Air Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

The airfield of Mory (home to II./KG 2) was attacked by the RAF 0500 hrs on this date. The attack killed four, wounded 10, three Do 17s were damaged by splinters and one refueller was destroyed. Anyone have an idea of the unit?

Re: Airt Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

Hello,

Possibly No.139 Squadron.

9/10 November 1940.

Bomber Command despatched 14 Blenheims and Hampdens to attack airfields , and also the Lorient seaplane base. 139 Squadron crews, briefed to attack an airfield near Albert, returned claiming a highly successful mission, reporting six German aircraft had been set ablaze on the ground whilst another, attempting to land when the raid took place, crashed nearby. The actual results were rather less than had been estimated, for one Bf 109 of III./JG 2 was burnt at Octeville,

See:
Battle of Britain The Forgotten Months November and December 1940
Foreman,John
New Malden:Air Research Publications,1988
p.63

Yes, I know, positively ancient.

The 139 Sqn ORB times (F.540), don't match (much later).

Col.

Re: Airt Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

Thanks but Mory is west of Cambrai and not near Albert

Re: Air Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

Chris,

If 2 Group and a Blenheim unit then 110 Squadron seems the only one to match. None of the other squadrons were operating over France at this time, if flying at all.
Unfortunately John Foreman has the unit wrong, but the events match exactly those reported by a 110 Squadron crew and related above by Col.

110 Squadron sent 6 aircraft to bomb airfields in Northern France during the early hours of November 10th, with the first taking off at 0200 hours and the last landing at 0920 hours. One did not find its target and returned with its bombs. The other five reported bombing Amiens-Glicy (0443 hours), 'assumed' Amiens-Glicy (0350), Lille-Vendeville ((0440), Vitry-en-Artois (0400) and Albert (0412). God alone knows what targets they actually attacked !
However the aircraft that attacked Albert was Blenheim T2253 with a crew of P/O Dickinson, Sgt. Muirhead and Sgt. Thompson. They reported the results shown above by Col.

Two crews did not observe the results of their bombing. The crew which bombed the flarepath at Lille-Vendeville later tried attacking an enemy aircraft landing at Cambrai at 0515 hours but were apparently followed by a second aircraft which was also fired upon. The crew attacking Vitry saw their bombs fall across the aerodrome and also hit hangars. One of the crews prior to bombing Amiens-Glicy claimed a very large aircraft shot down.

The Wattisham Appendices (AIR 28/897) were the main and most valuable source of information for the above, supplemented of course by the 110 Squadron ORB.

Regards,

Martin.

Re: Air Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

Martin,

Thanks for that. I did sound the alarm bells about Foreman's work - less said the better about that!

Col.

Re: Air Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

Mory is NE of Albert and SSW of Vitry. German account says 0500 hrs. Interesting that a III./KG 1 Ju 88 flown by Ofw Emil Meding crashed at Bapaume assumed to have been shot down by a night fighter 9-10 Nov 40. Bapaume is just south of Mory & VDK says crash location was Puisieux which is south-west of Mory......

Re: Air Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

Chris,

German time (German Summer Time) during November 1940 was one hour ahead of British time (British Summer Time), making the Albert attack at 0412the most likely in my opinion. As you know all too well the ability of RAF crews to pinpoint targets on the continent at night in 1940 was limited.

Martin.

Re: Air Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

Regarding the claim for a large E/A shot down.
The air gunner Sgt Charles Henry Gray, 110 Sqn, received a DFM for the destruction of a large four-engined bomber on the night of 9/10 November1940. Pilot was Sqn Ldr McDougall. The Amiens-Glisy aerodrome was identified at 03.00 hours but McDougall decided to attack a bomber seen two miles away. He positioned his Blenheim 50 feet below and 50 yards ahead of the e/a and then ordered Sgt Gray to open fire. The destruction was confirmed by another Blenheim crew. For more information see Tavender´s The DFM Register for the 2nd WW.

Looking at the preview of 110 Sqn Appendices it seems the attack on the e/a was made at 03.10 and the airfield bombed at 03.50.

Regards,
Peter

Re: Air Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

I would say that this is the KG 1 aircraft (which was not 4 engined) but Amiens is south-west of the crash site of this aircraft. I reckon they got the wrong airfield!

Re: Air Attack on Mory 10 Nov 40
 

Probably not the only time a Blenheim pilot identified a Ju 88 as a four engined aircraft. Flt Lt Hoare, 23 Sqn made a claim for a destroyed four engined aircraft over St. Leger on the night 21/22 April 1941. This was probably also a Ju 88 from KG1 (see John Foreman´s 1941 Part2 - The Blitz to the Non-stop Offensive).