Coastal Command Beaufighters May April

[Steve49]

Peter

Thanks for the reply (and the correction), hopefully I'll be getting the Coastal Command losses later in the year, but as you say with only covering up to the end of 1941 I'll have to wait for volume 2!

The only information I've got about Coastal Command and its support for operation Myrmidon is as follows;

3rd April - 3 sorties (by Sunderland's of 10 Sqn)
4th April -No sorties
5th April -5 sorties (2 by Liberator's of 120 Sqn and 3 by Sunderland's of 10 Sqn)
6th April -8 sorties (4 by Sunderland's of 10 Sqn and 4 by Beaufighter's, 2 each by 236 and 248 Sqn's)
7th April -1 sortie (by Blenhiem of 254 Sqn)

This is from TNA document DEFE 2/366. As I say it is possible two Beaufighter's may have been lost (presumably on the 6th), but I've found no confirmation and haven't had time to check the ORB's yet.

In case you're not aware, Myrmidon was a commando raid on Bayonne (which considering its location and the fact that the bombers of III/KG40 were nearby at Bordeaux) was a rather ambitious operation. The naval force and its commandos arrived offshore without detection, but the surf conditions prevented the landing craft from beaching so the operation was aborted and the raiders returned. They encountered some reconnaissance aircraft on the return, but the naval force (five destroyers and two landing ships were not attacked) and don't appear to have shotdown any aircraft.

Regards

Steve Pegge