175 and 182 squadron 18th July 1943

[jeanba]

Hello and happy new year

I am studying Ramrod 148 but I cannot find any info on the mission made by 15 TyphoonIb of 175 and 182 squadron this day.

Can someone find me an account of their mission or at least a small description of the mission ?

Thank you in advance

[Bruce Lander]

Hi,
from Tony Wood / Les Butler site:-

RAF 11 Group Ramrod 148
RAF 83 Group
Airfield Abbeville/DRUCAT
17.45 RV: 15/175 & 182 Sqn. Typhoon FB.Ib
1st Fighter-Sweep: Tangmere
RAF 11 Gp. 41 Sqn. 12 Spitfire XII 17.45-19.26 Ramrod 148 0 - 0 - 0 n/a 2 Cat.Em Fighter F-BS: Abbeville/Drucat
Cat.Em 18.07.43 F/O T.A.H. Slack: MIA-E 11 Group 41 Sqn. Spitfire XII: EN233: G FW 190 nr. Poix
Cat.Em 18.07.43 F/O R.H.W. Hogarth: KIA 11 Group 41 Sqn. Spitfire XII: EN235 FW 190 nr. Poix
RAF 11 Gp. 91 Sqn. 12 Spitfire XII 17.45-19.26 Ramrod 148 3 - 0 - 0 Me 109G No casualty F-BS: Abbeville/Drucat
Claim 18.07.43 S/Ldr. R.H. Harries 11 Group 91 Sqn. 1 - 0 - 0 Me 109G 18.45 ca: near Poix
Claim 18.07.43 S/Ldr. R.H. Harries 11 Group 91 Sqn. 1 - 0 - 0 Me 109G 18.45 ca: near Poix
Claim 18.07.43 S/Ldr. R.H. Harries 11 Group 91 Sqn. 1 - 0 - 0 Me 109G 18.45 ca: near Poix
RAF 11 Gp. 197 Sqn. 9 Typhoon Ib 17.45-19.25 Ramrod 148 0 - 0 - 0 n/a 1 Cat.Em Fighter F-BS: Abbeville/Drucat
Cat.Em 18.07.43 Sgt. L.S. Clark: ASR 11 Group 197 Sqn. Typhoon Ib: DN371 FW 190: ASR off Beachy

Cheers

Bruce Lander

[jeanba]

Hello

Yes, I have checked Tony Wood's list and I have more info on the claims /losses :

German losses were :
- Bf 109 G-6 WNr 15452 du Stab II./JG 2 shot down over Sénarpont, 20 km NW Poix-de-Picardie. Oblt Alfred-Hugo Wiebecke KIA.
- Bf 109 G-4 WNr 19386, 3./JG 27 crashlanded Foucaucourt-Hors-Nesle, 15-20 km NW de Poix-de-Picardie. Damaged 25%, pilote unharmed.
- Bf 109 G-6 WNr 16446 du 3./JG 27 lots in Andainville, 10-15km NW Poix-de-Picardie. Uffz Walter Piehl bailed out and wounded.

3 claims (spitfires):
Uffz. Günther Jahn
Ofw Kurt Goltzsch (5/JG2)
Hptm. Kurt Bühligen (Stab II./JG 2)

But still nothing for 182 and 175 RAF squadrons

[Chris Thomas]

All 3 squadrons of 124 Airfield, New Romney, took part in this operation. All were airborne between 1750 and 1800 and returned at 1850.

W/C Gillam led 8 Typhoons of 182 Sqn; 2 returned to base with technical problems. 12 x 500lb bombs dropped on Abbeville airfield, southern dispersals.

175 Sqn set off with 7 more bombers but 2 also returned to base with problems. The remaining 5 bombed (10 x 500lb) nearby railway installations as their bomb run on the main target was baulked by 182 Sqn.

181 Sqn provided a close escort of 9 fighter Typhoons.
CT

[jeanba]

Great, thank you very much

[Steve Brew]

I have a couple of pages on this Ramrod in 'Blood, Sweat and Valour', and can add that "the Bomphoons rendezvoused with their escorts over Rye and traversed the Channel at 500 feet. They commenced their climb 12 miles off the coast and flew directly to Abbeville-Drucat Airfield.

175 Squadron’s Bomphoons made the first bombing run on the target, from north to south at altitudes of 6,000 to 11,000 feet. The bombs of two aircraft overshot and hit a factory outside the airfield’s perimeter, two aircraft bombed the nearby marshalling yards and one bombed the airfield.

182 Squadron then went in from south to north at 5,000 to 9,000 feet, and their bombs were seen to burst at the intersection of the southwest-northeast and east-west runways and southern dispersals area. Between the two Bomphoon squadrons, a total of twenty-two 500 lb. bombs were dropped, and although moderate heavy accurate Flak was experienced over the airfield, the Luftwaffe was not seen and the Typhoons returned uneventfully."

The victory claims were made by 91 Sqn's OC, Sqn Ldr Raymomd Harries, but 197 Squadron’s Sgt Plt Leonard S. Clark was shot up in Typhoon Ib, DN371, and ditched four miles south of Newhaven. A fix was given and he was eventually picked up by HSL 145. 41 Sqn's Fg Off Rycherde Hogarth was shot down and killed, Fg Off Tom Slack was shot down and evaded, and Flt Sgt Douglas 'Jackie' Fisher sustained combat damaged and was wounded.

Regards
Steve

[jeanba]

Thank you very much, that's very interesting