'Blackie & Kirk' 406 Sqdn RCAF

[hrossm]

Sqdn. Ldr. D.J. "Blackie" Williams was twice involved in claims for 2 victories in one day, the first on 29/30th April 1944 flying a Mosquito XII coded HU.O (serial not known, SOME possible candidates are HK138, HK179, HK228, HK231) when he destroyed two Do217Ks attempting to attack Devonport with Fritz-X guided bombs and the second on 21st July 1944 flying Mosquito XXX serial MM731 (code unknown but I wonder if it was 'S' as RCAF Squadrons lists MM751 as 'S' in 406 Sqdn but the Air Briitain serials book MA100-MZ999 does not show MM751 as being issued to a squadron and 3 vs 5 is an obvious opportunity for the dreaded misprint). Again the victims were Do217s. On both occasions C.J. "Kirk" Kirkpatrick was his navigator and the squadron was based at Winkleigh in Devon.
There is a photo in the Osprey Mosquito fighter/fighter bomber squadrons book that shows an aircraft with 'Blackie and Kirk' nose art which appears to be a XII (single stage Merlin) but the photo is not dated so I don't know if this was applied to the a/c used on the above occasions.

Please can anyone add to the code/serial/nose art information above for either the XII or XXX ?

[Chris Goss]

Where is your source the Do 217s were attacking or about to attack Devonport as this differs to what the survivors said?

[brewerjerry]

Hi
I have my main notes still packed, but I thought target for the fritz X's was the KGV battleship in / moored near devonport dockyard at the time.
Apparently it is the only time the UK was/has been attacked by a guided missile.
cheers
Jerry

[Chris Goss]

Ah-III/KG 100 were involved in an attack on Plymouth 29-30 Apr 44 and did lose 2 Do 217s. However, although the KG 2 books says Fritz X was used, I cannot see anything in th Appendices of the KG 100 book (probably because no German claims were made?)

[hrossm]

Jerry Brewer's book on Harrowbeer was my source for the Fritz X incident (& a cross check HMS Howe was in Devonport). I'd be very interested in what the surviviors did say they were up to.

Also I have the identities of the Fritz X Do217s (6N+AD was from Stab.111/KG100 and 6N+IT was from 9/KG100) but I have no positive information on colours for the aircraft (70/71 or 72/73) or the aircraft code letter (A & I). Other letters were black and the 6N would have been smaller than the AD or IT as far as I know.

As well as the two Mosquitos (when I know their full identities) I would like to model one of the Fritz X Do217s - as Jerry says they are very interesting, especially as I live within sight of Whitsand Bay which is one of the crash sites - and HMS Howe with a map of the area as a display base.

[brewerjerry]

Hi,
Pretty sure my first info came from :-
Price, Alfred

BLITZ ON BRITAIN - THE BOMBER ATTACKS ON THE UNITED KINGDOM, 1939-1945

&
It Came to Our Door: Plymouth in World War II ( nice photo of the JU-88 at burrator )

by H.P TWYFORD


then from :-

Aircraft Modelworld Vol 1 No 9 November 1984
Article :- Aircraft modelling - Dornier's missile carrier - Do-217K-2 - scale, great little article on building the a/c.

There is a file in the NA /PRO ( air 22 or the air 40 dornier file, maybe even in an avia ?) the file used to have a photo of the tail cone /guns, but the photo had disappeared by the 80's, when I looked at it again.
and something in the cornish record office and maybe taunton record office.

maybe something in the profile dornier 217 book.

The whitsand bay a/c was stilll to be seen in the early 70's, a/c approaching roborough ccasionally reported seeing a twin engined a/c upside down in the sea, and it appears from research it was probably the dornier.
( the other posible candidate was a wellington, but apparently it made it to the beach in '41 ? and the JU-88 apparantly went down further out.)

The above is from memory tho' as my notes are still packed.

reference to the attack here
by Obgfr. Gerds
http://www.ghostbombers.com/dragoon/before-2.html

You are right it is the Howe,she was in devonport from January-May 1944, (KGV ws in liverpool until july).


Whilst on the subject of the raid,
a SKG10 Fw-190 was supposedly lost anyone know how and where ?


cheers
Jerry


P.S.
Just found a jpeg copy of the crash report on my hard drive.

extract from the Ai2(g) report :-



6N+IT , 'I' yellow, 'T' black.

camouflage.
Apparently intended for aircraft operating over the sea,the undersurfaces being sky blue and the fuselage and top surfaces being a very light blue with light green wavy lines superimposed.




It does not mention smaller code letters,so presumably they were all the same size ?
Jerry