Re: Seeking photos of 107 SQ Blenheim IV, OMo?, N6189 Crashed into the Cruiser Emden at Schillig Roads on 4 Sep 1939
 

Simon,

I'm not an expert in evaluating Blenheim SN. You see what our EoE Project reports for this loss. If that is different from other sources, so be it. I can see most of the SN of this a/c in one of the photos of it salvaged after the crash, and it looks like ?618? to me, although there is enough damage around the area that the "8" could have been a "9," although I don't think so. Peter Cornwell has evaluated the information in our EoE loss report, and only he can address the reasons that he reached the conclusion that this was N6189. More than likely the photo has a lot to do with it, but he probably used other sources to collaborate his conclusions. He certainly had access to the sources to which you refer. That's all that I can say. Does N6189 appear elsewhere in the records as having survived that day? Does N6199 appear in the records after that date? In either event, that would be a good indicator of the accuracy of this information. Anyone can be wrong, but I don't have enough evidence to say who.

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

Re: Seeking photos of 107 SQ Blenheim IV, OMo?, N6189 Crashed into the Cruiser Emden at Schillig Roads on 4 Sep 1939
 

Hello Larry

Rest assured I'm not querying your records, or the fact that N6189 was lost on the mission, but just wanted to pin down the serial of the Blenheim reported to have crashed into the Emden.

Chorley's Bomber Command Losses Volume 1 has the following Blenheims lost on September 4th on the raid on Wilhelmshaven:

From 107 Squadron
Serial Number N6184, Squadron code OM-*
Serial Number N6188, Squadron code OM-*
Serial Number N6189, Squadron code OM-*
Serial Number N6240, Squadron code OM-*

From 110 Squadron
Serial Number N6199, Squadron code VE-*

(* The asterisk denotes the Blenheims' individual code letters, which are unknown).

So N6189 and N6199 were both lost on the same mission. Chorley reports N6189 as "believed to have been shot down in the target area".

Regards

Simon