BOAC Mosquito G-AGGG

[alex crawford]

Hi,

On 25th October 1943 BOAC Mosquito G-AGGG (HJ721) was returning from Stockholm when it suffered engine failure and crashed at Tentsmuir, near Leuchars, Fife. All three occupants on board were killed.
Capt Martin Hamre (pilot) Norwegian Air Force
Kvm Sverre Haug (obs) Norwegian Air Force
Paul Rogers (US passenger)

Are these Mosquito flights from Leuchars to Sweden well documented? I'm looking for the take off time and reason behind the flight. Did they take someone out on the outward flight or did they just go to bring back Paul Rogers. Anyone know where the three occupants are buried?

Thanks,

Alex

[Alex Smart]

Hello Alex,
Wegmann & Widfeldt's two vol "Making for Sweden" has something on this a/c.
and vol 1 gives details of all BOAC a/c operated from Bromma.looks like this a/c made at least 21 flights from the UK to Sweden between June and October 43.
RAF serial HJ721, constructors number 98743.
Not a good flight for any passenger as they had to lay flat in the bomb bay some had problems with the oxygen supply. This as was an earlier fata lcrash(G-AGGF) was a night flight.
The passenger Rogers may have been an escapee/interned in Sweden or may have had some other duty, as his name is not connected to any US a/c that came down in Sweden in 1943.Only one with the RAF a MUG Sgt N. J. Rogers MIA in the crew of Manchester L7387 49 Sqdn 20th June 42. The first two passengers were flown in June 43. The time fits in with the transporting of those involved with the nuclear stuff.

If Rogers is not at rest somewhere in Scotland he would most likely be at Brookwood or Cambridge, otherwise me may have been returned to the USA. Do you know if he was a serviceman or civilian ?
All for now
Alex

[vingtor]

According to the Bromma airport log, G-AGGG was one among four Mosquitos that departed from Bromma on 25 October 1943. The departure times were:
G-AGGD - 18:15
G-AGGH - 18:53
G-AGGG - 19:01
G-AGGE - 19:10

According to my sources they got problems with the port engine over Skagerrak after 360km flight from Bromma and continued on one engine. The aircraft hit the ground 1000 meters from Leuchars. My sources doesn't locate the crash site as Tentsmuir though.

A quick search on the net tells me that Haug is buried ar Skjee Churchyard, Stokke, Norway. Hamre was most probably also brought back to Norway and buried there after the war.

I have done a lot of research on the BOAC flights to Stockholm in British, Norwegian and Swedish archives, for a book on the subject (as well as Swedish and American flights). I would thus be very interested in exchanging information.

Nils Mathisrud

[SES]

Hi,
Here is condensed account of these flights and the German reaction:
http://www.gyges.dk/Courier%20flight...%20sweeden.htm
bregds
SES

[paal naess]

Captain Hamre was buried at Solheim cemetery, Bergen, according to Våre falne vol. 2.
http://da2.uib.no/cgi-win/WebBok.exe...=142&storleik=

[alex crawford]

Hi,

Many thanks for your replies.

I don't have any further info on G-AGGG or Paul Rogers at the moment. Tentsmuir is a large wooded area just to the North of Leuchars. That info comes from the 'net. If I find more I'll post it here.

I am currently gathering info on all aircraft crashes that occured in Fife. My earliest crash is 1920 while the latest one I have is 2006. I have 300 accidents/crashes/losses so far but I know there will be many more still to find.

This is an on going project and I drift back to it now and then as new info comes to hand.

Regards,

Alex

[tcolvin]

Alex,
I believe these Mosquitoes took out newspapers and letters and brought back ball-bearings and people. It was called the 'Ball-Bearing Run".

Stubbington's 'Kept In The Dark' on page 68 refers to an undated letter (probably from March 1942) in AIR 40/1814, F/130/26. It was sent from MEW to Sec of State (Air), recording the purchase from Sweden of ball bearings to the value of £1 million in order to deny them to Germany and supplement UK stocks. This was part of BC's cunning plan to end the war by destroying Schweinfurt and within it FAG Kugelfischer.

Tony

[dp_burke]

I seen this series of records on Ancestry.com was updated so reminded me to look for our Mr Rogers
Reports of Deaths of American Citizens Abroad, 1835-1974
he is recorded as:

Mr. Carl Rogers of Belmont, Mass.
age 32
He is described on a death certificate from the US consulate as:
Offical of the Dept. of Labor (US)

His remains were cremated and returned to his wife in Belmont.

There is a note in the file that any OSS related material in his possesionis were to be turned over to a member of the OSS in London.

[alex crawford]

Hi Tony, Dennis

Thanks for the extra details, much appreciated.

Very intriguing about the OSS link. I wonder if he worked for them in some sort of capacity?

Alex

[vingtor]

I assume the aircraft looked like this.



Nils