264 Sqn Loss 19.09.1944

[Chris Goss]

A Mossie was lost to LAA and crashed at Herbinac near Ste Nazaire. The serial is stated as being MM620 but this was lost exactly a month later in an accident. Anyone got any ideas as to the serial?

[Alex Smart]

Hello Chris,
It would seem that MM620 is right for the 19th Sept,44..F/Lt's Moncur and Woodruff being crew.
Alex

[Chris Goss]

Alex

Not according to this:

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=165094

and the list of Mosquito serials and losses (with no mention of 19.09.1944)

[Alex Smart]

Only other possibility would be 409 Sqdn MM586 ?
Have you looked in the Mosquito forum donated files ?
Or

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...-MM620-Missing

So are you seeking the a/c or F/O's Daber and Clark ?
Alex

[Laurent Rizzotti]

The aviation safety database is using the Mosquito loss list as its source, so any error in the latter source will be repeated in the former. As a regular contributor to this database, that is open to everybody, I can tell you that it is not 100% reliable, more close to Wikipedia standard. I delete/correct entries daily.

I can confirm you from a local history booklet that a Mosquito crashed on 19 September 1944. I resume/translated the story below:

On 19 September at 4 pm a Mosquito flying on the desk crash-landed in the cabbage field at the place called La Chapelle des Marais, near the village of Langatre. An inhabitant, Armand Moyon, ran to help the airmen (Lt Woodruff and Moncur) and hide them under a tree. Germans arrived soon after with dogs but did not find them.

The next days, the members of the Resistance inside the German pocket of Saint-Nazaire continued to help them and enabled them to evade capture and reach the Allied lines.

http://www.musee-resistance-chateaub...eStNazaire.pdf.

No serial given.

More in English there: https://33squadron.wordpress.com/

The village of Langrate is in the commune of Herbignac (you have a typo in your Herbinac)

[Chris Goss]

Thanks Laurent. Herbinac is what was quoted on the E&E report so not my typo! Cas Card says MM620 so the only way to find out for sure is to see if MM620 is still in the F540 from 20 Sep 44 onward or what other serial doesn't figure after 19 Sep 44

[Alex Smart]

Hello Chris,

Have gone through the lists and have arrived at the following with names for 19-09-44.
DZ635 ;HR194;KB267;MM463;MM586;MM620;NS962;PZ177;

Interestingly the crew of MM586 were also crew in MM286 on the 20th.

For the 19-10-44 I found the following -
No crew info so far for HK260, KB396, LR537 or HP852

KB396 on 19th October,1944 seems to have been non-fatal.
HK260 said to have been lost without trace on 19th October, 1944. But no fatalities ?

Alex

[Chris Goss]

...and a quick look at the 264 Sqn F540 shows that only the numerals of the series and no codes were listed and for Oct 44 there is just one entry!

[Alex Smart]

Hello Chris,
Would it be possible ?
For MM620 to have been returned to squadron and lost again in so short a time ?
Events for both dates were non fatal. No entries in CWGC .

Alex

[Chris Goss]

The ac on 19 Sep 44 belly landed in German held territory. Mindful the crew did not get back until 24 Sep 44, the chances of an ac being recovered, repaired & returned? No chance