Blenheim-loss 12.06.1941?

[ju55dk]

Did RAF loose a Blenheim near Norway or Denmark on this date? A Bv 138 claims one! Any information is welcome.

Junker

[Gianandrea Bussi]

According to "The Bristol Blenheim- A complete history" by Graham Warner, pag. 347, two Blenheim were lost on that day:
T1955 from 235 Sq., shot down by Me.110s off Danish coast, with the loss of the three crewmembers
WR-J (no serial given) from 248 Sq., shot down by Me.110s, with the loss of the three crewmembers.
A third aircraft, T2121, from 248 Sq., was damaged by Me.110s off Danish coast: the crewmembers were uninjurd but the aircraft was DBR.

Regards

Gianandrea

[ju55dk]

Thank's a lot.

Junker

[Blenheim]

On 12/06/41 the RAF lost two Blenheims in this area and Luftwaffe Jagdfleiger claimed three.

One claim was made by Oblt. Karl-Heinz Leesman, Gruppencommandor of I./JG 52 in a Bf 109E from Leeuwarden at 2105 hours (Luftwaffe and RAF were on same time at this period) but I am not able translate the map reference given for the location of the claim into a physical location (it was “148/05 Ost” if anybody can assist). It seems likely that this Blenheim was T1955, LA-G of 235 Squadron which had taken off from Dyce at 1805 hours on a “Stand” Patrol (an anti-shipping patrol along the line between Stavanger and Kristiansand) and which failed to return. P/O M.R.Stephens, Sgt J.T.Carmichael and Sgt W.G.Halliday were all killed and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

The second Blenheim lost was T2121, WR-J of 248 Squadron which had also taken off from Dyce on a similar patrol but much earlier at 1455 hours. This is a bit more complicated and appears to have been claimed by two pilots of Stab I./JG 77 from Stavanger-Sola. They were Ltn. Hans Tetzner and Ltn Robert Müller and both were flying Bf 109Es. However I am not able to discover any time for the claims and the only location given is “to the south-west of Stavanger”.

I hope this helps and I am sorry I cannot be any more definite. I would be very interested to see any more details of the claim by the Bv 138 of a Blenheim.

[ju55dk]

Thank you for this information. It was a Bv 138 from 2/406 who reported beeing attacked by a Blenheim 2042 in Skagerrak. Airbattle between 2042-2053 where the Blenheim was on fire and went down in the sea. No survivers seen! The claim from Lessmann cannot be the Blenheim mentioned, as his Bf 109 was not able to fly the distance from Holland to Skagerrak, unless the Blenheim went far out of course! The Bv 138 was hit, but crew unhurt.

Junker

[Blenheim]

Hi ju55dk,

I have found the combat range of the Bf 109 to be a constant problem in my efforts to assign a victor in a combat with a Blenheim. I am actively researching the Bristol Blenheim and will probably be doing so for many years to come, so any small item of information is greatly appreciated as a potential solution to some knotty problem that has defied me for a long time.

One thing I have discovered is that it seems there was quite a lot of "socialising" among Jadgfleiger of different units in 1940/41 and it was not unusual for a pilot (particularly a more senior one) to vist another unit along the coast and be invited to take part in a patrol with his hosts during his visit. When this resulted in a victory claim, those of us who attempt to make sense of it all sixty or more years later are left with the impossibility of a Bf 109 shooting down something 400 miles from base. But the difficulty is that almost never was this "social visit" mentioned in any documentation but the victory claim was genuine!

However, the Blenheim claimed by your Bv 138 (and that combat must have been a sight to see) was obviously in the air at least 40 minutes after Leesemen claimed his victory and (if it was T1955) some two and a half hours after it took off, a very long time if it hoped to get home from the Skagerrak (my spelling of foreign words leaves a great deal to be desired).

But let us not forget that a "Stand" patrol involved flying a line between Stavanger and Kristiansand, the latter end of which would put the aircraft at the western end of the Skagerrak which might have put it in a position to meet your Bv 138 if it was at that end of the Skagerrak. Do you have any more detailed position for the combat?

This sort of thing, I find, is one of the most fascinating aspects of historical research and to discuss this it with a fellow enthusiast from another country really makes that whole effort worth while.

I look forward to your response.

[ju55dk]

The combat took place at the western end of Skagerrak south-west of Kristiansand so it could match. As for the Bf 109 to visit a unit in Denmark is most certainly out of the quistion, as there was no single engined fighters stationed in Denmark at that time!! The Bv 138 took 15 hits from the Blenheim.

Junker