Re: Mosquito HR573 45 Sqn
 

Gents,
Thanks for the input. To summarize:

HR573 - often said to have been lost 4 Apr 45, but "Flying Camels" claims it was still in use as late as Jul45
HR574: I have just downloaded the 47 Sqn ORB for Apr 45. Now things get a little strange. Interspersed with the April pages are pages for May. The sortie we are talking about was actually on 14 May 45 according to the ORB! It was aircraft K, with the circumstances as described before (F/L Scott killed, F/O Fisher returned). I am beginning to believe that this loss had nothing at all to do with 45 Sqn, which explains its absence from "Flying Camels". However, I cannot explain why Flt Lt Scott's death is listed as 14 Apr 45 everywhere (CWGC etc)

There is a co-incidence of course. HR573 was OB-K with 45 Sqn....

Andy

Re: Mosquito HR573 45 Sqn
 

Even further complications then Andy

I also think you need to download 45 Sq as well.
These two units must have worked hand in hand while based at the same place.

Venturing a pure guess here (I have my own opinions with regard to the ORB), the May dates are wrong and it should actually read April instead?

Cheers
Stig

Re: Mosquito HR573 45 Sqn
 

Stig,
I have just done that.
There is absolutely no mention of any 45 Sqn loss on 14 April. They launched 5 aircraft, all of which returned safely.
I also checked 14 May, the only loss that day was the squadrons Harvard (FE614) and its crew.
Andy

Re: Mosquito HR573 45 Sqn
 

More and more strange Andy

Checking Shores book again, he only states 45Sq flew missions on May 11 and 12th and for the rest of the month stood down preparing for their move into Cholovaram.

No mentioning of 47Sq at all on May 14th

I believe HR574 was a 45Sq aircraft which was loaned by 47Sq (off the records) on April 14th and was lost with Scott/Fisher on that same date.
I have no explanation why 47Sq ORB says it was in May.

It also seems all other sources I have (second hand), have at least interpreted the action/loss took place in April and not in May. At least Shores must have read the same papers you have done right now.
I don't have any other book/reference relating to the British efforts in Burma during this period, so I cannot check anything else.

Quite a mystery....:confused:

Cheers
Stig

Re: Mosquito HR573 45 Sqn
 

Stig has kindly pointed out that if you put all the mission references in the ORB in numerical order, then 14 April would be the correct date for the mission on which Scott and Fisher went down - I should have spotted that...
So it seems that the typist inserted the wrong month on one of the pages.

Re: Mosquito HR573 45 Sqn
 

As everyone figured out , the 14 May reference is very likely a typo by the compiling officer in 47 Sqdn

The 14 April date is confirmed via ancestry for Scott's files.
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer...549_0698-00055
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer...549_0698-00030

Stig error on my part - i somehow missed 47 Sqn in some of my notes.

Re: Mosquito HR573 45 Sqn
 

Thank you Jagan