Claim by 207 Sqn 7-8 Jun 44

[Chris Goss]

Apparently gunners Plt Offs H McIntosh and C B Sutherland claimed a nightfighter on the approach to Beachy Head at 0233hrs; does anyone have a combat report to support this?

[MW Giles]

Crew of 207/M (LL973) had three encounters

W/C J F Grey pilot
P/O C B Sullivan MUG
F/O H McIntosh RG

01:56 hrs 4909N 0134W A Ju88 was sighted against the moon on the port quarter coming in to attack. Both gunners kept firing whilst the e/a was attacking, which was seen to break away with both engines on fire and spiral down out of control, vanishing in cloud still on fire Claimed Destroyed

01:57 hrs 4906N 0137W The W/Op gave warning of an e/a. Both gunners sighted a Ju88 and opened fire. The e/a kept coming in, and at 150 yards was seen to explode under the tail of the Lancaster. Claimed Destroyed

02:33 hrs 5040N 0245W The R/G sighted a Me410 dead astern. The e/a opened fire which was returned by both gunners, observing strikes and a fire in the e/a, which dived down and was seen to hit the sea and disappear. Claimed Destroyed

I have lost the reference, but I think these came from the BC Monthly Summary of Ops.

The 207 Sqn ORB (Form 540) confirms they claimed three e/a destroyed

Martin

[MW Giles]

A number of other Me210/Me410s wer claimed that night

Lancaster 15/L Me410 destroyed Massy Palaiseau
Lancaster 75/M Me210 damaged
Mosquito 25Sqn HK354 Me410 detsroyed off Southwold @ 00:15 hrs
Mosquito 219 Sqn HK319 Me410 destroyed 10m E of Harwich @ 00:30 hrs
Halifax 78/U Me410 destroyed 4842N 0224E @ 01:14 hrs
Mosquito 604 Sqn MM500 Me410 destroyed NE of Laval @ 01:55 hrs
Lancaster 166/I Me410 destroyed 4848N 0205E @ 02:26 hrs

Martin

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Martin. There were 3 Me 410s lost intruding that night so 25 and 219 got 1 each so possibly 207 got the last one

[MW Giles]

23:59 219 Sqn HK248 claimed a Ju188 15m ESE of Harwich

Would that not be the third Me410 as I have

420018 lost off Happisburgh
400200 lost 10m off Harwich
420654 lost 15m off Harwich


The 207 Sqn claim is at 5040N 0245W, which is off Bridport in Dorset

Martin

[Chris Goss]

Those are the 3 but no locations given. Surely Bridport was off track and way beyond German area of activity? I had the combat off Beachy Head

[MW Giles]

The Foret de Cerisy is near St Lo. The other main targets that night were near Paris

The route for the Foret de Cerisy was

Bridport - 4940N 0230W - 4910N 0120W - Target - 4902N 0048W - 4905N 0135W - 4940N 0230W - Bridport TOT 01:40 to 01:52 hrs

Therefore our 207 Sqn a/c was on track, though who exactly he was shooting at is problematic

Martin

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Martin-way out of the operating area of II./KG 51.

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

From Mel Rolfe's biography of Wallace McIntosh:

(W/C) Grey took off at thirty minutes before midnight on 7 June 1944. heading once more for France. His aircraft, LL973 M-Mother ... They were approaching the English coast and other Lancasters were switching on their navigation lights prematurely to reassure gunners on the coast that friendly bombers were overhead and that they should relax. Having been attacked twice in rapid succession everyone on Grey's aircraft was on full-scale lookout and scornful of the other bomber's careless attitude. Tommy Young was staring out of the side and even Happy Hall, the navigator, was looking out of the astrodome, but he was aware that the pilot now knew his way home. Almost without realising it the skipper's eyes also flickered speculatively out into the gloom.
Suddenly wireless operator Bob Jack's troubled voice crackled over the intercom. McIntosh recalls the moment when hearts sank and they wondered if this was a case of being the third time unlucky.
'Bob said he had picked up on his monitor an unusual movement of an aircraft down underneath on our port side. He explained that the aircraft was acting very suspiciously coming in, then drawing back. None of the Lancs were doing that, they were going straight home.
'I was really in control in these situations and said quickly: "For God's sake lads, keep your bloody eyes open. What distance, Bob?" He said: "About 600 to 700 yards." I replied: "All right." It might have been another Lancaster or a Mosquito because Bob now said it was holding its position. Sutherland was watching the port side and I was looking below and beyond the tail. Even grey said he was looking.
Seconds seemed to stretch worryingly into minutes. They would soon be crossing Beachy Head and then home. But would they make it? The tension inside the aircraft seemed almost tangible. It was one thing being shot down over enemy territory. but to be nailed over your own country after the jubilation of bagging two night fighters would be a real pain in the backside. Bob Jack's voice exploded with excitement: 'It's disappeared.' Then, urgently: It's coming in fast behind, now!'
'And looking down on the port side there it was, settling right underneath us, his props whirling,' says McIntosh. 'It was big and shiny and had a glassy look about it. I said abruptly that it was a Messerschmitt 210. It had clearly been vectored on to us and was just hanging there, but we were ready for him. Grey put the nose down slightly and there was the fighter, fully exposed. I had a great view as we edged down to get him up. The German moved up and Larry and I blasted him with all six guns. He didn't have a chance and we gave him no opportunity to get in a shot at us. He wasn't very clever, a sitting duck. The fighter turned over, caught fire, and went spiralling down, crashing into the sea quite close to the beach at Beachy Head. It was 2.33am. The two German crewmen were killed and we carried on back to Spilsby. It had been quite a night, but it had not been for Bob Jack we would have been in a lot of trouble. Another four Lancasters nearby with their recognition lights on suddenly switched the off pretty quickly.'
They landed with some relief at 3.40am and climbed groggily out of the aircraft. Wenham, their temporary bomb aimer, fell dramatically to his knees on the ground and exclaimed: 'Jesus, is it always like this for you chaps?'

See:
Gunning For the Enemy Wallace McIntosh, DFC And Bar, DFM.
Rolfe,Mel.
London:Grub Street,2003.
pp.111-114.

Col.

PS. See also: Chapter Eleven - Three Kills in a Night (pp.109-118).

[Chris Goss]

Ah that is where Beachy Head comes from. It would now seem more likely that Pat Burke (I have a copy of his logbook here somewhere) misidentified his Ju 188 as all 3 claims are approximate area and time. Doe beg the question what did the 207 Sqn crew encounter?