Kew and Combat Reports

[Fairlop]

Hi,

Does anyone plan a visit of the National Archive in days to come ? I need three CRs of No.64 Sqn from early April 1941.
I have ordered them in a pack of another AIR file copies however I was given to understand that CR copies cannot be made because they weren´t found. A problem of time ? I believe they exist and look-see can solve my problem. Who can help me ?
Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Michal

[Frank Olynyk]

Michal,

If you would post the names and dates, I can check my files tonight to see if they are on the Air 50 microfilm for 64 Squadron.

Frank.

[Brian]

Hi Frank - nice to meet you here!!

Michal - if Frank can't help I will check for you during my next visit to Kew. Let me know.

Cheers
Brian

[Fairlop]

Frank and Brian,

Thank you for willingness. From AIR 50/24:
1) 9th April 1941 and reports of S/L Rankin, F/L O´Meara.
2) 22nd January 1941 and report of P/O Rowden.

Michal

[Stein Meum]

A problem with CR's at Kew is that a considerable number were stolen years ago and not all have been recovered.
I searched for combat reports from 64 Sqn earlier this year from spring 1942 and onwards but there were none from the period,at least not CR's from the Norwegians that served on the Squadron during this period.

Stein

P.S. I'm planning a trip to Kew in late November.

[Fairlop]

Hello Stein,

I have similar experience with the CRs from a period May-June 1942.

Regards to South Norway,
Michal

[Franek Grabowski]

Hello
Frank may explain it further but as I recall, those were mostly if not only WWI files affected by Graves' thievery. It seems there were gaps in the PCRs before they were archived.
Anyway, I was able to fil most of the gaps with reference to Poles by searching in a Polish archive. I suppose Czechoslovak and Norwegian inspectorates got the reports as well, so have you checked your respective archives?
Cheers

[Frank Olynyk]

Sorry for the delay, I was at work extra late.

Jan 21, 1941 @ 1215, Ju-88 dam, 10 m N of Calais; reference: CR: Air 50/24-116&117, 212, 219, 248 (microfilm frame numbers) (shared with two pilots)

April 9, 1941 @ 1030, Rowden: Me-109 prob, Mardyck area; ref: CR: Air 50/24-217

@1035, Heath: Me-109 dam, off French coast, near Mardyck; ref: CR: Air 50/24-69&70

@1040, O'Meara, He-59 dest, 0.5 m N of Dunkirk; ref: CR: Air 50/24-193&194

no claim for Rankin. Did you mean Heath? On April 11 Rankin made a claim while with 92 Squadron.

Frank.

[Frank Olynyk]

I have further checked my database, and find very few missing reports. I have several combat reports by Norwegians, Belgians, and Dutch, as well as RAAF and Rhodisian pilots. This is based on initial references in the ORB, and in the Fighter Command Combats and Casualties reports. I have a reference from the FCCC to 2 FW-190s destroyed on May 7, 1942, between 1827 and 1955, by 64 Sqn pilot(s), with no combat report; an FW-190 prob on June 22, 1942 by Duncan-Smith with a late confirmation in FCCC; and an FW-190 dam on June 29, 1942, also with a late confirmation in FCCC.

Graves stole material from both Air 1 and Air 50, as well as Air 27 and others. I was shown three (white plastic) Post Office tubs full of recovered Air 50 reports. I know pages were cut out of ORBs from both WW1 and WW2. I was also shown at least four such tubs of Air 1 material. I believe (almost?) all the WW2 material was recovered, as I have few holes in the combat reports that I have cataloged, all from microfilm. The Air 1 story is different however. Here he had started sending the originals to others, presumably selling them. Some of these have since been recovered, but not all. My WW1 index does show holes, based on a reference to a CR in Above the Trenches, indicating that Chris, Norman and/or Russell had access to a CR.

Frank.

[Martin Gleeson]

Frank,

Thanks for the detailed information on the stolen material from the PRO.
You mentioned that you had been shown the recovered items in Post Office tubs. Do you know if those documents have since been returned to their rightful place in Air 1, 27, 50, etc. ?

Regards,

Martin Gleeson.