Date:	Friday 13 October 1939
Time:	13:30
Type:	Bristol Blenheim Mk I
Owner/operator:	57 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L1138
MSN:	DX-A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Idar Oberstein, Birkenfeld district, Rhineland-Palatinate -   Germany
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Metz airfield (Fr.)
Destination airport:	Metz, France

Narrative:
Blenheim L1138 (DX-A): Take-off at 11:40 hrs on to reconnoitre roads and railways the Hamm-Hannover-Soest areas on 13/10/1939
Fifty miles into Germany they ran out of cloud cover and were left very exposed and were immediately attacked by three Messerschmitt Bf109’s. With his Blenheim badly shot up and on fire “Wings” Day gave the order to bale out over Birkenfeld and as he climbed through the top hatch the Blenheim exploded. W/Cdr Day was taken prisoner on landing and taken to Langweiler where he saw the bodies of his crew members in the rear of a truck. Their parachutes had caught fire as they left the aircraft. OFwl Ernst Vollmer of 4./JG 53 recorded his first victory at 14:05 hrs. near Idar Oberstein, Birkenfeld district, Rhineland-Palatinate (Ger.)
Crew:
W/Cdr (05175) Harry Melville Arbuthnot "Wings" DAY (pilot) RAF bailed out /injured POW.
Sgt (580543) Eric Bernard HILLIER (Obs) RAF - killed
AC.2 (548867) Frederick George MOLLER (WOp/AG) RAF - killed

HILLIER and MOLLER are bureid at Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany.

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).

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J./ Halley, Air Britain)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/27: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/C14142110
3. The Last of the 39-ers: The Extraordinary Wartime Experiences of Squadron Leader Alfie Fripp By Sean Feast
4. Biography of Pilot (Harry Day 1898-1977): Wings Day, by Sydney Smith, story of Wing Commander Harry "Wings" Day, Pan Books,
5. https://www.cwgc.org.
6. https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/47285/Day-Harry-Melville-Arbuthnot.htm
7. http://www.hambo.org/hazelwood/view_man.php?id=245

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, ]
20-Aug-2024 21:14	Nepa	Updated [Time, Departure airport, Narrative, Operator, ]
18-Sep-2024 11:09	Nepa	Updated [Source, Narrative, Operator, ]
11-Jul-2025 12:10	MMR	Updated [Narrative, ]