Date:	Sunday 13 April 1941
Time:	16:07
Type:	Bristol Blenheim Mk I
Owner/operator:	211 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L1434
MSN:	8717
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Lake Mikri Prespa -   Greece
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Paramythia, Greece
Destination airport:	RAF Paramythia

Narrative:
Blenheim L1434: Took off for a Operational flight over Bitolj, Yugoslavia. 13/04/1941
On the afternoon of Easter Sunday, 13 April 1941, six of the Squadron’s seven remaining serviceable Blenheims took off from Paramythia for an unescorted daylight attack on German forces some some 120 miles away to the NNE, advancing South via the Monastir Gap through Florina in Northern Greece.
On the outbound leg, the formation was intercepted by Luftwaffe Me 109s of 6/27JG shortly after 16:00hrs.
Shot down by Bf.109 of Hauptmann Gerlach at 16:07 hrs. Shot up and reportedly in flames, Buchanan was able to forced-land his damaged Blenheim in the shallows at the SE end of Lake Mikri Prespa. Geordie Pattison was dead in the turret. Buchanan and Cryer are reported to have later died in an Albanian hospital.
Crew:
F/Lt (40885) Lindsay Basil BUCHANAN DFC (pilot) RAF: killed - no known grave - Alamein Memorial Column 240
S/Ldr (37084) Leslie Edward CRYER DFC (obs) RAF - killed - no known grave - Alamein Memorial Column 239
Sgt (640059) George PATTISON DFM (Wop/AG) RAF - killed - no known grave - Alamein Memorial Column 243

Several items from this Blenheim, including a wing and engine, were recovered from the lake bed in june 1993, and transported to the Tatoi Museam, Athens.
Recovery work was halted when it was realised the wreck still contained four live 250 pound bombs.

1.Air Britain RAF Aircraft L1000 - N99999
2.CWGC
3.AIR81/5855
4.Bomber Command Losses In the Middle East and Med. (Volume 1: 1939-1942) David Gunby & Pelham Temple, page 52

Taken by me (I was Operations Officer of the divers team)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
28-Feb-2008 08:23	JINX	Added
03-Jul-2008 22:21	JINX	Updated
15-Dec-2014 20:09	Polish	Updated [Operator, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ]
26-Sep-2018 10:41	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator, ]
03-Jul-2024 17:29	geopats	Updated [Photo, ]
25-Apr-2025 10:30	Antonio	Updated [Narrative, ]
17-Sep-2025 15:15	MMR	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]