Dornier over Seaford Sussex 1944.

[malc51]

Thanks for your help,
Both the 71st & 134th were Heavy AA Regiments of the Royal Artillery.
I contacted the Royal Artillery Museum, Woolwich as suggested and received the following reply:-
"I have looked through the War Diary for 583 (Mixed) Battery of 134 Heavy Anti Aircraft Regiment Royal Artillery and can confirm that this Battery and Regiment were heavily engaged against the enemy on the days after D Day.
On the 17th June 583 Battery fired 76 rounds of 3.7 inch AA shells at 01:52 Hours and claimed 1 enemy aircraft destroyed, on the 18th June they fired 128 rounds of 3.7 inch and 40mm Bofors and claimed at 23.04 1 enemy aircraft destroyed. In action again on the 28th June at 23.30 Hours firing 33 rounds of 3.7 and 40mm Bofors, a claim for one enemy aircraft was submitted, on all occasions type of aircraft is not noted but one could well have been a Dornier 17.
The Regiment and Battery was in action all through July and August 1944 as main defence against "Diver Aircraft" known as Buzz Bombs or more properly V1 Flying Bombs; of which they shot down 4."


The 23.04 and 23.30 timings could explain the daylight claim as this was wartime double summertime, it still could have been just light at that time in June.
I'll have a chat with her and see if i can find out more.

[Brian Bines]

The Home Office weekly reports give the following enemy aircraft reported over the UK in the period :-

14/15th June Single aircraft dropped bombs in E.Anglia
15/16th June ten enemy aircraft over the UK during attacks by Flying Bombs
19/20th June brief land fall by enemy aircraft at Dover and Dungeness
20th evening two enemy aircraft over east Scotland and one over Scapa Flow
20/21st June two enemy aircraft over E.Anglia
22/23rd. June five intruders over E.Anglia
23/24th June One enemy aircraft over Orfordness destroyed by a NightFighter ( Ju188 of I(F)/122 crashed near Woodbridge Suffolk)
From 0600hrs. on 28th June to 0600hrs on 5th.July no enemy aircraft reported overland.

Any chance your mother in law may have remembered the crashed Do217 on 14/15th (not 19/20 as previous ) March near Friston (crew all killed), and the later June claims were for aircraft approaching the coast and claimed as shot down in the sea. There was a lot of luftwaffe activity over the Channel in June against Allied shipping and the aircraft claimed may have approached the UK coast (mining) without planning to fly inland.
I believe file AIR16/173 held at the Public Records Office Kew may contain brief details of AA claims in 1944,