NAME B.D.

Bourth (asker) Jun 7:

@ Phil It would be easy if the cross were still there. The graves were relocated to a different part of the cemetery by the Allies after the war and the wooden cross has gone. Hopefully I'll find the photo of it referred to in the text. But NAHE rather than NAME seems probable (I have since acquired a new, 'improved' version of the text which was actually published - I originally had only the typed text - but it says "5 ENCL. IERIK SOEDATEN", still with "NAME". So chances are the H was taken for an M in the original version.

Emmanuella Jun 6:

Thanks Alison. That's what I thought.

Steffen Walter Jun 6:

With Alison That's my hunch, too, following the discussion.

Alison MacG Jun 6:

I agree there is a good chance that Emmanuella is on to something.
My hunch would be nahe beim Dorf

philgoddard Jun 6:

Bourth If that were me, I'd be off on my bicycle to check the cross out for myself :-)

Bourth (asker) Jun 5:

By the by here are photos of the crash site of another Lancaster, this one laden with a full load of bombs destined for Milan that was shot down by a night fighter earlier the same night, crashing a little under 5km from where the second bomber subsequently crashed. It's amazing that the impact point is still clearly visible 80 years on, despite the land being ploughed and crops harvested every year. In this case, the pilot bailed out and made it back to England, the rest went down with the 'ship' as Americans would say, but only four bodies are buried in Rugles cemetery (where I was this evening after visiting friends living opposite), the other two having been blown into oblivion.

Bourth (asker) Jun 5:

Many thanks to all who have looked into this. Knowing who the airmen are is not a problem: I live but a few miles away from Chéronvilliers. In fact my wife's infant grandson is buried just a few metres from the Commonwealth graves beside which I sing (and always have sung) God Save the KING every year at the commemoration. While we have known since the end of the war who they are, the Germans did not know at the time. No Americans among them either, they were RAF and RAAF. Emmanuela's suggestion of Nähe is interesting, esp. given that there are instances of 'Nähe bei Dorf' on the Ouèbbhe. My text refers to a photo of this cross. I'll have to contact the Mairie to see if it's in their archives. In the mean time, 'in der Nähe bei Dorf Chéronvilliers' ranks high as a possibility.

Björn Vrooman Jun 5:

PS More info from the same website:
"A force of 199 Lancasters made a concentrated attack on a now exhausted Milan, but this time as the crews returned across France the German fighters were waiting. Seven Lancasters failed to return home. 49 Squadron had dispatched 8 aircraft of which one failed to return: It is believed that P/O Leslie Gospel and crew were hit by flak on their homeward leg. The Lancaster crashed near Rugles in France, at 02.45hrs. Two of the crew survived, and both managed to escape back to England."
https://www.49squadron.co.uk/personnel_index/detail/Gospel_L...

This matches what you described, Bourth.

Björn Vrooman Jun 5:

Not sure... ...whether it helps anyone but here is the graveyard and the five soldiers' names, possibly (includes photos):
https://www.49squadron.co.uk/the_cemeteries/detail/52

The date is correct, at least (cf. the newspaper article there).

Best

Sakshi Garg Jun 5:

Given the structure of the sentence and common military notation, "Name B.D." could be referring to the name of a specific location, operation, or site related to where the soldiers fell. It might be an abbreviation for a place name or an operation code.
To fully understand the meaning of "B.D." in this specific sentence, additional historical context or records related to the event on 16.8.43 involving the English-American soldiers at Chéronvilliers would be necessary.

Sakshi Garg Jun 5:

N.N.> Name unbekannt > name unknown https://www.germantranslationtips.com/german-abbreviations.h...

But there is no reference about B.D.

philgoddard Jun 5:

I wonder why the Germans erected the cross, and why they're referred to as 'soldiers'.

Emmanuella Jun 5:

Their names are known
https://actu.fr/normandie/rugles_27502/souvenir-des-fleurs-s...
NAME or NAEHE ?