Munich Memorial

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Lore & Background

The crash happened after Captain James Thain rejected an overnight stay in Munich to avoid falling behind schedule. On the third take-off attempt at 15:03, snow had formed a layer of slush at the end of the runway. After hitting the slush, the aircraft ploughed through a fence and struck a house, ripping off the left wing. The tail section broke off, hit a barn containing a parked fuel truck, which exploded. Goalkeeper Harry Gregg helped pull survivors from the wreckage while Thain evacuated passengers. Originally, West German authorities blamed Thain for not de-icing, but the 1969 UK Board of Trade inquiry cleared him, ruling that snow slush slowed the plane too much to allow takeoff. The team had been unbeaten in 11 matches and held the FA Charity Shield.

In Their Own Story

The journey began on February 5, 1958, after a 3-3 draw with Red Star Belgrade sent United into their second successive European Cup semi-finals. The flight from Belgrade was delayed an hour because Johnny Berry lost his passport. Upon landing in Munich for refuelling at 13:15 GMT, snow began to fall heavily. Half-back Duncan Edwards sent a telegram reading "All flights cancelled, flying tomorrow." Before the final attempt, some players moved to the back of the plane believing it safer; Billy Whelan remarked, "This may be death, but I'm ready." Radio officer Bill Rodgers radioed "Zulu Uniform rolling" as the plane gathered speed. At 117 knots (217 km/h), Rayment shouted, "Christ, we won't make it!" as the speed dropped to 105 knots (194 km/h) before the crash.

Reader's Guide

It confirms the team was returning from Belgrade via Munich to Manchester in an Airspeed Ambassador 2 (registration G-ALZU). The crash involved 44 people on board with 23 fatalities and 21 survivors. Key figures mentioned include Captain James Thain, co-pilot Kenneth Rayment, and goalkeeper Harry Gregg. The team was six points behind Wolverhampton Wanderers with 14 games left in the league. It also states it took ten years for the club to recover, eventually winning the European Cup in 1968 under Busby.

Did You Know?

• The flight stopped in Munich because a non-stop trip from Belgrade to Manchester was beyond the range of the 'Elizabethan'-class Airspeed Ambassador.
• Goalkeeper Harry Gregg helped pull survivors from the wreckage while Captain Thain began evacuating passengers.
• Half-back Duncan Edwards sent a telegram reading: 'All flights cancelled, flying tomorrow.'
• The 1969 UK Board of Trade inquiry found that snow slush on the runway caused the crash and cleared Captain Thain of blame.
• Before the final take-off attempt, players including Eddie Colman moved to the back of the plane believing it was safer.