Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

Hello to all. I am seeking information about the crew of the following PR Spitfires from the above mentioned Squadrons:
1- P9392, PRIa - 212 Squadron - lost 19 June 1940
2- P9396, PRIa - 1 PRU - missing 10 April 1941 ( victim of Lt Horst Uhlemberg ) PLEASE does anyone know the take off time for this a/c?
3- P9307, PRIa - 1 PRU - missing 10 April 1941 ( also victim of Lt Horst Uhlemberg. Was this machine that flown by F/O Mannifould or the other one above? )
4- P9313, PRIa - PR Flight St. Eval - MIA 9 November 1940, shot down by Oblt Franz Eckerle of .6/JG 54 at 11:45h 3km E of Deal from 2.000m
5- P9315, PRIII Type C - 3PRU - MIA 23 February 1941 - probably shot down by Hauptmann Erich Woitke II/JG 52 at 16:01h 5km SE of Calais.

Glad in advance for the NAMES of those PR pilots.

Adriano

Re: Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

Hi,

09.11.40 - F/L JWS Fowler
23.02.41 - F/L TM Lockyer

But I`m not 100% sure!

Robert

Re: Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

and...

10.04.41 F/O LD Loasby
10.04.41 P/O WK Manifould

Robert

Re: Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

Robert,
Thanks a lot! Very kind of yours!
Do you know if F/O Manifould was shot down in the morning or in the afternoon?
Cheers
Adriano

Re: Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

Hi Adriano,

unfortunately I don`t know but I think Caldwell lists him as afternoon victim of the JG26.

Regards


Robert

Re: Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

According to Coastal Command losses vol 1, by Ross Neil

19 June 1940: Spit I (PR) type B P9392 of PDU took off at 1745 for photo-recon of Emden/Bremen, failed to return. P/O J H Nicholson 41502 killed, buried in Hannover War Cemetery

9 November 1940: Spit I (PR) type ? P9313 of PRU took off at 9h30 tasked for a Group A sortie (on the French coast) but failed to return. F/Lt J W S Fowler commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial

23 February 1941: Spit I (PR) Type C R6598 of 1 PRU was lost during a recon to Oostende. Take-off time unknown.F/Lt T M Lockyer 37193 POW. Possibly shot down by Ofw Staege of 2./LG 2
(No P9315 listed for this day)

10 April 1941:
1) Spit I (PR) Type C P9307 of 1 PRU took-off at 0750 hrs from St Eval for a recon to Brest. Shot down north of Ile d'Ouessant at 0922 hrs by Ltn H Ulenberg of 2./JG 26. F/O L D Loasby 36242, from Wellington, New Zealand, commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
2) Spit I (PR) Type C P9396 of 1 PRU took-off at 1730 hrs from St Eval for a recon to Brest. Shot down near Plouescat at 1925 hrs by Ltn H Ulenberg of 2./JG 26. P/O W K Manifould commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Re: Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

Hi
Just for interest on this subject:-
two PRU pilots who were shot down and became POW were Anthony Barber
the Tory MP and cabinet member I think back in the 1970's and Tommy Calnan
who wrote "Free as a Running Fox" detailing his wartime experiences - he was shot down over Brest in late 1941 and was involved in many escapes.
Bruce Lander

Re: Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

P/O L.P.A. Barber 1 PRU, POW 25Jan42
Missing (probably due to weather) during transit flight from Gibraltar back to the UK. Another 1 PRU pilot F/O M.C.B. Anderson, who also left Gibraltar the same day, forcelanded on the Cornish coast when his engine cut at 28,000 ft over the Channel.

S/L T.D. Calnan 1 PRU, POW 30Dec41, Spitfire PR.IV (AA796)
Took off from Benson on a reconnaissance of Brest to attempt to photograph the daylight raid which was made by 14 Halifaxs

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

Re: Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

Laurent, merci beaucoup pour les informations! Super, c´est éxactement ce que je cherchais...
Bruce and Andy, very nice new INFO. Thanks a lot...I did not know there were so many PR losses between 1940-41...I thought that the grievest losses came by the end of 1944/early 1945 with the Me 262 and mid 1943 with the Fw 190s of JG 1/ JG 11.
I found this subject fascinating, because one had to be as precise as a bomber pilot, as smart and conscious as a fighter pilot and as good at navigation as an Observer of Coastal Command!...and one has to have the "guts" to go outside with no guns...facing Flak, bad weather, enemy fighters and all other sort of hazards ( oxygen problems, engine failure, etc...). Superb men those PR pilots...It is a pity that nowadays it is all done by spy satellytes...
Thanks again for your kind help, to both of you.
Friendly as ever
Adriano

Re: Help with NAMES of PRU, PDU, 212 Squadron recon pilots
 

Believe that F/O M.C.B. Anderson (25-1-1942) crashlanded on Chesnil Bank, Dorset, flying Spitfire AA813.

Henk.