The destroyed or lost ORBs of RAF units in France 1940

[rof120]

To everybody who is interested in the air war over France in May-June 1940 (May 10 through June 24) with total aircraft losses of about 4,200 for all countries and even during the “Phoney War” (September 3rd, 1939, through May 9, 1940) in which RAF aircraft shot down about 70 German planes (and, sadly, conversely), the loss or destruction of most RAF squadron ORBs is a very sad and irritating element of History.

I am under the impression that only, or mainly, RAF fighter sqns, not bomber squadrons (Battles or Blenheims), destroyed or lost their ORBs in the chaos and panic of June 1940. Is this assumption correct?

The next mystery (to me) is this: WHY the hell did they destroy their ORBs? The stated reason was that they wanted to prevent that these documents fell into German hands. Certainly it was a secret, before flying missions, where, when and with how many AC missions were about to be flown, but afterwards this was certainly of no interest to the enemy, who was victory drunk, convinced that Germany had just won WW II and that the war was over, or would be in the next days or weeks. What could be secret, after the end of operations, in RAF ORBs? Or was it possibly a purely moral and psychological matter: unit members refused to imagine that German soldiers could “lay their rude hands” on these internal documents so they preferred to destroy them. To German intelligence knowing what aircrew had taken part in what missions and air battles was not really exciting.

And why did RAF personel not take their ORBs along with themselves? Almost all of them kept their steel helmets, many kept their rifles, and these ORBs would not have made a great difference in weight or in bulk and clutter. I imagine that these records were about as large and as heavy as the books used by all firms for bookkeeping.

The most obvious solution would have been to fly them back to England in a “Hurricane” (I guess about 100 “Hurricanes” were flown back to Britain) or in any other aircraft. This would not have altered the aircraft’s weight and there was enough room, for example behind the pilot’s seat (improvement of back armour).

What do you say ? I am still unable to imagine a valid reason for this destruction.