C-47 losses on September 18th,1944

[Laurent Rizzotti]

The RAF transport units suffered the following losses

38 Group RAF

190 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep, 12 Stirlings lost, 39 KIA (+ 12 dispatchers), 15 POW during the entire battle

196 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep, 10 Stirlings lost, 26 KIA (+ 8 dispatchers), 2 POW during the entire battle

295 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep, 3 Stirlings lost, 7 KIA (+ 2 dispatchers), 1 POW (+ 2 dispatchers) during the entire battle

296 Sqn: no loss

297 Sqn: no loss

298 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep. A Halifax crashed on 21 Sep (3 KIA), but unclear if in Arnhem mission or SOE usual one.

299 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep, 5 Stirlings lost, 3 KIA (+ 1 dispatcher), 10 POWs during the entire battle

570 Sqn: a Striling lost on take-off on 17 Sep, wrecked but crew survived; 11 Stirlings lost, 23 KIA (+ 4 dispatchers), 16 POWs during the entire battle

620 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep, 5 Stirlings lost, 8 KIA (+ 7 dispatchers), 7 POWs during the entire battle

644 Sqn: no loss

46 Group RAF

48 Sqn: no details on 17 Sep, but 7 Dakotas lost, 16 KIA (+ 9 dispatchers) during the entire battle

233 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep, 4 Dakotas lost during the entire battle, unknow crew losses

271 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep, 5 Dakotas lost during the entire battle, unknow crew losses (VC on David Lord on the 19th; One of the 3 271 Dakatoas to go down on the 21th was piloted by Jimmy Edwards, who would later find fame as a popular entertainer, and for his bravery in attempting to crash land the aircraft, which at the time was being shot at by an Fw-190, he saved the lives of his four wounded air despatchers, who could not bail out, and so was awarded the DFC)

437 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep, but 6 Dakotas lost, 12 KIA (+ 4 dispatchers) during the entire battle (a seventh Dakota was "successfully crash-landed" and may or not have been scrapped)

512 Sqn: no loss on 17 Sep, 3 Dakotas lost, 2 KIA during the entire battle

575 Sqn: no aircraft loss on 17 Sep (one pilot was killed by Flak but the co-pilot brought the damaged Dakota back to base), 2 Dakotas lost, 5 KIA (+ 4 dispatchers) during the entire battle (two other Dakotas were crash-landed and may or not have been scrapped)