacted with Wagner via Facebook.
Erik Wieman searched for the descendants of the victims of the twist of fate on Facebook. (Source: Facebook)
Wagner says it’s great news for his family: “We knew the story for many years,” he said, “but we only knew it crashed into a hill, we had no idea of the main points of the operation. We even know the names of the other team members. “
Wagner is a filmmaker who makes a documentary about the Halifax bomber equipment and the accident. He says it’s a captivating story.
“They’ve only been together for two and a half months, and we’re in various facets of this team. We need to get into the emotional core of the team. We need to get to know them and their families,” Wagner said. Said.
He and 14 other members of the lost bomber team’s circle of relatives will travel to Germany this week for a memorial service on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022. Weiman says the crash site has now been commemorated with presentations and data plates that tell the story of Halifax. NP711 and its team.
“So now we’re making the site visual for other people here, for the descendants and we can show them the position so they can really locate the closure,” Weiman said, “the site has been almost forgotten, yet now it’s known and not one will do it anymore. “