Ju88 losses over Tobruk 16th Jan 1943

[Oxby R]

Ok, thanks Jim. I take it, the correct code then, is L1+RH - bit difficult to see from the photo ? I only ask given your earlier statement :

Originally Posted by Jim P.

the original loss report (and maybe even Taghon) said the code was 'L1+RH', whereas a photo in McAulay's book clearly shows the code to be 'L1+RK'.

I did a little more digging on this last night, and found something else that sheds more light on 16th Jan 1943. Extract from 89's Squadron History (Auth Joe Warne) :

'On 16th Jan., F/O Shipard/FS Oxby flew V8447 with 2 passengers to Martuba No 4, (??) and returned with F/O Edwards. He was the controller that night when Shipard/Oxby scrambled in V8447 and shot down two Ju 88s withing 10 minutes around 19.30 hrs. in the area of Tobruk. One crashed on attempting to land and 3 bailed out (one being wounded). That same night, with the same controller, FSs Ronald Gilham Peteres/ Frank Halliday were also scrambled, in X8136, and attacked another Ju 88, observed by F/O Shipard. But the Beaufighter collided with the target and both aircraft went into the sea 10 miles east of Tobruk, with no survivors. It was later established that II/KLG 1 lost two Ju 88s over Tobruk.'

Still have several questions. 1. If Isachsen was one of the POWs - then who were the other two mentioned in Oxby snr's logbook ? 2. Would 'k' reports exist for the prisoner interrogations at PRO, or were these completed only for POWs shot down over Blighty ?