161 Squadron RAF
 

Does anybody know anything about the history of 161 Sqn during WWII. I am carrying out some research on a French chap called Maurice DUMESNIL and would like to know whether or not French pilots flew with 161 Sqn

Any help you can give would be great.

Re: 161 Squadron RAF
 

hi ned 161 is well documented so try on line the web site and the books about the missions, was Dumesnil aircrew, or was he an oas operative, I have been researching a mission that my uncle was killed on ,night of 8/9-aug 1944 also try Bob Bodys site he was a great help fo me..dennis

Re: 161 Squadron RAF
 

Dennis, Thanks for your reply, I have done quite a bit of research on-line already but have turned nothing up, unfortunately. I know DUMESNIL was a pilot before the war and have documents telling me that he used to fly for CIDNA (later Air France) upto 1938 but after that it goes a bit blank. That said he may have been SOE as I also have letters saying he was connected in some way to Maurice Buckmaster who (I believe) was the leader of a resistance network.

Re: 161 Squadron RAF
 

I don't know if this is the same person , and my french is not that good but a Dumenil de Grammont was flowen out of france on a hudson 21/22 sept 43 operation peashooter, pick up was "JUNOT" nnw of pont-de-vaux snr Verity was the pilot, so there could be just a mixup between christian and surname, but it is the spelling .if it is and you need to know more come back to me dennis

Re: 161 Squadron RAF
 

Hello NED and Dennis!
I am very interested as well on 161 Squadron´s record. I can suggest to you NED, the book of S/L Verity: "We landed by moonlight" from Crécy Publishing ( check on the Net ). There are other books too, like: THE SOE in France by famous Historian M.R.Foot. I remember a book, whose tittle I can not remember by heart, which was written by S/L Livry-Levell a famous French Navigator.
There are much more, off course. Hope to have helped so far. You can also try to contact the French Underground Association ( there are quite a lot of them ) or Museums.
Yours very friendly
Adriano

Re: 161 Squadron RAF
 

161 was a small unit and operated secretly even bomber command wasn't informed about certain ops 161 base Tempsford there is still a chappel and small museum dedicated to that unit
even above belgium hudsons were chot down by mistake they carried dutch resistance crew

Re: 161 Squadron RAF
 

Hi Ned
"Maurice Buckmaster who (I believe) was the leader of a resistance network".
Buckmaster was the Operational Head of SOE
Regards
Dick