RAF aircrafts MIA on May 13 1940 over Belgium
 

Hello,

Who can help me to find out how many aircrafts of the RAF (only those with 3 crewmembers!) were reported as MIA over Belgium on the 13 of May 1940 over Belgium??

Thanks and greetngs from Belgium

Alexander

Re: RAF aircrafts MIA on May 13 1940 over Belgium
 

Hi Alexander,

I can help you regarding Blenheims but not any other types. The RAF lost three Blenheims on that day which may have been in combat over Belgium.

L9332
Mk IV. 13-05-40 with 53 Squadron at Poix and crashed on landing at
Vitry with flak damage. DBR and abandoned when Vitry was evacuated.
F/L Brown and Sgt Brooks safe, AC2 W.Cavett injured in the leg by flak.


P6930
Mk IV. 13-05-40 with 57 Squadron at Rosieres-en-Santerre and took
off in the early evening on a reconnaissance sortie. It crashed near
Vlitjingen (Limburg), 13 miles south-east of Hasselt, Belgium. P/O G.K.R.
Drimmie taken POW, Sgt. G.F.Couzens killed and AC1 R.Shuttleworth
taken POW.


N6173
Mk IV. 13/05/40 with 59 Squadron at Poix missing from a reconnaissance
sortie. P/O C.J.E.Chamberlain (from Auckland, New Zealand) injured and
died the following day in a Luxembourg hospital, but no details seem to be
available concerning the rest of crew.


I hope this helps.

Re: RAF aircrafts MIA on May 13 1940 over Belgium
 

Hello Hugh,

So we can assume that no entire crew of a Blenheim was reported "Missing in Action" on the 13 of May 1940 over Belgium??And still "Missing in Action" today?

Greetings from Belgium

Alexander

Re: RAF aircrafts MIA on May 13 1940 over Belgium
 

Hi Hugh,

2 questions related to your inputs:

• From other sources I have the 53 Sqn aircraft that returned damaged to Vitry as the L4861, same crew. Do we have additional data that confirms any of the 2 as the correct aircraft code?
• The N6173 of 59 Sqn is mostly reported as having crashed in Neerwinden, Belgium. That makes it pretty unrealistic tahat P/O Chamberlain died in a Luxembourg hospital if the location is correct. So again, do you have additional info that can confirm this (in which case we have to match the Neerwinden crash to another machine)?

Kind regards, Pieter

Re: RAF aircrafts MIA on May 13 1940 over Belgium
 

Hi Blenheim,

Concerning the crew members of N6173, P/O Croyden J.E. Chamberlain is reported killed on May 14. The others were Sgt Frederick J.J. Evans and AC1 Frank Hands. All were commemorated on the Runnymede memorial.

Another crew of the 59 Sqn is still missing on that date : F/Lt Peter A. Hawks, Sgt George E. Seldon and AC1 Clifford G. Shaw. I don't know the code and the serial of this Blenheim.

Rgds.

Re: RAF aircrafts MIA on May 13 1940 over Belgium
 

Hi Blenheim,

The Blenheim P6930 of the 57 Sqn crashed at Vlijtingen on May 12, 1940...

Rgds.