[niallc]

Hi

Again quoting from the RAF Narrative "The RAF in maritime war":

"The other successful operation of the month was on 27 April. A strike of Nos. 455 and 235 Squadons had failed to locate a convoy sighted off Lister by Beaufighters of 235 Sqn. on morning reconnaissance. Four Beaufighters of 144 Sqn and 6 of 404 Sqn were, therefore, ordered to carry out a strike in the vicinity of Obrestad.

At 14.44 hours, a merchant vessel of 4,000 tons and two escort vessels were sighted. No 404 Squadron attacked a flak ship with cannon and No 144 the main target with torpedoes. Position of the attack was south east of Ryvingen Light at 57 57N, 07 31E. Post-war evidence shows that the Norwegian merchant vessel Trondhjemsfjord of 6,753 tons was sunk. A further two Beaufighters of No 144 Squadron were despatched from Tain after the strike but were intercepted by Me 109s and Ar. 196s. M/144 was badly shot up and crashed on landing. The main strike is interesting as an early example of the use of strike wing technique in No. 18 Group."

Note that, although the narrative above implies that the sortie by two aircraft sent out after the main strike was somehow connected with that strike, it was not, but was a completely separate "Armed Rover" to an area near Stavanger - far to the north of the scene of the attack on SS Trondhjemsfjord. The hydraulic system of aircraft M/144 was badly damaged in the Bf 109's attack, and the undercarriage collapsed on landing back at Tain, the engines caught fire and the aircraft (Beaufighter VI (ITF) JL655) burned out. The crew were uninjured in the crash-landing, but the navigator had been slightly wounded in the Bf 109's attack.

Niall