Polish Mustang PK-E, 315 Sqd

[Peter S]

Originally Posted by Bergen

Thanks again.
What does 25(p) etc mean ?
What was his victories ?

25 (Polish) Elementary Flying Training School

as I mentioned before: "¾ V1 (1/2 + ¼) on 22.7.1944"
V1= flying bomb (Fieseler Fi 103 known as Doodlebug.)

Peter

[ATCCbengt]

Hi all posters.

AIR 27/1701 ORB 315 Sqn: Four pair of Mustang III patroling off the Norwegian coast. The first pair departed Peterhead at time 1140.

AIR 25/455 Appendix No. 18 Group:
One Liberator from 224 Sqn.
Two Warwicks ASR from 281 Sqn.
Four Liberators from 311 Sqn.
Two Liberators from 547 Sqn. (should be three but one was recalled due to bad weather getting worse)
All orders from Group stated that Mustang aircraft would be flying between the the patroling Liberators and the coast.

The Liberators was trying to catch German U-boats entering or leaving the port of Bergen, or other Norwegian ports or harbours used by the German U-boat arm. The Norwegian bases were by that time very important due to the loss of the bases on the French west-coast. Coastal Command had moved most of its long range anti U-boat squadrons north to counter this, and was operating daily off the Norwegian coast as far north as the Lofoten islands.
There is no mentioning why the Poles were ordered to patrol the coast on the 10 November, and not the 9 or 11.

Regards
Bengt

[andy bird]

Bergen,

Page 66 - A Separate Little War (This is the unedited version)

At Peterhead seven Mustangs picked up with 2 Lib's. at 15.00 hrs the formation turned on a southerly coarse after a monotonous flight nearing the Norwegian coast at a height of 1,000 ft a Mustang on the edge of the protective umbrella, piloted by Antoni Ciundziewski flying FB391 on its port side spotted some thing grey on the surface with a slight wake behind. Peeling away to investigate and levelling off at 70 feet, he found a tug towing a barge at 8 knots. He attacked with m/g going from port to starboard across the tug. With the sea swell, rising quite heigh he gained another 30ft for safety. Suddenly, he was up against well concealed camouflaged gun positions on the shore, shortly afterwards light 37mm flak from Marstein Light joined. With his section leader bellowing voice in his headphones, to regroup on the other six Mustangs, against his expressed orders Ciundziewski began a strafing run on the shore emplacements seconds later he reported being hit, with his Merlin struggling and oil splattering the perspex his leader shouted 'Bail Out' (this was picked up by a RAF W/T Station) With a second hit the Mustang caught alit and lost height immediately. The gunners had great satisfaction of seeing the single-engine fighter ploughing into the sea at 15.49 hrs (German Time) the machine was seen to topple over in the seas swell. Antoni Ciundziewski was not seen to surface from the stricken craft and no parachute or dinghy is sighted or reported by his colleagues or the Liberator crews upon their return to Scottish shores.

KInd Regards

Andy Bird

[Bergen]

Originally Posted by SteveB

Hi Peter and other posters

I realise that this intervention may not be entirely helpful but it seems to me that it would be really helpful if somebody could find out which Liberator sqn was involved and what is the record of their operations for that day. I have been unsure about the events as recorded in 315Sqn ORB since the last time this incident appeared on one of the forums.

On 10Nov44 315Sqn flew four overlapping patrols each of two a/c and taking off at 55/50 minute intervals. The first was 1140-1540; the second 1235-1625; the third 1325-1720 and the fourth 1415-1755. So, for whatever it is worth, the first patrol had not returned before the last patrol took off.

It seems to me that it is likely that the Liberators were airborne for all of this period from 1140-1755. In the 315Sqn ORB all four reports describe the task, in different levels of detail, as "protect Coastal Command A.V. Patrol 7 LIBERATORS flying at 1000 ft".

There are at least two things I don't understand. I am not well-versed in Coastal Command operations, but I don't think I have ever been aware of CC a/c apparently operating in such a large formation? It would have produced one hell of a radar response. Where I have looked at CC sqn ORBs then usually they record just single a/c operating on any patrol. If the (slower) Liberators were operating at such a low altitude and so close to the Norwegian coast why was there an escort of only two a/c when usually at least 8 and often 12 a/c would be put up to escort Beaufighters or Mosquitos? If JG5 has responded how would two a/c protect seven Liberators?

Steve

Thanks Steve, this would be great to get more information on.

ATCCbengt
Great info, thanks alot. It could have been interesting to see what the situation for JG5 at Herdla was at this date. Do you have any info ?

Andy Bird
Great book, it seems to be a good read. I guess you are the author of this, and have researched it well. What sources is it that has given this info ?
I am a bit puzzled about some of your description, because it seems to be a bit narrative and dramatic and gives a lot of details of the last minutes of the flight ?

Yours
Bergen

[Bergen]

Do any of you know what armament PK-E was loaded with at this mission ?
Was it only 4 machine guns, 1260 rounds of 0,50 caliber ?

[Bergen]

Thanks to all for information regarding the loss of PK-E.

Are anyone able to locate to were this part is from the aircraft ?