American B-17 Flying Fortress bomber pilots honoured

A memorial service has paid tribute to the crew of two American Flying Fortress bombers that collided 75 years ago.

The airmen from 379th bomb group were returning to a US airbase in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire.

On 19 June 1944, the crew were on their second mission of the day - flying back from Calais in France after bombing German V-1 missile sites.

The Heavenly Body 11 aircraft crashed at Canvey Point in Essex killing three crew members. Six men survived.

The second aircraft crashed into the River Thames near Allhallows in Kent. Eight crew members died and one survived. The cause of the crash remains unknown.

19 June 2019