CC Blenheim Fighter Claims 1940

[andy bird]

Before I sent the Claim Page to my publisher for Coastal Dawn could you check that this is correct? I have for 1940:


235 SQUADRON 15

236 SQUADRON 3

248 SQUADRON 4

254 SQUADRON 1


Apologies about the Caps just cut and pasted.

Many Thanks

Yours Faithfully,

Andy Bird

[Chris Goss]

My notes show:

235 15.5 dest 2 Probable 12 damaged

236 3 dest 1 probable 10 damaged

248 3 dest 2 probable 5 damaged

254 5.5 dest 1 probable 10 damaged

[andy bird]

Chris,

Many Thanks, these where the figures DORIS at RAFM London had on file.

Final chapters have gone to Grub Street, taking the few photographs I have of the squadrons up tomorrow.

Sincere thanks for all your help to date.

Kind Regards

Andy

[Chris Goss]

I do have the dates, times & locations but not the crews for each of these claims

[andy bird]

Wow! Amazing, I'll see what they say when I'm up there to-day, could probable work it out given the length of details some the AM reports go into, have also photo copied some details to add to your files I've on loaned.

These files you loaned the originals were still around ten years ago according to Stafford so I'm on the case or should I say mission to track them down for yrs 39 to 45 also for 248 etc,

Take care, sons rugby, football season finishes in two week will then catch up, to arrange there safe return.

Your Faithfully,

Andy Bird

[Chris Goss]

No problems.

[Brian]

Hi Andy

You were querying 254 Squadron's 1940 'score'

This is what I have amongst my notes:


11/4/40: P/O K Illingworth & F/O D. Shaw Do18 probable (confirmed 2./506)
25/4/40: F/L HM Mitchell & P/O K. Illingworth He111
29/4/40: S/L GK Fairtlough, P/O K. Illingworth, Sgt AW Tubbs Bf110
17/5/40: Sgt FD Mottram Bf110
4/6/40: F/L HM Mitchell Do18 (2./906)
20/6/40: P/O Randall & Sgt FD Mottram He115 (1./506)
2/10/40: S/L HV Hoskins & Sgt CF Rose He115 (1./506)

Hope his helps!

Cheers
Brian

[phasselgren]

Hi,

Regarding 254 Squadron's score. According to Fledgling Eagles by Christopher Shores the pilot of Blenheim 'B' claimed to have shot down a He 111 on 1 June 1940.

Regards,
Peter

[andy bird]

Many Thanks on the future posts.

Andy

[Observer1940]

Originally Posted by andy bird

Wow! Amazing, I'll see what they say when I'm up there to-day, could probable work it out given the length of details some the AM reports go into, have also photo copied some details to add to your files I've on loaned.

These files you loaned the originals were still around ten years ago according to Stafford so I'm on the case or should I say mission to track them down for yrs 39 to 45 also for 248 etc,

Take care, sons rugby, football season finishes in two week will then catch up, to arrange there safe return.

Your Faithfully,

Andy Bird

Andy

The Blenheim files don't happen to mention:-

i) friendly incidents do they?
ii) and do they also cover the F.I.U.?

I am interested, because in mid August 1940 the Fighter Interception Unit (FIU) were practicing interceptions over the English Channel and some of those interceptions turned out to be interceptions with friendly aircraft, that they had intercepted.

There are two files I came across in AIR 2 some years ago, dealing with Reports (in letter format from Fighter Command) with various Blenheim Squadron interceptions in reasonably good detail with GAF aircraft.

The problem was, was that the Fighter Command letters were not in sequential folio numbering, in other words there were gaps in the correspondence and obviously some Fighter Command letters were missing in the two AIR 2 files I saw!

Mark