236 Squadron Claims

[Bruce Lander]

Hi,

having recently been asked about 236/248 Squadrons I here am posting what |I have on 236 Squadron claims trusting that additions - corrections etc will follow: 236 Squadron


11.07.40P/O B.H.McDonaugh Ju.88 Channel 1/KG51
P/O C.B.Peachment
P/O F.Riley



P/O B.H.McDonaugh He.111 Channel 1/KG55


17.07.40 F/O M.R.McArthur Ju.87 Dam Channel

F/Lt R.W.Dennison Ju.87 Dam Channel


04.08.40??? Bf109E Channel

??? Bf29E Dam Channel


28.08.40 P/O A.R.de'l Innis He.111H Channel Wekusta 2

P/O G.H.Russell (5396) ( TG+KA)



25.09.40 P/O G.H.Russell Do.18 Channel 3/406 (0810) (K6+D2)


06.11.40 P/O G.H.Russell Breguet Bizerte Channel SK.1
(011)


07.11.40 ??? He.111 Dam Channel


??? He.111 Dam Channel


30.11.40 Sgt N.P.G.Barron Bv.138
Sgt J.D.Keynes


12.12.40 P/O G.H.Russell He.115 Dam


25.01.41 F/O M.R.McArthur He.115 1/906
(M2+KH)


05.03.41 F/O M.R.McArthur He.111 Dam 1/KG27


??.12.41 ??? He.111


??? He.111 Dam


28.03.42 Sgt A.W.Taylor Ju.88 St.Nazaire


21.04.42 F/O A.K.Gatward He.59


??.07.42 ??? Bf.109F


Cheers


Bruce Lander

[Peter Cornwell]

Bruce,

These are the only losses I have that correspond with the claims you list:

July 11, 1940: 6./LG1 Junkers Ju88A-1. Crashed in sea during armed-reconnaissance sortie to Plymouth and probably that engaged by Blenheims of No.236 Squadron (P/O F. Riley and P/O B.M. McDonough) 25 miles south-south-east of Start Point 12.30 p.m. FF Oberlt Adolf Vitense and BO Gefr Alfred Obermeit both killed, BF Uffz Friedrich Ebermann and BS Flgr Franz Stockhammer both missing. Aircraft 100% write-off.

July 11, 1940: I./KG51 Junkers Ju88A-1. Reported lost on operational sortie, circumstances unknown. Crew of four NCOs missing. Aircraft 100% write-off.

September 25, 1940: 2./KüFlGr.106 Dornier Do18G (0881). Shot down by No.236 Squadron Blenheim (P/O G.H. Russell, Sgt D.E. Pearson, and Sgt J.E. Goldsmith) during reconnaissance sortie over St George’s Channel and ditched in the sea off Ushant 4.15 p.m. FF Oberlt Johannes Heuveldop, BM Fw Ewald Brasch, and HB Uffz Werner Kahlfeld all took to dinghy but lost, BO Oberlt zur See Hans-Dietrich Stelle killed. Aircraft M2+EK 100% write-off.
The body of Hans-Dietrich Stelle was washed ashore at Church Cove, east of Lizard Rock, on October 26.

November 6, 1940: Seenotflugkdo. 1 Bréguet Br521 'Bizerte' (0011). Shot down by No.236 Squadron Blenheim (P/O G.H. Russell, Sgt D.E. Pearson, & Sgt Pert) and crashed in sea off Jersey 8.00 a.m. BF Obergefr Hermann Stoffel killed, FF Oberfw Ulrich Janke rescued wounded, BF Obergefr Richard Leonhard, BM Uffz Heinz Heier, and BM Obergefr Friedrich Keller all rescued unhurt. Aircraft SG+FM 100% write-off.
Previously operated by the Service de Convoyage, Liaison et Entraînement, this was one of two Br521s abandoned by the French and captured at Hourtin that were later taken into service with the German Seenotdienst.

[FrancisM]

27 December 1941. F/L Lees claimed a He 111 over Vägsöy.

Francis

[Bruce Lander]

Hi,

Thanks to Peter and Francis for your replies.
I got the initial claims list back in the 1970's from Chris Shores when I was a member of the old Cassidy Group and have added to it over the years from many other sources since then (obviously not always fully trustworthy). This goes for all the other Coastal fighter units too - 235,248,254 etc.
These Squadrons all fought a very hard War and in fact shot down a lot more enemy aircraft than some regular Fighter Squadrons and are way past ready to have their stories told. Chris Goss has of course done a great job with "Bloody Biscay" and Andy Bird seems to be on the verge of something very promising.

Cheers

Bruce Lander

[phasselgren]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lander

Hi,

having recently been asked about 236/248 Squadrons I here am posting what |I have on 236 Squadron claims trusting that additions - corrections etc will follow: 236 Squadron


11.07.40P/O B.H.McDonaugh Ju.88 Channel 1/KG51
P/O C.B.Peachment
P/O F.Riley



P/O B.H.McDonaugh He.111 Channel 1/KG55


17.07.40 F/O M.R.McArthur Ju.87 Dam Channel

F/Lt R.W.Dennison Ju.87 Dam Channel


04.08.40??? Bf109E Channel

??? Bf29E Dam Channel
21.08.40 Russel and two other pilots shared a Ju 88 Damaged, Trevose Head (Those Other Eagles by Shores)


