Bloch 174 shod down 06.11.42

[Witold K.]

Good morning
I'm looking for details of air combat between Bloch MB 174 and FAA 888 Sqn Martlets fought 06.11.42 off Algerian shore. Allegedly Blosh carried Italian markings and crew was German.
All the best

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Nothing so exotic. It was a French aircraft with a French crew.

Here is how starts the book "Fighters over Tunisia", by Shores, Ring and Hess, 1975:
"Lt Mauri eased his Bloch 175 out of its climb at 8,000 ft over the Mediterranean and headed westward searching for the Allied convoy which had been reported, passing through the Straits of Gibraltar. The aircraft from reconnaissance unit GR/52 of the Vichy French Armee de l'Air, based at Oran, Algeria, was detailed to try and ascertain the destination of the ships — Malta, Libya, or perhaps even French North Africa. The winter sun was already beginning to sink in the sky when suddenly there they were — six, eight, ten — more, many more, surrounded by the escort of destroyers and cruisers — and there were aircraft carriers too. Yes, this was a big one like that which had passed three months previously to fight its way through to the beleaguered island of Malta. Was the destination once more the same? Suddenly from behind came the rattle of machine gun fire. Fighters ! The French aircraft was being attacked!
On the carrier HMS 'Formidable', part of Force 'H' steaming eastwards, the intruder had been plotted on the radar screens and two Grumman Martlet as of 888 Squadron had been scrambled, led by Lt.D.M Jeram, a veteran of the Battle of Britain, during which he had flown Hurricanes while 'on loan' to the RAF. Reaching 8000 feet the fighters suddenly saw the French machine and began to overhaul it from directly astern. The date was 6 November, the place just off Cap Kramis, Algeria. Jeram closed to 250 yards, took aim and fired three long bursts; smoke poured from the starboard engine of the Bloch, which he mistakenly identified as a Potez 63, a very similar aircraft in appearance, and it slowed down momentarily before crashing into the sea where the red and yellow-striped tail unit broke off on impact. The first shots of a new campaign had been fired."

The third volume of "A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945", 2016, is exactly the same, the only difference being that it is specified that the date was 6 November 1942 (just 6 November in the original book).

I have no idea of the serial of the Bloch 175 lost, or even if it was effectively a Bloch 175 or 174, but the crew (all lost) were the following:
Adj Georges Eugène Labriet (pilot)
Lt Georges Sébastien Claude Mauri (observer, aircraft commander)
Sgt-chef Pierre Ernest Marie Maillot (air gunner)

Source:
http://www.memorialgenweb.org/memori...=bp&id=1227726
https://www.memoiredeshommes.sga.def...erre_mondiale/

Two links on the British pilot:
http://www.cieldegloire.com/002_raf_jeram_d_m.php
http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Jeram.htm

[jschreiber]

Hello

The same text, but in French, can be found in the book of the late CJE and Christopher Shores "l'aviation de Vichy au combat".

In his book "Le Bloch 174 et ses dérivés", Jacques Moulin wrote that the serial of the Bloch 175, reported as missing, was probably 117.

Regards

Jean Schreiber

[Witold K.]

Thank You very much.
The info about Italian markings and German crew I took from The Aces High of the same author You quote above, concerning Lt Jeram.
Once again thank You