In the night of 5 to 6 July 1944, the Lockheed Hudson of the 161 Squadron was en route with four secret agents to the Appelsche Heide dropping zone near Nijkerk. A German night fighter intercepted the aircraft and it crashed into the IJsselmeer.
The Lockheed Hudson started its mission codenamed "Fives 1" at 11:50 PM. The aircraft flew at a height of approximately 15 meters over the North Sea and shortly afterwards reached the Dutch Wadden Sea. For unknown reasons, the aircraft suddenly gained altitude and was shot down from below by a German Messerschmitt Bf 110 that had taken off from Fliegerhorst Leeuwarden at 01:00 after an alarm call.
The aircraft crashed in the IJsselmeer near the Afsluitdijk, about three kilometers southwest of Kornwerderzand. None of the crew survived the crash. A propeller has been placed in Exmorra to commemorate this fatal night in 1944. In 2020, the Casemate Museum purchased the medals from the pilot Flight Lieutenant John Menzies. These medals can now be seen in Casemate 6.
