Reconnaissance of July, 4th,2017 on the crash of

DH.98 Mosquito FB Mk VI, 23 Sqn RAF, HX869 20.11.1943

Crew: F/Sgt (1213930) Donald Hepworth BENTLEY (pilot) and Sgt (1323213) Victor Horace CAUSEWAY (nav.)

Giuseppe Macina – Luca Piancastelli peppe.macina@virgilio .it – luca.piancastelli@unibo.it

Picture # 1. No sign of torque or even spinning at impact on propeller (Montalbo Cemetery San Marino)

Picture # 2. No sign of torque ore even spinning at impact on propeller (Montalbo Cemetery San Marino)

Picture #3. The Mosquito crashed just over this house

Picture #4 The site of the Mosquito crash (GPS position from my telephone 43°56'2,8"N, 12°26'15,9"E).

The trees that you can see in Pictures 4 and 5 where planted in 1963. At the time of the crash, the hill was

barren. This is the approximate position of point 1 on the Map of Picture 10.

Picture # 5. The roof of the house of Picture 3 as seen from the point of impact of picture 4

Picture #6. The top of the hill where the Mosquito crashed (Montalto house) GPS 43°55'42,7"N,

12°26'24,8"E

Picture #7. Borgomaggiore main square. The entrance of the “bar-italian , Pub-english” where the people

inside heard the loud nose of the Mosquito flying at low altitude.

Picture #8. The position from which the people of Picture 7 saw the red plume of the Mosquito gleaming

through the thick fog. The passage of the Mosquito was low and “horizontal” GPS 43°56'21,4"N,

12°26'48,4"E, Borgomaggiore main square. Giuseppe Macina reports the testimony of Agostino Giacomini

called “Tino”. This is the approximate position of Point 3 of Picture 10.

Picture #9. Terrace of Cemetery Montalbo San Marino. The probable direction from which the Mosquito

was coming (GPS 43°56'22,4"N, 12°26'19,7"E). The heading of the Mosquito was probably 120. This

is the approximate position of Point 2 of Picture 10.

Picture #10. The approximate path of the Mosquito. Point 1 is crash site, Point 2 is the Montalbo Cemetery,

Point 3 is the Borgomaggiore square.

This letter reports details of the crash.

(From the Book “B. Ghigi, L. Lotti – La Repubblica di San Marino, Storia e Cultura: il passaggio della guerra,

1943-44; documenti e testimonianze, Rimini 1983”, pag. 321-322)

Approximate English Translation

“Prot. llS/A/404

in replying STM/BS/RAF/C. 9872

San Marino, li 8 Giugno 1945/1644 d.F.R.

Dear Chairman

I have received your letter of May 3 and I gladly adhere to providing the news and clarifications

required regarding Pilot Sergeant D.H. Bentley and his companion, who fell in our territory.

Looking at all the docs I have, I can state the following:

1. The incident took place on the night of 19/20 November 1943 at 2.26. If in some report was

cited the night of 18/19 November, this is a mistake. The time of the accident was specified

on the basis of testimonies of the inhabitants of the area where the plane has fallen; and, in

particular, by the fact that in a Bentley Sgt pocket it was found his watch, whose spheres

marked at 2.26 o'clock; from that time the clock no longer worked. This object was delivered

to Major L. E. Zervudachi, of the A.M.G of the VIII Army, who was an Allied Liaison Officer

at the Government of the Republic (Italian) and is now Governor of the City of Ravenna.

2. The aircraft fell in Montecchio in this Republic and burned immediately; For a radius of about

one hundred and fifty meters, the wreckage of the plane were found. I personally, as my

doctor, made the regular record of death and found the Sgt Bentley Recognition Card. The

corpses (were) projected remotely from the place an engine of the aircraft was found, they

naturally had been torn apart, especially the of the Sgt. Causeway. The navigation map of the

crew was also found. This (map) along with the wreckage is preserved by this Government;

On that map there was a sign in lapis indicating the city of Ferrara as a probable target of the

war mission and the route was just about to San Marino. The inhabitants of the area have told

us that the plane flew at a very low altitude in the midst of an exceptional fog. However, it

was possible to see some red flashes coming from the aircraft itself: this can suggest that there

was fire on board and that the pilots tried an emergency landing. The two corpses were

wearing the parachute harness while the two parachutes were slammed far from the corpses,

the one at about 50 meters (stain with blood) and the other at about 70 meters. The

identification of Sgt. Bentley was possible on the basis of the card found, while the other crew

member was not identified. His name was notified to us by an officer RAF for that of Sgt. V.

H. Causeway and will now be care of the Sammarinese Government of engrave it in the

marble reminder erected for the two airmen in our Cemetery.

3. As I said the disaster happened in the territory of San Marino. The two bodies were put into

two coffins that y were transported to Cemetery Mortuary Room and in the afternoon of the

20th. The Government of the Republic immediately decided to honor the two fallen in the most

formal and solemn form. Since in that period around the boundaries of Republic were

deployed Germanic troops, and as a Captain of the Luftwaffe came to the Republic to inquire

about the incident, this Secretariat gave him the data that would have motivated the report of

the International Committee of the Red Cross. This data reported (Red Cross) letter that you

quote in your letter. the Republic gave official honors to the two fallen; the (Luftwaffe)

Captain asked permission to participate in such honor with a platoon of German soldiers. This

permission was granted. Thus, at 16 o'clock on November 21, 1943, the funeral duties took

place. The two coffins, brought by young San Marino people, crossed the cemetery between

two wings of emotional people. The coffins were followed by the authorities of the Republic

(of San Marino), by armed representative of the San Marino Army and by a platoon of German

soldiers. Before the burial, crowns of flowers were deployed on the two coffins and the

archpriest celebrated the religious ceremony. Immediately after a German military chaplain

pronounced words of respect and exaltation of the two Fallen and the Sammarinesis Militia

(San Marino Army) and the German platoon presented their weapons.

4. -The San Marino government proceeded to erect a small monument to the two Fallen. It is

made of San Marino stone worked by local craftsmen and brings one of the propeller of the

aircraft. The tombstone carries the following inscription: "Fallen for the Homeland - this Free

Land welcomes you and honors you". I have reason to think that the British Consul at the

Vatican and Major Zervudachi had sent the photographs of the ceremony and grave (to the

families of the Fallen). On the celebrations of the Dead, the San Marino people always

flowers. RAF officers went to visit the Cemetery.

I hope I have been exhaustive in my news.

Please kindly externalize the condolences of the San Marino Government to the Families of the

Fallen

With cordiality

Dr. Ezio Baldura

“

Picture #11. The ceremony

Picture #12 The German Platoon shooting at the Ceremony

Picture #13 The engine as it arrived at the Bologna University site to be restored. Unfortunately, the plate is

missing. Witnesses remember a “left” on the plate. The other engine went completely destroyed. The

propeller of this engine was very damaged (only the hub remains). The propeller on the grave is of the

“destroyed engine”.

Picture #14 the engine of picture 13 was partially disassembled for reverse engineering studies. It was then

restored and reassembled by the University of Bologna. It is now by the owner: the Aero-club of San

Marino.