199 Squadron Stirling LJ580, damaged in night fighter attack on 10-11 or 11-12 March 1944?

[MW Giles]

The AIR 27/1172 199 Sqn ORB confirms a combat on 10/11 Mar in which an a/c was shot up by a night fighter during a Special Operation

The AIR 50 combat report in the NA is for a Stirling III EF---/X on 10/11 Mar 44
with 23:00 hrs 4600N 0550E Bf110 Probably destroyed. The three crew mentioned are Betts (Pilot) Gumbrill (MUG) and Wilkinson (RG) Sorry the watermark gets in the way of the s/n. Pay £3.50 and it will disappear

The ORB Form 541 for that crew on 10/11 March lists LJ580 as their a/c. However Form 78 of LJ580 does not show serious damage, but it does show Cat Ac damage for EF459, which took until 12th May to repair on site

The ORB shows LJ580 operating the night 15/16 Mar therefore cannot have been too badly damaged if at all. LJ480 was lost Gardening on the night of 11/12 March

Conclusion EF459 damaged by nightfighter on 10/11 March. Combat report in NA and can be viewed online

LJ580 a red herring

I have EF459 down as being X then Z. LJ580 was also X. Suggest EF459/X went off line Cat Ac and LJ580 became the new X (it only joined Sqn on 5th Mar). Then its serial no got backdated to 10/11 Mar because the compiler of the ORB thought a/c X was LJ58O on that earlier date. Sorry it my ramblings do not make sense


Martin