414. squadron RCAF

[Laurent Rizzotti]

French magazine Avions n° 77 (August 1999) had a list of losses for the German shool units (and other rear units) in France and has the following on this loss:

Mustang of 414 Sqn flew over Chartres area and eluded German air control. According to the ORB (note: in the magazine is a French translation that I translated again in English...):
" The weather was overcast but six sorties could be made (....) F/Lt Burroughs, Wonnacott and Seaman and F/O Brown flew a photographic recon and a Ranger combined together. They first met two Bf 109 and destroyed them before doing the same to two other aircraft they couldn't identify by type but that were identified as enemy. In the melee F/O Brown disappeared. "Cowlie" Wonnacot told he saw five smoke pillars et thought that the aircraft of "Bob" Brown was one of them ".

These Mustangs effectively surpried and shot down two Bf 109 E northeast of Chartres and then met two Ar 96 (training aircraft). Robert Oswald Brown crashed at Chandelles with Mustang AN503. He hit popplars boarding a river while flying on the deck. He could not have been shot down by the Arado as they were unarmed.

All four German AC were from JG 105 (operational training unit) and all were listed as destroyed at 100% by enemy fire:

Bf 109 E-7 WNr 5630 Uffz Heinz Ries killed at Maintenon
Bf 109 E-7 WNr 3393 Uffz Emil Kemmer killed at Maintenon

Ar 96 B-1 WNr 1217 Gefr Bruno Gregowzew wounded east of Maintenon
Ar 96 B-3 WNr 4488 Uffz Wolfgang Martin wounded east of Maintenon