A delegation from Manchester United recently visited Manchesterplatz to honor the victims of the tragic Munich Air Disaster, which remains the darkest day in the club’s history since 1958.
Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, and assistant coach, Steve McClaren, laid wreaths at the memorial to pay their respects.
Around 30 traveling supporters from the Old Trafford club joined the team to pay their respects to the victims of the disaster in the Bavarian capital.
Additionally, several club executives, including football director John Murtough and chief operating officer Collette Roche, made the trip to show their support.
Chief executive officer Richard Arnold and the legendary former captain, Bryan Robson, were also present, presenting another wreath on behalf of the club.
Raimond Aumann, the ambassador of the Bundesliga team, was also present to pay his respects to the events that occurred 65 years ago.
Following United’s 4-3 defeat to Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, September 20, captain Bruno Fernandes and goalscorer Rasmus Hojlund represented the players and joined in a moment of quiet reflection.
Also, lifelong supporter John Massey, who had witnessed Sir Matt Busby’s Babes play before the tragic incident, represented the fans.
As a member of the Fans’ Forum and an attendee of games since 1955, John Massey was undoubtedly moved to be at the location to pay his respect.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, September 19, ahead of the Under-19s’ UEFA Youth League opener against Bayern, an Academy delegation also visited Manchesterplatz.
Leading the group, Nick Cox and Travis Binnion ensured that learning about the Munich Air Disaster and its impact on the club remained a crucial part of the education of young footballers.
Munich Air Disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed during its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany.
The plane was carrying the famous Manchester United football team, known as the “Busby Babes,” as well as supporters and journalists.
Out of the 44 individuals onboard, 20 tragically lost their lives at the crash site.
The injured, some of whom were unconscious, were immediately transported to Munich’s Rechts der Isar Hospital.
Sadly, three more individuals succumbed to their injuries, resulting in a total of 23 fatalities and 21 survivors.
How it happened
The Manchester United team were returning from a European Cup match in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) when the incident happened.
They had emerged victorious against Red Star Belgrade, earning a place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Due to the limited range of the “Elizabethan”-class Airspeed Ambassador, the flight had made a necessary stop in Munich for refueling before heading to Manchester.
Pilots James Thain and Kenneth Rayment experienced boost surging in the left engine on two occasions after refueling, leading them to abort take-off.
Worried about falling behind schedule, Thain decided against staying overnight in Munich and opted for a third take-off attempt. Unfortunately, as snow started to fall, a layer of slush formed at the end of the runway.
Colliding with the slush, the plane veered off the runway and crashed through a fence, resulting in the left wing being torn off when it collided with a house.
The tail section also broke off, striking a barn where a fuel truck was parked. The impact caused the fuel truck to catch fire and exploded.
Concerned about potential explosions, Thain initiated the evacuation of passengers, with the assistance of goalkeeper Harry Gregg who aided in rescuing survivors from the wreckage.
During the era of the accident, Manchester United were aiming to become the third club to win three successive Football League titles; they were six points behind league leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers with 14 games still to play.
They also held the FA Charity Shield and had just advanced into their second successive European Cup semi-finals.
The team had not been beaten for 11 matches.
Unfortunately, the devastating crash not only shattered their hopes of winning the title that year but also destroyed the promising core of what had the potential to become one of the greatest generations of English football players.
The club endured a difficult recovery process, which took them a staggering ten years before they could overcome the aftermath of the tragedy.
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