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Re: Battle L5443, 142 Squadron, May 1940.
Martin/Simon,
A very interesting dilemma. Clearly Simon’s photograph makes a nonsense of my conclusion that L5443 was the aircraft burned out at Faux-Villecerf on May 20, 1940. Though, given the absence of any serial in the ORB, plus the Accident Card stating that L5443 was burned at Faux on that date, it is not difficult to understand how I arrived there.
So if we accept that L5443 arrived on No.142 Squadron at Faux on or around May 19 and passed to No.6 Repair & Salvage Unit (a unit I am not aware of) three days later, (ignoring the statement that it was burned at Faux on May 20 which Simon’s photo disproves) there seem to be only two possibilities both on May 22:
Battle. Forced-landed outside Paris in bad weather following attack on enemy tank between Amiens and Abbeville 5.30 a.m. Flying Officer A. D. Gosman, Sergeant Pollock, and LAC Gaston unhurt. Aircraft undamaged.
Battle. Lost bearings and forced-landed south of Paris during sortie to attack targets near Florenville 10.50 p.m. Pilot Officer Edwards, Sergeant Green, and LAC Welch unhurt. Aircraft abandoned.
The second of these seems unlikely given the time of the incident and the date recorded for its transfer to No.6 RSU. Finally, there is another photograph of a belly-landed Battle coded QT*B carrying serial L5239 that I have yet to identify.
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