Cant Z.1007 losses September 1941

[Brian Bines]

Following on from an article in Britain At War magazine the Malta Night Fighter Unit claimed a Cant Z.1007 on the 4/5th and 8/9th September 1941 are the loss details for these known please ? The one on the 4/5th was shared by F/O Stones and P/O Barnwell while the 8/9th was credited to Barnwell . According to a web article the crew of the one on the 8/9th were rescued by a motor launch aided by an ASR Swordfish , but they are not on the list of Italian POWs from the Malta Family History site .

[Andy Mitchell]

Brian,

Have a look at Shores et al "Malta the Hurricane Years" page 289, if you have not already done so.

Have not read the BaW article so unsure of whether this adds anything to the information that you already have.

Shores has the first one on 5-6.9.41 and says that two crew were reported to have baled out, but the rescue launch only found the pilot who was badly wounded. He was hospitalised before moving to the POW camp.

On 8-9.9.41 the book states that at dawn a seaplane spotted four crew in a dinghy paddling towards Malta, they were subsequently picked up. It also indicated that Barnwell met the pilot of this second Cant before he was moved to the POW camp.

[Brian Bines]

Andy,

Thanks for this I do not have the book ' Malta the Hurricane Years' at present
Looking on other sites gave a little more info :-

5th Sept just before dawn Cant Z.1007 shot down had been illuminated by S/Ls one crewman rescued.

8/9th Sept in the time scale 2313-0013 hrs Z.1007 shot down 15 miles east of Malta crew rescued just after dawn .

Although I found a lot of info. on Corpo Aero Italiano and the ANR not so much with the Regia Aeronautica bomber force . Might find an AD(I)K report on these two Z.1007 losses when PRO opens,

Best Regards

Brian Bines