Combat Report Help - 214 Sqn RAF - Feb 1943

[Shiny1019]

Hi All,

I'm hoping someone may be able to help me. I have just downloaded a combat report from the National Archives (ref: AIR 50/233/96) and I can see a relative is named on it however the type has bled on it to the point where it is virtually unreadable.

I'm wondering if anyone knows another way of finding out about the action?

I know from the title he was in 214 Squadron RAF and I can read the start of the report that says "on the night 14 / 15th February 1943 Stirling Mk 1".

The serial number of the aircraft is there but is unreadable along with the location. From what I can see my relative was in an astro???? and spotted a white light some distance away to the starboard.

The top of the page has a note saying ME 110 and from the bits I can read they obviously got into a fight with it as I can see bits saying X number of rounds were fired.

It seems to be quite a detailed report but I just can't read it.

I'd love to know what happened, can anyone help?

Thanks a lot,

Michael

[RSwank]

Was your relative a navigator? The Short Sterling had an astrodome on the top of the plane behind the cockpit. It would have been used by the navigator to take star sights.

[Shiny1019]

Hi, no it says he was an engineer.

Michael

[RSwank]

The engineer's panel was just forward the astrodome. There are some cut-away diagrams you can download here: https://vistapointe.net/short-stirling.html

I think the interior crew positions changed somewhat based on the Sterling model, but you can get concept of the layout. I think the mission that night was to Cologne, do you know if that is correct?

[TigerTimon]

Quoting the Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 part one:


II./NJG 1 flew eight Bf 110 sorties, which led to two confirmed kills and five undecided 'Feindberührungen' (enemy contacts).

[Shiny1019]

Thanks very much for posting the link, the images are great. I don't know much about the RAF or aircraft so they really help me.

I have now managed to clean up the report a little in photoshop and decypher some of the text but it is full of abbreviations I don't understand.

It says:

On the night 14 / 15th February 1943 Stirling Mk 1 No ???? 214 squadron ????? 15 miles West of ??? feet heading ????.

There are some notes about visibility and so on then it says:

The engineer, Sgt Woodger, who was in the astrodome, reported a white light some distance away to starboard quarter which went out and then disappeared. After watching this light for several minutes, the engineer reported it was ????? M.U.G. Sgt Shipley then identified the A/C to be a T/E M/A, possibly ME 110 ???? a white light, probably on port side of ???. The presence of the white light made positive identification difficult. The H/A was at least 300 yards distant ???? on port quarter approximately ???? A/C’s height.

It ends by describing how many rounds were fired and says they weren't fired on or claiming it (I presume that would be a claim that they had shot it down?).

The question marks are bits I just can't read.

I'm guessing A/C is aircraft and H/A is hostile aircraft but what is M.U.G. and what could T/E M/A be (assuming I have read it correctly).

RSwank as you can see I just can't make out a location or where they were going if it is in there. I did find out via google that in early 1943 the squadron was based at RAF Stradishall near Haverhill in Suffolk but I don't know how close they were to that when this happened or if they were over enemy territory by then.

Michael

[Shiny1019]

Thanks TigerTimon,

I presume that is the German squadron they were likely to be up against?

Michael

[TigerTimon]

Yes, that's a possibility, although it should be noted that NJG 1 & 2 both flew an estimated 37 sorties. So it could have been any fighter. The above is just a 'highlight'.

[Shiny1019]

Ok great, thanks.

Michael

[RSwank]

M.U.G. is mid upper gunner (he was in the top turret part way back along the fuselage.) (R.G. would be rear gunner).

T.E. is probably Twin Engine.

M/A and H/A maybe a misread of E/A (Enemy Aircraft)? They were likely seeing a twin engine Messerschmitt Bf-110 night fighter.