strike on 34 MS-Fl - 20 May 1942

[Wim de Meester]

Gruppe D - 34 MS-Fl. with 7 minesweepers was attacked by 6 Spitfires at about 15.00 hours that day. It was a successful strike leaving the germans with 4 kia and 11 wia among them the Gruppenführer. Besides M 3430 was heavily damaged by the strafings carried out during the approx. 10 minutes attacks.

I am now looking for the Forms 540/541 as well - if possible - the combat report of this squadron which is still unknown to me.
Who can help?

regards
Wim

[Bruce Lander]

Fighter Command Combats and Casualties shows no activity on 20th May but on 21st May between 0505 hrs and 0615 hrs 2 Spitfires of 41 Squadron - S/Ldr C.J.Fee (BL177) and F/Lt.K.J.Vykoukal (BL998) attacked an enemy E-Boat S.W. of Dieppe and left it damaged and smoking , they then attacked 2 ships ( an armed Trawler and a Flak Ship) near the Seine estuary and F/Lt.K.J.Vykoukal was shot down and killed
Bruce Lander

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

Re: C773 S/L John Clarke FEE RCAF. There was no Spitfire BL177 (BL177 fell within a cancelled Sea Otter block). S/L Fee RCAF, was piloting Spitfire VB BL777.

Col.

[Stephen M. Fochuk]

Yes, the attack was on the 21st and not the 20th.

[Leendert]

Wim,

Knowing your area of interest, was the attack of 20 May 1942 you ask about in SW Netherlands (Scheldt Estuary and/or North Sea off Zeeland Province)?

Groet,

Leendert

[Wim de Meester]

Hello Leendert,

yes, the attacks took place on the 20 th. May and I am fully aware that FC WD doesn't make any mention of it.
According to the AA Commander Flushing area it all started at 15.05 hours and was done in less than 10 minutes. 3430 then steamed to Flushing to carry out emergency repairs (and to offload the dead and wounded) after which it transferred to the old Wilton shipyard for more extensive repairs.

The area concerned was roughly speaking the sealane between Westkapelle and the Island of Schouwen.

Wim

[Bruce Lander]

Long shot but is there any possibility that this was a "Blue on Blue" and that the 6 Spitfires were 109,s ?
Bruce Lander

[Hans Nauta]

Hello Wim,

It concerned 121 Squadron. See your PM for a St Nicolas present!

Regards,
Hans

[Wim de Meester]

Good morning Hans,

what a pleasant surprise and it made me thinking that I may have more questions and that Christmas presents in that form are welcome too.

Anyway, thank you very much for the info.
Rgds
Wim

[Bruce Lander]

The suggestion that this attack was carried out by 121 Squadron appears to be correct. In one of his excellent Squadron histories published Aviation News
(8-21 July, 1988) Andrew Thomas covered 121 Squadron and noted that on 17th May 1942 2 pilots claimed Fw190's and a few days later mounted an anti-shipping strike and sank an armed Trawler.

Bruce Lander