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Date: | Friday 13 October 1939 |
Time: | 13:30 LT |
Type: | Bristol Blenheim Mk I |
Owner/operator: | 57 Sqn RAF |
Registration: | L1138 |
MSN: | DX-A |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | near Idar Oberstein, Birkenfeld district, Rhineland-Palatinate -
Germany
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | Metz, France |
Destination airport: | Metz, France |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Bristol Blenheim Mk.1 L1138 (DX-A) of 57 Squadron, RAF. Airborne 11:40 hrs on Friday 13 October 1939 to reconnoitre roads and railways the Hamm-Hannover-Soest areas, shot down by Uffz Stephan Lütjens of 11./JG 53, near near Idar Oberstein, Birkenfeld district, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Two of the three crew were killed, one bailed out injured, captured, and taken as POW.
Crew:
Pilot: Wing Commander Harry Melville Arbuthnot "Wings" Day RAF (Service Number 5175, Commanding Officer of 57 Squadron at the time) survived, bailed out, injured (burns to face and hands) became PoW No.37 after medical treatment.
Observer: Sgt Eric Bernard Hillier (Service Number 580543, aged 23) - killed in action.
Wireless Op/Air Gunner: AC.2 Frederick George Moller (Service Number 548867) - killed in action.
An investigation into the incident was undertaken in 1947 when a report was written: -
"Investigations were carried out on 27.2.1947 and the following information obtained: - Burgomeister of Langweiller stated that on 13.10.39 at approx 13:30 hrs. a twin engined bomber which was on fire, exploded in mid air over the village. Just before the explosion he saw one airman bale out. The wreckage of the plane was spread over a large area but the main part was in the wood near the village.
He went to the scene of the crash and saw one severely burned body, a few minutes later another body, also severely burned was found 200 metres away. A German doctor identified the bodies and they were removed for burial to Kaiserslautern. The member of the crew who had baled out was caught in a tree and taken into custody first by the police then handed over to the Wehrmacht. he was slightly wounded about the head. The Burgomeister's son confirmed the above and added that the aircraft was a Bristol Blenheim."
Note that the official Air Ministry record file (File AIR 81/27) gives the crash locations as "near Idar Oberstein" but pilot Harry Day himself (in his biography) gives the crash location as "Birkenfeld" (a town and the district seat of the Birkenfeld district in southwest Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany at approximate Coordinates: 49°39′N 7°11′E).
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J./ Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 6)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/27:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14142110 3. The Last of the 39-ers: The Extraordinary Wartime Experiences of Squadron Leader Alfie Fripp By Sean Feast p 12
4. Biography of Pilot (Harry Day 1898-1977): Wings Day, by Sydney Smith, story of Wing Commander Harry "Wings" Day, Pan Books, 1968, ISBN 0-330-02494-9
5.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2047522/hillier,-eric-bernard/ 6.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2048206/moller,-frederick-george/ 7.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Day#World_War_II 8.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idar-Oberstein 9.
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/47285/Day-Harry-Melville-Arbuthnot.htm 10.
http://www.hambo.org/hazelwood/view_man.php?id=245 Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
25-Feb-2008 02:12 |
JINX |
Added |
22-Jun-2008 21:17 |
JINX |
Updated |
21-Oct-2009 10:35 |
JINX |
Updated |
20-Jul-2011 09:14 |
Anon. |
Updated [Narrative] |
26-Jun-2013 19:17 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
26-Jun-2013 19:18 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Location] |
03-Aug-2013 11:59 |
JINX |
Updated [Operator, Location, Source] |
15-Dec-2014 10:54 |
Jixon |
Updated [Operator] |
11-Jun-2017 14:25 |
Uli Elch |
Updated [Operator, Location] |
30-Jul-2017 15:56 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
06-Oct-2018 15:20 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator] |
02-Jun-2019 21:58 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
03-Jun-2019 09:39 |
stehlik49 |
Updated [Operator] |