Banff Wing air fight 21 April 1945

[keith A]

I finally got the ORBs for 143, 235 and 248 Squadrons on this date.

It appears the actuall tally of bombers shot down and damaged is as follows

143 Squadron

WO R. Johnson Ju88 destroyed
WO GW Blake Ju188 destroyed and Ju188 damaged
FO Keohane Ju188 destroyed

235 Squadron

FO Webster Ju88 destroyed
WO Cogswell Ju88 destroyed and Ju188 damaged

248 Squadron

FO Goodwin Ju88 destroyed
FO Goodwin and WO Furness Ju88 destroyed
FO Price Ju188 destroyed

This gives an RAF total of 5 Ju88 destroyed and 3 Ju188 destroyed with two more damaged. The tally was later revised to four Ju188 destroyed and therefore I assume Keohane's claim for a "damaged" was upgraded to destroyed.

It would appear that 333 Squadron also are awarded a Ju88 therefore Keohane second claim might not had been upgraded after all. Although the 248 ORB only credites the Banff Wing squadrons with victories, and wrongly gives 143 Squadron just a single "kill".

The previous posts on this site definitely indicate that many of the confused but that the LW suffered heavily.

It would appear that 235 and 248 Squadron vie for the title of top-scoring coastal command squadron. Both scred heavily against LW units in the Bay of Biscay in 1942 and 1943.

regards

Keith

Regards

Keith

[keith A]

Sorry, typo. Blake may have got the nod for a second kill.

[keith A]

Just to clarify my point about the Blenheim/Beaufighter/ Mosquito squadrons and their record in WW2. 248 Squadron claimed the destruction of fifty-four enemy aircraft by 31 January 1945! In addition we could add the three claimed on 21 April 1945. A record that puts them firmly in the hierarchy of many fighter squadrons in statistical terms.

Meditteranean day-fighter Beaufighter squadrons were very successful but often faced large numbers of poorly-armed Luftwaffe transport aircraft or seaplanes/flying boats.

I appreciate this is a comparison of apples and oranges given also that many fighter squadrons were disbanded and reformed (i.e. 603 Squadron) and the nightfighter squadrons who faced different but perhaps no less extreme challenges?

Surely a topic that requires investigation?

regards

Keith

[andy bird]

Keith,

Yes, agree they do need to be taken seriously there are incredible stories within but sadly readers of books be they paper or kindler on-line purse predominantly Fighter and Bomber Command books, one publisher asked to use Maritime instead of Coastal and said I should get a degree if I wanted to be taken seriously!

Kind regards

Andy Bird

[keith A]

Shame on that cheeky b*****. 248 Squadron claimed 54 kills by 31 January 1945! More than many day or night fighter squadrons. I expect 235 will be around the forty mark.

Add to this the success against Axis shippping and it's a story an a half.

Does this mean your 235 Squadron book is on the backburner?


regards

Keith

[andy bird]

Exploits are being gradually written up, currently working on a piece for The Peoples Mosquito magazine.

Andy B.

[keith A]

Hi Andy,

see my PM

regards

Keith

[Tom Semenza]

Keith,

In Andy Bird's "A Separate Little War" he states that 333 had two successes on this mission. The first by Lt. Thorleif Eriksen and the second by F/L R.H. Golightly (RAF). However, as you know, the ORB mentions only the latter one.

Do you happen to know the full names and/or service numbers for W/O G.W. Blake and W/O R. Johnson and his nav. F/Sgt. R.G. Feeney?

Regards,
Tom

[keith A]

With apologies for the delay. No knowledge of service numbers but my research shows that 235 Squadron scored over fifty kills in WW2. It is astonishing that 235 and 248 which made so many air-to-air claims and sank or damaged so much shipping yet have very little coverage other than by the stalwarts, Andy Bird and Roy Nesbit and on the Luftwaffe side, Chris Goss.

From my research 235 squadron claimed seventeen kills (probably less) in Blenheims (1940-41), twenty-eight in Beaufighters (1941-44) and twelve in Mosquitos (1944-45). Nine more assessed as probables and twenty-five damaged.

248 Squadron claimed fifty-seven kills also, although I have only found forty-one. Five kills in Blenheims (1940-41), twenty-six in Beaufighters (1941-43) and ten in Mosquitos (1944-45). I am not sure if the missing sixteen are a result of overclaiming in 1940 and/or whether those pilots of the Malta detachment who joined other Malta squadrons after 248 left were credited by the squadron ORB. I heve scoured the squadron ORB but cannot find the missing claims- yet! In addition I found four probables and fifteen damaged.

I am not dismissing the other Coastal Command strike squadrons who made several aerial claims but none reaches the level of 235 and 248. I confess this is my interest. Obviously these squadrons benefitted from detachments to Malta and squadron service in the Bay of Biscay, as well as converting to Mosquitos in late 1943/early 1944. Most of their victories are against Ju88 A-type bomber or heavy fighter C-types but there are claims against both the Bf109 and Fw190.

regards

Keith