7 OTU combat 14/8/40

[BrianC]

Hi guys

On 14/8/40 three Spitfires flown by instructors (W/C Hallings-Pott, S/L Adams and P/O Ayerst) shot down a He111.

Has anyone an official account of this action - and crucially any combat reports, please? I haven't been able to locate anything of significance to date.

Cheers
Brian

[Peter Cook]

Hi Brian,

This is my database entry, I couldn't locate combat reports or ORBs.

Peter

The He 111 of Oblt Wiesemann, Staffelkapitän of 8/KG27, had evaded the attacks by the Hurricanes of 213 Squadron over Lyme bay at approximately 19.40, and continued north to make the planned attack on Chester (Hawarden) airfield. The crew spotted Sealand airfield, home to No. 5 Flying Training School RAF (5 FTS), just a few miles north of Hawarden. They dropped their bombs, hitting several buildings and killing one person on the ground, and then made a strafing attack on the Airspeed Oxford and Miles Master trainers lined up on the runway. Alerted by the explosions at nearby Sealand, W/C Hallings-Pott, the commander of 7 OTU at Hawarden, took off in a Spitfire, accompanied by S/L McLean and P/O Ayerst – all experienced instructors.
The Heinkel had turned for home, but according to an account by Fw Rödder, the radio operator, they decided to make another strafing attack and turned back towards Sealand at approximately 20.30. They were intercepted by the three Spitfires and promptly shot down, with Oblt Wiesemann crash-landing the stricken Heinkel 1G+FS at Border House Farm, near Chester. All five of the crew were taken prisoner.
Despite being responsible for shooting down Wiesemann's Heinkel, the three 7 OTU pilots were not eligible for the coveted Battle of Britain Clasp as 7 OTU is not one of the 70 RAF units that are recognised as official participants in the Battle.

RAF fighter claims
- 1 He 111 destroyed – versus known losses of 1 destroyed

Comments and Source Discrepancies
Several sources provide brief accounts of this action with general agreement on the details. Walter Waiss' history of KG27 also reproduces extensive accounts by two of the Heinkel's crew (see Combat Reports). The Luftflotte 3 Einzelmeldung for 15 August reported the results of the attack on Sealand as: '1 Incendiary 250, 2 SC 250, 4 SC 50, 4 SD 50. Hits on the hangars and accommodation. Fires in the hangars', and so it is assumed that Fw Rödder sent a report of their attack by radio before they the Heinkel was intercepted.
It should be noted that as 7 OTU is not a recognised Battle of Britain squadron, the Archive has not accessed the ORBs for the unit, and so the times recorded in the digital version of Form 541 are extrapolated. The serial numbers for the three Spitfires are also unknown at this time.