Luftwaffe bomber losses Norway April 1940

[Andy Mitchell]

Brian,

Shores et al in Fledgling Eagles has this on page 292 regarding L1+KT of 26 Apr -

"Glorious was launching three more Skuas from803 Sqdn, and somewhat later at 1308 these also intercepted He 111s, part of a force of 10 from II/LG1, 144 from III/LG1 and 11 from I/KG 26, which were undertaking a concentrated attack on Aandalsnes and Lesjaskog, where they claimed one gladiator destroyed on the ground. The bombwer crews reported having seen two other Gladiators which had got into the air, attempting to catch them, but without success.three of the KG 26 bombers were attacked over Stortfjord by the three 803 Sqdn Skuas, which were flown by Lt Lucy in 7F, Lt Filmer in 7Q and Lt christian in 7H. The windscreen of 7F was at once covered in a film of oil and Lucy had to break away to cleadn it before returning to the fight. Filmer meanwhile made an individual attack, damaging one bomber, but 7Q was then seen diving awayleaving a slight trail of smoke.he force-landed in Norway with the aircraft damaged and the observer/gunner Pty Off K.G. Baldwin, dead.
Lucy and Christian resumed the attack fro the beam, but the bombers began to draw away from them, one seeming to drop out of formation as they went. In fact two Heinkels of 2 staffel had been damaged, though neither was very badly hit. The skua pilots then attacked an aircraft identified as a Do 17, before sighting another He 111 below, this time L1+KT of 9./LG 1. several passes were made on this latter, and it lost height pouring smoke; the undercarraige came down and the stricken aircraft finally "pancaked" into the eastern end of Romsdalsfjord sinking after three minutes. Some members of the crew were seen swimming to the shore as the two Skuas, both of which had been damaged in the fight, headed back to their carrier. Lt cahl and his crew of four were all reported missing; in fact two were to die in hospital, one to remainas a prisoner and one to be freed later by German troops."