Douglas Bader Question

Thanks whalebone, Geoff et al.

I think I’m gonna go make my airfield fictional instead, which kinda means that postcard that Ashley supplied is a bit surplus to requirements! 😮

Daz, Gleaned the info from here, a mine of invaluable information.
Phil.A.

http://www.battleofbritain.net/contents-index.html

Argh! More headaches than I imagined! Time for some serous re-editing!

Order of Battle 10th July 1940 for Hurricane Squadrons

11 Group;

32 @ Biggin
56 & 151 @ North Weald
85 @ Martelsham
615 @ Kenley
111 & 501 @ Croydon
43,145 @ 601 @ Tangmere
17 @ Debden
1 & 257 @ Hendon

10 Group;

87 & 213 @ Exeter
238 @ Middle Wallop (non operational)

12 Group;

242 @ Coltishall
46 @ Digby
229 @ Wittering
73 @ Church Fenton
249 @ Leconfield

13 Group;

607 @ Usworth
79,253 & 245 @ Turnhouse
605 @ Drem (non operational)
263 @ Grangemouth
3 @ Wick
504 @ Castletown

12 Groups Defiants of 264 Sqn were the only residents at Duxford, 19 Sqns Spits were at Fowlmere.

I like the new forum layout ( I think )
Regards to all,
Phil.

Just finished the book “First Light”, in which Wellum has a spell at Duxford with 92 Sqn prior to the move to Pembrey. No date given, only generalised as summer 1940.

Regards,

Paul

222 Sqn. went to Digby on the 10th May 1940.

What about the Defiants of 264? It appears they were there in July along with the 19 Squadron Spits. 310 apparently replaced 264

Dan

No 310 Sqn. are the only Hurricane squadron to fall into your timeframe, and 10th July was the date they were formed. I may be wrong but I don’t think any Duxford based squadrons saw action on the 10th. It would need some research, or someone with better books, to say if 310 squadron flew a formation, even a non-operational sortie on the 10th,
Geoff.

It would certainly be a non-operational sortie, as it would be on bicycles. The Hurricanes didn’t arrive until the 18th.

The only unit I can’t account for is 222 whose Spitfires were there in March 1940, but I can’t trace their date of departure.

Moggy

If 310 Sqn didn’t fly an operational sortie on the 10th, can it be a training sortie, such as formation flying etc? If it needs to be a sortie that was really flown, you’ll need someone who knows more about the squadron, or can look at the ORB for the 10th.

Try posting your question on this Czech airmen in the RAF website. Scroll down & click ‘forum’ on the left of the screen. Someone there will surely be able to help. http://cz-raf.hyperlink.cz/index.html

Geoff.

So we’re back to 310 Squadron again…?

It doesn’t look like it. They were declared “operational” on July 9, but didn’t start flying from Coltishall to Duxford until August 30, 1940 and then they were not officially based there until October 1940.

Dan

So could they have been flying from Duxford to Coltishall in that case?

Once again, according to 242 the Canadian Years, They didn’t operate from Duxford except as a forward base while still being stationed at Coltishall. Even when they were designated as part of the “Duxford Wing” on September 7, 1940 they were still stationed at Coltishall and only using Duxford as a forward operating base with 19 and 310 Squadrons.

Dan

Geoff – I could invent this event, but I wanted to have a genuine wartime presence there, if you know what I mean, despite it being mostly a fictional story.

It just turned out to be Hurricanes because I thought it’d be Bader’s lot that would be there (Reach for the Sky may have had something to do with this)

No 310 Sqn. are the only Hurricane squadron to fall into your timeframe, and 10th July was the date they were formed. I may be wrong but I don’t think any Duxford based squadrons saw action on the 10th. It would need some research, or someone with better books, to say if 310 squadron flew a formation, even a non-operational sortie on the 10th, unless you don’t mind ‘inventing’ a sortie & just need a squadron that could have flown it. Does it need to be Hurricanes or a real sortie?

Geoff.

Make it early July 2004, simple.

Looks like you are stuck with 19 Sqn and its Spitfires, including the early cannon-armed ones.

Another week and you can have the Hurricanes of 310 Czech Sqn.

264 were at Fowlmere recuperating

Duggie was packing his suitcase ready for his short holiday in Scunthorpe 😉

Moggy

Ahhhh! Whoops! Time to edit that novel again! 😀

So which Hurricane units were at Duxford in July 1940? My narrative has the character watching “a dozen Hurricanes” taking off at the airfield on July 10th. :confused:

According to 242 Squadron “The Canadian Years” Bader took over 242 on June 24, 1940 at Coltishall. So it would appear he was not at Duxford at the beginning of July 1940

Dan