28.08.40 P/O A.R.de'l Innis He.111H Channel Wekusta 2

P/O G.H.Russell (5396) ( TG+KA) According to Those Other Eagles the date was 23 September and the claim was also shared by a third pilot





25.09.40 P/O G.H.Russell Do.18 Channel 3/406 (0810) (K6+D2)


06.11.40 P/O G.H.Russell Breguet Bizerte Channel SK.1
(011) On the same date claimed Cotes-Predy a He 115 (Those Other Eagles but Prob dest acc to Battle of Britain - The Forgotten Months by John Foreman)


07.11.40 ??? He.111 Dam Channel He 115 Dam Sgt Barron (acc to Battle of Britain - The Forgotten Months)


??? He.111 Dam Channel09.11.40 P/O D.T.M. Lumsden (acc to Battle of Britain - The Forgotten Months)






30.11.40 Sgt N.P.G.Barron Bv.138
Sgt J.D.Keynes


12.12.40 P/O G.H.Russell He.115 Dam
According to Those Other Eagles this claim was shared by three pilots


I have a note that one He 111 destr and one damaged during probably from COASTAL SUPPORT AND SPECIAL SQUADRONS OF THE RAF AND THEIR AIRCRAFT by John Rawlings




25.01.41 F/O M.R.McArthur He.115 1/906
(M2+KH)


05.03.41 F/O M.R.McArthur He.111 Dam 1/KG27


??.12.41 ??? He.111 27.12.42 A.D. Frecker He 111 Prob (Those Other Eagles)


??? He.111 Dam
??.02.42 Ju 88 acc to COASTAL SUPPORT AND SPECIAL SQUADRONS….



28.03.42 Sgt A.W.Taylor Ju.88 St.Nazaire According to Those Other Eagles S/Ldr J.M.N. Pike damaged a Ju 88 I the same area




21.04.42 F/O A.K.Gatward He.59


??.07.42 ??? Bf.109F


Cheers


Bruce Lander

Hi Bruce
I added some notes in red above. Much of it from Christopher Shores books.
I would also like to add that if anyone writes a book about the air-to-air claims made by Coastal Command units I hope this will include all units not only the fighters. The air war Coastal Command fought was unique in many ways with General Reconnaissance aircraft like Hudson attacking German bombers when protecting convoys not to mention duels fought by four engined aircraft.


Cheers
Peter Hasselgren

[Chris Goss]

I was fortunate some years ago in getting access to the Coastal Command Intelligence Summaries which listed all combats thus the only He 111 damaged in Feb 42 was at 1008 hrs on 9 Feb 42 to K/404 Sqn in the mouth of Sogne Fjord (and was a Wekusta 5 ac) and the only Bf 109 combats listed in Jul 42 were 5 Jul (to 455 Sqn-no claim)28 Jul 42 (to 10 Sqn) and again 28 Jul to P/236 Sqn NW Terschelling at 1816 hrs)

[Bruce Lander]

Hello Gentlemen,

thanks for additional information. Quite right about the other units like the Hudson Squadrons which were heavily engaged especially in the early years of the war.

Cheers

Bruce Lander

[Peter Cornwell]

Thanks to revisions from Peter Hasselgren I can now add the following:

September 23, 1940: Wettererkundungsstaffel 2 Heinkel He111H-2 (5551). Suffered engine failure during return from weather reconnaissance sortie over the Atlantic and ditched 400km west of Brest 12.05 p.m. BO Reg.Rat Hans Siegmund rescued wounded, FF Fw Horst-Max Dümcke, BF Lt Friedrich-Karl Deicke, and rest of crew all rescued unhurt by French fishing boats. Aircraft RH+NT 100% write-off.

September 23, 1940: Wettererkundungsstaffel 2 Heinkel He111H-3 (5396). Port engine set alight under attack by three Blenheims of No.236 Squadron (P/O A.R.de L. Innes, P/O G.H. Russell, and Sgt Smith) during search mission for RH+NT and ditched 400km west of Brest 2.40 p.m. BO Reg.Rat Dr Hans Reinhardt killed, BM Uffz Franz Liebl badly wounded in the arms - died next day, FF Oberlt Rudolf Prasse (Staffelführer) and BF Uffz Max Mrochen took to dinghy and rescued unhurt. Aircraft TG+KA 100% write-off.
The two survivors were eventually rescued by French fishing boats two days later.

November 9, 1940: 1./KGr. 126 Heinkel He111H-4 (6951). Jettisoned torpedo under attack by No.236 Squadron Blenheim (P/O D.T.M. Lumsden, Sgt C.M. Gibbons, & Sgt E.E. Miles) and crashed in the sea off Brest 1.30 p.m. BM Flgr Otto Skusa killed, BF Fw Peter Hermsen missing, FF Fw Walter von Livonius and BO Oberlt Helmut Lorenz both rescued by Seenotdienst. Aircraft 1T+FH 100% write-off.
The body of Otto Skusa was later washed ashore in Brittany.

[Bruce Lander]

Hi,

Peter,Chris, Peter, and all the rest of you gentlemen - you are stars!!!

Cheers

Bruce Lander

[AUS_RAAF]

Bruce,

As per Peter’s reply for 11th July 1940 claim - B.H.McDonaugh should probably read B.M.McDonough - Bryan Martin McDonough (Australian in RAF - 42137). I also have an Archie William Taylor (A.402417) on my 236 Sqn list. Cannot confirm but could be the same Sgt A.W.Taylor with 28th March 1942 claim.

Regards Drew H.