61Sq Raid on Brest 1 april 41

[brewerjerry]

Hi
Anyone able to tell me the t/o and return times for the 61Sq raid on Brest 01 apr 41,they flew from S Eval, and as I understand lost X3129 ,P/O Hartop & crew, (to Fw Bock JG2).
Anyone know if there were anymore 61Sq losses/combats this day?
Cheers
Jerry

[Amrit1]

X3129, and Hartop et al were of 144 Squadron, not 61 Squadron. And that was the only aircraft lost from 144 Squadron that day.

[alex crawford]

Hi jerry,

According to Chroley's Bomber Command Losses vol 2 there were three losses on 1 April. Two were training sorties involving 50 and 311 Squadrons, while the other was 144 Squadron as mentioned by Amrit1.

The only 61 Squadron loses either side of that date were 23-24 March when X3005 was lost returning from an operation to Keil. The aircraft was hit by flak and abandoned over Driffield.

The other loss was on 8-9 April when AD827 was lost on an op to Keil.

Alex

[brewerjerry]

Hi All,
I am confused...

John Foremans book says..

'61Sq had been temporarily placed under control of coastal command and had flown down to St Eval ....
....to attack Brest....the a/c flown by P/O Hartop lost touch.... 61 Squadron X3129 P/O Hartop & crew lost'.

So was It 144Sq at St Eval (or 50 or 311?)

Is '1941 the turning point' wrong in this case ?

Cheers
Jerry

[alex crawford]

Hi Jerry,

A quick search on the 'net would indicate that in the summer of 1942 61 Sqn was loaned to Coastal Command on two occasions, nothing about 1941.

I checked for 61 Sqn losses in April 1942 in case John got mixed up with his dates, but no losses here either.

Coastal Command losses Vol 1 by Ross McNeil has two 235 Sqn Blenheims lost (both appear to be training sorties) for 1 April 1941.

Alex

[Alex Smart]

Hello Jerry,

CWGC website has Sgt.John W. Hartop age 20 laid at rest in a bradford cemetery, Date of death given as 15th April 1941.

BCL has for 1st April 1941 P/O. W. C. Hartop pow from crew of Hampden X3129.
Shot down at Lannilis, 20 km N of Brest.
The three crew lost all rest at Lannilis Communal Cemetery.
They are: Sgt F. H. Sykes, F/Sgt. R.G.L. Lambourne and Sgt. J. Riley.

Iwill look in Hampden file .

Alex

[Amrit1]

Alex S,

Hartop didn't die. The crew of X3129 were:

Sergeant (Pilot) Fred Hugh Sykes killed
Pilot Officer William C Hartop - POW No 1349
Flight Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Robert George Lester Lambourne killed
Sergeant J Riley killed

EDIT - sorry Alex S, I was typing when you added the extra info

[Alex Smart]

Hi,

Seem to be having a problem tonight with the replies I am trying to make.

Keep geting the message to add one more letter as not enough words in the message.

Have been trying to send Hampden File note.

Alex

[Alex Smart]

Hampdem File note on the loss of X3129.

Chapter 2F, page 37.
On 1 April 1941, 144 Squadron, operating from St. Eval, took off to carry out a daylight attack on the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau at Brest.
"The Squadron Commander decided that there was insufficient cloud cover and decided not to continue towards the target, but Pilot Officer Hartop in X3129, left the formation and carried on. He is beleived to have made an attack, but failed to return." The pilot was the only one to survive and became a Prisoner of War; his three crew including his regular Wireless Operator, Flight Sergant R.G.Lambourne, are buried together in a churchyard 12 miles north of Brest.

Alex

[Alex Smart]

Just for interest.The others who rest at Lannilis are also RAF.They were the 217 Squadron crew of Beaufort Mk I serial W6493 "MW-G".Lost on the 15th February 1941.P/O. R.W. Gair. Sgt. J.R.H. Webster, Sgt. A.W.R.Beeden, Sgt. W. N. Abbott.Took off to attack the Admiral Hipper in Brest harbour. Shot down by Me109s of JG77 and crashed at Plougin 14Km SW of Lannilis. Gair was from Wellington New Zealand. Sgt Webster died of his wounds on the 18th.From Coastal Command Losses vol 1.Alex