241 Sqn RAF loss, 24 July 1944

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Hello,

I am searching the name of the pilot and serial number of the Spitfire of 241 Sqn RAF lost duirng the evening of 24 July 1944 over the sea during an engagement with recon Bf 109 of 1./NAGr. 11. He was claimed shot down by the Ofw Lober. 'Air war over Italy' describes the battle but doesn't give the name of the lost RAF pilot.

Thanks in advance

Laurent

[Alex Smart]

Hi,

From Air War Italy 1944-45 by Nick Beale & D'Amico & Valentini
page 71
F/O J.E.Walton was "Black One"
"Black Two" in Spitfire Mk. VIII was shot down into the sea.
Is this the event and pilot you seek ?

241 -CE Ops 24-7-44
JF444

Alex

[Laurent Rizzotti]

Yes it is the event I am asking about. This book doesn't give the name of the lost pilot.

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Laurent Rizzotti

This book doesn't give the name of the lost pilot.

And neither does Walton's Sortie report (Form 441A) unfortunately. I don't have a copy of the relevant page of the ORB but the pages I do have only name pilots who claimed victories. Everyone else is just referred to by callsign. The daily tabulatons of aircraft and missions would give that but in the days before digital cameras (and copies at 30p a page) one couldn't get copies of everything. (And it wasn't a book about the RAF!)

It's nice that people are still taking an interest in this book but I wish you'd asked the question a little sooner! We stopped research on that project in 1992 so I have a lot of notes to search through.

No. 241's ORB is AIR27/1466 if anyone wants to go to the source.

[Juha]

"It's nice that people are still taking an interest in this book "

Nick,
why not, it's a classic. Your team made a wonderful job!

Juha

[Laurent Rizzotti]

I agree with Juha, your book is a classic and is still the best source available on his subject (the AXIS air activities) AFAIK. We can now add details that were out of your reach as the time (for example the name of the German recon pilot claiming a victory on the date considered) but the book is still a very good reference.

Anyway I may have found the missing RAF pilot, by doing what I should have done first, rather than posting a thread here. I checked the Malta Memorial and the only name recorderd for the 24 July 1944 is a Flg Off Douglas Gordon Bennett of 241 Sqn, so he probably was the "Black Two" shot down by the recon Bf 109.

It could be confirmed by the ORB but it is not in my immediate plans.

Thanks for your time

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Laurent Rizzotti

We can now add details that were out of your reach at the time (for example the name of the German recon pilot claiming a victory on the date considered) but the book is still a very good reference.

The German victory claim lists appeared a few years too late for us, unfortunately! The research on the book was finished in 1992 but for some reason (sheer inefficiency, perhaps?) Airlife did not manage to publish it until 1996.

Jochen Prien's JG 77 Band IV came out as we were correcting the prooofs: he had additional material but nothing that compelled us to make any changes. I have become aware of a number of mistakes over the years (mostly not too serious) but I'm afraid I haven't been keeping a list although Ghostbombers corrects some innaccuracies over times or dates of the night combats.