Hunsdon residents Jan ’42

3 Squadron – 09/08/41 – 14/05/43 Hurricane IIb, IIc, Typhoon 1b
85 Squadron – 03/05/41 – 13/05/43 – Havoc I, II, Mosquito II, XV, XII
1451 Flt – 530 Squadron – 22/05/41 (08/09/42) – 25/01/43 Havoc II (Turbinlite), Boston III (Turbinlite)

According to “RAF Fighter Airfields of World War 2” by Jonathan Falconer.

cheers

Allan

F/L H L Smith

For accuracy this is, of course, Ouistreham

Moggy

Quite agree Moggy – but it actually says Ouistrehain in the book – and mine was an exact copy from the book – easy to mistype if taken from handwriting.

See also “He continued to glide in a westerly direction to Quistrehain.” from the entry by Natalie in http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9600&page=2 – I have the 453 ORB for that period and will see what that says about it.

Now checked the 453 ORB – which is typed – and it actually says “Unfortunately F/Lt Smith A flight commander whilst flying on the night patrol over the Invasion beaches received a hit by flak near Ouistrehain and force landed in a canal East of Ouistrobain overturning in the canal. We feel his chances of being safe are very slight and all are saddened by the loss of a good pilot and a good leader.” note two spellings of Ouistreham in the same para., and it is definitely “ehain” and “obain” as the letters are very clear.

No doubt the squadron clerk, Cpl D P Young, was not familiar with French towns in Normandy at the time, a few weeks later he would have been based quite close to Ouistreham of course at B.11 Longues-sur-Mer!! The Form 541 does not give any more details.

Interesting to read from page 8 of his digitilized records that he was transferred to 125 Airfield HQ on 21 June on movement of his squadron when, according to the 125 Airfield HQ ORB “At R.A.F. Station Gravesend, on 24th June 1943, No. 125 Airfield Headquarters was formed incorporating No’s 19 and 132 Squadrons…” and that is the first line entry in the 125 ORB.

cheers

Allan

I haven’t seen it yet. It’s on my disk to watch in the long winter nights.

Moggy

Hi Moggty

Will wait for your account then – keep a sheet of paper handy to make notes!!

cheers

Allan

The Last Enemy – Richard Hillary

The Last Enemy by Richard Hillary, although the chances of that being made are about as high as me being an Olympic athlete…*

(*Basically, the Hillary family would not part with the film rights unless the resulting production stuck closely with the events described in the book – and how likely is that going to happen?)

Sorry Daz – it’s been done – for a TV film back in 1956 (when I was 10 :)) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0496777/ – it starred Pete Murray (the DJ/Actor) – it was quite good for the time, probably wouldn’t be acceptable these days!!

Life was in black and white in those days as nobody had a colour TV!!

cheers

Allan

Camera gun footage 41 + 350 squadrons 23/24 April 1945

Hi Bob

That was quick – thanks very much.

I can confirm that Gaze – Coleman – Chalmers – Gray (along with Jolly and Kelly) – took part in an Armed Recco from Celle 18.25 – 19.55 on 23 April 1945.

(At 18.25 6 aircraft led by F/Lt Gaze were airborne on an armed recco in the Hamburg area. One locomotive, thirty covered trucks and 18 M.E.T. were damaged. Six M.E.T. were left in flames. The section landed at 19.55)

The first flight of 41 squadron (11.25 – 12.40) on 23 April rules out the 07.15 of Fisher for 23 April, and he did not fly on that day either!!

However, he did fly on 24 April in a section of 6 led by Peter Cowell (06.10 (or 06.45) – 07.45) – (F/Lt P Cowell was airborne with six aircraft at 06.45 on an armed recco in the Lubeck – Wizmar – Parchim area. One locomotive was damaged east of Lubeck and further south, two more locomotives were damaged. The section landed at 07.45).

The section was Cowell, Kelly, Bodtker, Wheatley, Fisher and Remez – and the 07.15 time span fits, but whether for the one locomotive east of Lubeck or the two further south we have no idea!! 🙁

However, this still gives us a problem with regard to film 12286.

Firstly, something which doesn’t help – the 41 squadron ORB states 06.45 – 07.45 and the Form 541 states 06.10 – 07.45 for the same operation!!

Thus is it Muls, incorrectly attributed to 41 Squadron who, according to the 350 (Belgian) Squadron ORB, was part of a section (06.00 – 07.15) who destroyed 6 trains and 120 wagons, or one of the others of Cowell’s section?

The 07.15 strike of Fisher doesn’t help as the 06.30 time possibly fits for both squadrons – if we knew the time of the first 41 strike east of Lubeck we would have a good idea if it was still Muls, or one of the others in Cowells section!! :confused:

Whoever it is the date is certainly 24 April and not 23 April – it was a hectic time for 125 Wing, for all ground sections as well as the pilots, so I would not be too surprised to find dates/names/squadrons incorrectly attributed in a few cases.

Enjoy your holiday when you finally get away!! 🙂

cheers

Allan

Query on Robert Muls – Film No. 12286 23 April 1945

The Film and Video Archive Dept of the IWM has a lot of RAF WWII gun camera film which was given to the IWM by the RAF. I know because I have spent the last two and a half years cataloguing it.
While not viewable on line (yet) it can be searched for pilots, squadrons etc – go to the IWM Collections online webpage to search.

http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/qryFilm.php

Hi Bob

A very interesting list of camera gun footage – however, can I query Robert Muls – shown, in error, as 41 squadron – for 06.30 23 April 1945 – my research (125 Wing ORB, 41 and 350 Squadron Forms 540 & 541) show the following:

From the 41 squadron Form 541 it does not show 41 squadron operating before 11.35 a.m., this is confirmed by the 41 ORB stating that four aircraft took off at 11.35!!

The 125 Wing ORB for 23 April states that 350 were first off at 06.46, and they tried an armed recce at 07.51 but the weather was duff – 41 flying later

The 350 541 shows Robert Muls as operating on 23 April – but between 18.40 and 20.15 in an armed recce Wismar – Hamburg – “Roberto” Muls is also shown operating on 22 and 24 April in M SM825 (a superb 541 with individual codes and full serials!!)

However, and this could be it – but on 24 April – F/Lt Muls was operating on an Armed Recce Pritzwalk – Rostock between 06.00 – 07.15 with 5 others of 350 squadron – “The first team of the day F/Lt Muls, F/Sgt Kicq, F/O Doncq and F/O Van Eeckhoudt (the form 541 shows 6 – Muls, Leva, Boels, Doncq, Van Eeckhoudt and Kicq!!) had a wonderful score in the Pritzwalk area. In 15 minutes they had used all their ammunition sharing the destruction of 6 trains with 120 wagons. This successful operation was followed by a Wing sweep in which we met for the first time Yaks and Stormovicks aeroplanes (These two facts “Jamming of the railway system South West of Pritzwalk and the meeting of British and Russian air patrols were reported in a B.B.C. broadcast)…..” – the piece in brackets is exactly as written in the 350 ORB, and so is the spelling “Stormovicks”.

So can you confirm that film 12286 is Robert Muls, but of 350 (Belgian) Squadron, not 41 Squadron, taken at 06.30 on 24 April 1945?

http://www.350sqn.be/biography/Muls%20Roberto.htm

cheers

Allan

ref PM to Mark 12

Hi Mark (Peter)

I sent you a PM at the end of March – have you received it or do you want me to send it again?

cheers

Allan