The destroyed or lost ORBs of RAF units in France 1940

[rof120]

Thanks for these replies. I think you're right all of you. Nevertheless I have read a number of British books on this period and very often the ORBs (and possibly other paperwork) did make it to harbours in Northern and possibly Western France, like Boulogne, Fécamp, Le Havre, Brest and many others. There British soldiers (RAF guys I guess) often dumped the ORBs into the water of the harbour (this is a typical example) when it was neither necessary nor urgent. They could have taken them along back to England just as they kept rifles and even Bren guns. Perhaps they were just exhausted, nervous, exasperated, and felt like getting rid of everything which was not vital.

[Allan125]

"What do you say ? I am still unable to imagine a valid reason for this destruction."

You have only to watch an early part of the 1958 film Dunkirk when the group reach some of their B echelon, only to have them strafed and destroyed in front of them - and the original newsreel when they reach the Dunkirk perimeter, in an RAF lorry, to see the obvious destruction of vehicles awaiting them.

Who knows what documents reached what seemed like the relative safety of the Lancastria, and the RAF loss of life alone was terrible, without worrying about some missing paperwork!

Same thing happened in Greece and Crete with regard to logbooks and ORB's - that's why the score for "Pat" Pattle is only estimated from speaking to squadron survivors back in Egypt, giving JEJ the official highest score.

I have a handwritten copy of the ORB for 453 Squadron RAAF recreated later in Australia by the survivors for the same reason after the Malaya/Singapore/Java debacle - so, yes, I can imagine a valid reason for this destruction in all instances.

Allan