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Date: | Sunday 12 May 1940 |
Time: | 11:30 LT |
Type: | Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
Owner/operator: | 15 Sqn RAF |
Registration: | N6151 |
MSN: | LS-M |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | near Maastricht, Limburg -
Netherlands
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Alconbury, Cambridgeshire |
Destination airport: | |
Narrative:Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV N6151 (LS-M) 15 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost on combat operations. Probably shot down by flak or Bf 109s of I./JG 1 and 2./JG 27. All three crew survived, but were captured and taken as PoWs. According to the official Air Ministry report into the incident (File AIR 81/306): "Blenheim L6151 [sic] failed to return from an operational flight, 12 May 1940. Sergeant F R Pepper, Leading Aircraftman J Scott and Sergeant R Booth: prisoners of war".
N6151 was one of seven 15 Squadron Blenheims lost on this operation. Airborne from RAF Alconbury, Cambridgeshire at 09:30, briefed to destroy the strategic bridges over the Albert Kanaal at Maastricht.
Crew of Blenheim N6151:
Sergeant Frank Russell Pepper (pilot) - survived, captured taken as PoW; interned in Camps 8B/L6/357 PoW No.13039
Sgt Raymond Booth (Observer) PoW - survived, captured taken as PoW; interned in Camps 8B/L6/357 PoW No.13061
LAC John Scott (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) - survived, captured, taken as PoW; interned in Camps 8B/L6/357 PoW No.13076
Note that the official Air Ministry file on the incident mis-quotes the serial number of this aircraft as "L6151" (sic) instead of N6151. L6151 was a Blackburn Botha Mk.1
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1977)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/306:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14142155 3.
http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/15_squadron.html 4.
http://aircrewremembered.com/frankish-claude-randolph.html 5.
http://www.taskforceliberty.be/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/De-Blenheim-van-Kattevennen-1.pdf 6.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=38601 7.
http://www.waroverholland.nl/index.php?page=british-and-french-airforce-operations-over-holland-10-17-may Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
02-Jul-2019 16:00 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
02-Jul-2019 16:07 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Location, Source, Narrative] |
02-Jul-2019 16:08 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time] |
02-Jul-2019 16:11 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Time, Narrative] |
04-Jul-2019 06:42 |
stehlik49 |
Updated [Operator] |