Battle L5443, 142 Squadron, May 1940.

[Martin Gleeson]

Hallo all,

I was looking at an article by Simon Gifford in the August 2002 issue of FLYPAST on the RAF attacks of 14 May 1940 titled 'Slaughter over Sedan'. It contains six interesting photographs of abandoned or crash-landed aircraft, none of which I had seen before - or since.

One shows a Battle of 142 Squadron RAF, L5443 'QT-B' according to the caption. As reproduced in the article the serial on the tail and fuselage is very difficult to read but could indeed be L5443. Presumably the author had better clarity on the original photo.

What interested me was the condition of the Battle. It is in a wheels-up state with bent-back propellor blades. A large side engine panel is missing and the right-hand wing appears to be damaged at many points. Now for the 'But...' !

Peter Cornwell in his recent magnificent book on the air war over France records Battle L5443 as having been accidentally lost when its own bombs exploded. Based on the above it could not be the same aircraft in both sources.

Can anyone please add to or comment on this little mystery ?

Regards,

Martin Gleeson.

[simong]

Hello,

I can confirm from the original print that QT-B is L5443 (the serial is clearly visible on the rudder and also the rear fuselage). Sadly 142 Squadron records do not mention L5443 at all. The record card for this aircraft is also confusing - stating the aircraft passed to the AASF on 18th May, then to 142 Sqn (ties in with ORB stating that replacement aircraft arrived around the 19th) but then states passed to 6RSU on the 22nd but burned on evacuation of Faux airfield on the 20th!
Assuming that QT-B was abandoned at Faux then there is one possible force-landing that ties in on the 26th but the ORB has no details of the aircraft serial.
The aircraft what blew up when its bombs exploded (after a flare caught fire) on the 22nd was a complete write-off damaging nearby Battles - certainly not L5443!

Regards,
Simon Gifford

[Martin Gleeson]

Hallo Simon,

Thank you for the clarification concerning the photograph. That clears up at least one element of the mystery.

Regards,

Martin.

[Peter Cornwell]

Martin/Simon,

A very interesting dilemma. Clearly Simon’s photograph makes a nonsense of my conclusion that L5443 was the aircraft burned out at Faux-Villecerf on May 20, 1940. Though, given the absence of any serial in the ORB, plus the Accident Card stating that L5443 was burned at Faux on that date, it is not difficult to understand how I arrived there.

So if we accept that L5443 arrived on No.142 Squadron at Faux on or around May 19 and passed to No.6 Repair & Salvage Unit (a unit I am not aware of) three days later, (ignoring the statement that it was burned at Faux on May 20 which Simon’s photo disproves) there seem to be only two possibilities both on May 22:

Battle. Forced-landed outside Paris in bad weather following attack on enemy tank between Amiens and Abbeville 5.30 a.m. Flying Officer A. D. Gosman, Sergeant Pollock, and LAC Gaston unhurt. Aircraft undamaged.

Battle. Lost bearings and forced-landed south of Paris during sortie to attack targets near Florenville 10.50 p.m. Pilot Officer Edwards, Sergeant Green, and LAC Welch unhurt. Aircraft abandoned.

The second of these seems unlikely given the time of the incident and the date recorded for its transfer to No.6 RSU. Finally, there is another photograph of a belly-landed Battle coded QT*B carrying serial L5239 that I have yet to identify.

[simong]

Battle L5239 force-landed on 10th May 1940 near Louguyon (also quoted as landing at Colmey which is nearby). A ground party set out on the 14th from 4 Repair and Servicing Unit but didn't manage to get to the aircraft before its location was overrun by advancing German forces.
This a/c flown by Sgt Spear.

[Peter Cornwell]

Many thanks Simon. However, as the No.142 Squadron ORB gives P5238 as the aircraft flown by Sgt SPEARS on May 10, 1940, (as noted in both Chorley's Bomber Command Losses & Franks' Valiant Wings) please help me understand how we can be sure that it was in fact L5239. At least this would explain why I've been so unsuccessful in identifying the photo of QT*B mentioned previously.