eBay: Allied intrest

[Pieter H]

Stig,
trying to answer your questions based on the earlier discussions on this case.
As said several transport aircraft left (about 7) left for Merville, where they all landed but during unloading were strafed by Bf109s.
AW27 Ensign "Elysian" G-ADSZ was destroyed on the ground (many pictures)
DC-3 OO-AUI was immobilised, I'll come back to this one below
SM73 OO-AGZ was damaged and could not take off

SM73 OO-AGS took off with the other Ensigns for the return flight but was hit approaching Calais and crashed at Arques.

The OO-AUI stayed virtually undamaged at Merville. How the pilot Hoare was killed is unclear, possibly in the strafing and was this the reason the aircraft stayed on the ground. (By the way, first time I see this name in the context of this story). On the other hand, sgt Chartier is also mentioned to be a pilot on this flight. He was killed trying to reach allied lines. But he is also mentioned as being part of the OO-AGS crew, so there might be confusion. (He might have been the pilot of the OO-AGZ and returned with the SM73 of his fellow Belgian pilot Victor Moreau).

The flight to Merville was to evacuate the last RAF crews, and indeed the airfield was quickly overrun by the Germans, as witnessed by the pictures of them around the undamaged aircraft.

As discussed earlier, it is highly unlikely the Germans have destroyed the DC-3, they were very eager to capture flyable aircraft. Which leaves two plausible options:
1. sabotage, although I personally think this unlikely at this stage of the war.
2. strafing/bombing by RAF or French aircraft in the following days, after the withdrawal to the Dunkerque perimeter. From then it was clear that every airfield north of the Somme was now in German hands and a big DC3 was not easy to be overlooked.

All in all a pretty desperate operation, with 4 large aircraft out of 7 lost.


Cheers, Pieter

[AndyMa]

2350 -10 is Hampden P4324/QR-P of 61 Sqn, which force-landed in the Netherlands on the night of 26/27 Aug 40 (crew POW). A summary is here: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/53814

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Pieter

Valuable information indeed. So you are confident the aircraft was at Merville all the time, and it was OO-AGS
which was hit by Flak and crashed at Arques?
Works for me, but do you mind telling us your source(s) for that? It certainly differs from Parry

I am aware of the evacuation flights as such, but sources have a tendency to differ, such as who was onboard
which aircraft and so on.

I agree that sabotage seems a bit unlikely for its demise. Had the Allies destroyed it by, let's say bombing
and/or strafing surely some report would have remained about that?

Perhaps one should just leave it there and just classify it as a sort of "fog-of-the-war" type of incident....

Cheers
Stig

[edwest2]

1. https://www.ebay.de/itm/394225856734...Bk9SR8qdj_vfYA
2. https://www.ebay.de/itm/394225856118...Bk9SR8qdj_vfYA
3. https://www.ebay.de/itm/155145347353...Bk9SR8ydj_vfYA
4. https://www.ebay.de/itm/155145335975...Bk9SR8ydj_vfYA
5. https://www.ebay.de/itm/134218333845...Bk9SR86dj_vfYA

[edwest2]

1. https://www.ebay.de/itm/165658201762...Bk9SR9aMvdfgYA
2. https://www.ebay.de/itm/363967872970...Bk9SR_Tly9fgYA
3. https://www.ebay.de/itm/314131405383...cAAOSw6x1i17YK
4. https://www.ebay.de/itm/363967818219...UAAOSwNCRi1mzi
5. https://www.ebay.de/itm/314131363006...wAAOSwoP1iytxr
6. https://www.ebay.de/itm/314131384696...UAAOSwlXtim5~I
7. https://www.ebay.de/itm/363967825456...kAAOSwsYFim4hg
8. https://www.ebay.de/itm/314131368957...oAAOSw69lim3ma
9. https://www.ebay.de/itm/314131399838...gAAOSwlsFimc2P

[AndyMa]

Thanks Ed.

#3 is the well-photographed P9317/ZD-A of 222 Sqn, which was shot down on 1 June 1940, force-landing near Le Touquet (pilot POW). It was later flown by the Luftwaffe.

#7 is Whirlwind SF-H of 137 Sqn. Over the years there has been considerable debate over the identity of this aircraft, with both P7005 (lost 2 Mar 43) and P7095 (lost 23 Jan 43) quoted.

[edwest2]

You're welcome Andy.

[edwest2]

https://www.ebay.de/itm/314128417303...Bk9SR4jI2aThYA
https://www.ebay.de/itm/363964992021...Bk9SR4jI2aThYA
https://www.ebay.de/itm/314132959455...Bk9SR4rI2aThYA

[Alex Smart]

https://www.ebay.de/itm/314132959455...Bk9SR4rI2aThYA

G-ADSZ

Date: Thursday 23 May 1940
Type: Armstrong Whitworth AW.27 Ensign I
Operator: British Overseas Airways Corporation - BOAC
Registration: G-ADSZ
MSN: AW.1164
First flight: 1935
Crew: Fatalities: / Occupants:
Passengers: Fatalities: / Occupants:
Total: Fatalities: / Occupants:
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location: Merville Airport (HZB) ( France)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature: International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: ?
Destination airport: ?
Narrative:
Aircraft was on an international scheduled flight when over France, it was fired by German fighter. Crew diverted to Merville-Calonne Airport but on final approach, aircraft stalled and crashed in flames in a field. Occupant fate unknown.

Ref: aviation-safety.net

[Stig Jarlevik]

Alex

Some of what safety.net says cannot be correct.
I highly doubt it was a commercial flight from France to England.
Aircraft was part of a nine airliner aircraft formation being escorted by a composite squadron,
229/253, and five of these airliners were Ensigns.
All these aircraft must have been requisitioned by the RAF!

Don't know if G-ADSZ had been hit by Bf 109s before landing at Merville, but it certainly was strafed
after landing, with the result of it being DBF.

During the morning in question, Luftwaffe made only two claims which seems relevant to this fleet.
both being for twin-engined low wing aircraft and NW of Boulogne, which is in the right area at least.
I would say one of them was OO-AGS and the other possibly OO-AUI which returned to Merville.
It is of course entirely possible the two claims refer to one and the same aircraft!

Safety.net is the only source claiming the Ensign crashed upon landing which sounds a bit strange.
Especially since Pieter H says seven aircraft actually landed at Merville.

Anyone who can confirm either way?

Cheers
Stig