Date:	Sunday 11 April 1943
Time:	22:26
Type:	Boulton Paul Defiant Mk II
Owner/operator:	515 Sqn RAF
Registration:	AA417
MSN:	757
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea 30 km West of Den Helder, Noord-Holland -   Netherlands
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Coltishall, Norfolk
Destination airport:

Narrative:
The aircraft belonged to RAF 515 Squadron, Fighter Command.Took Off at 21:25 on night of 10/11 April 1943 from RAF Coltishall, Norfolk on a "Special Patrol" for 11 Group (Mandrel Patrol - ECM/Radar Jamming Sortie)

The Defiant took off on a special mission to the Dutch coast, where it should disrupt the Freya radar by means of its Mandrel jamming equipment. Uffz Georg Kraft and his Bordfunker Uffz Erich Handke, 12./NJG1, took off from Bergen in a Bf.110 for a patrol in the radar sector ‘Salzhering’ at Den Helder.

Uffz Handke picked up a signal on his airborne radar at 1,800 metres distance. They chased the signal over an undercast of haze, reaching to 2,000 metres. Uffz Handke led Uffz Kraft to 300 metres distance and to their surprise they saw a heavy waving single engine aircraft which they mis-identified as a Mustang. After they switched off the airborne radar, the aircraft stopped waving and the German crew concluded that the enemy aircraft was fitted with a kind of detector for ultra short wave radio.

Uffz Kraft pulled up and fired from 40 metres distance. Immediately white petrol flames leaked from both wing roots and the aircraft flew in a flat angle into the sea were the wreckage burned for some time.

Uffz Handke listed this victory at 22.26 hrs local time in Plan Quadrat 43121, some 30 kilometres West of Den Helder. The crash was witnessed by a Flak unit at the coast south of the ground radar station.

On 14 June 1943 Receiver of Wrecks Søren Bækby Bertelsen found the body of Air Gunner. F/O Eric H. Ferguson washed ashore in Beach area no. 10a at Aaberg Forstrand near Husby Klit. The German Wehrmacht set guard by the body and on 15 June 1943 it was moved to Lemvig where it was laid to rest in Lemvig cemetery, Western Jutland, Denmark on 19 June 1943.

On 16 June 1943 Receiver of Wrecks Chr. Lauridsen found the body of Pilot P/O Bartholomew McKeon washed ashore near Trans and took it to his farm. On 19 June 1943 McKeon was also laid to rest in Lemvig cemetery.

Crew:
Pilot - Pilot Officer Bartholomew McKEON (120219) RAF VR aged 26 - killed on active service 11 April 1943: body recovered as Washed up near Trans on 16 June 43.
Radar Operator - Flying Officer Eric Hannah FERGUSON (116529) RAF VR aged 22 - killed on active service 11 April 1943: body recovered as Washed up near Vederso on 14 June 43.

Both crew were buried at Lemvig Cemetery, Western Jutland, Denmark

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft AA100-AZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain (2nd Edition) 2000 p.6)
2. No Place for Chivalry: RAF Night Fighters Defend the East of England Against the German Air Force in Two World Wars by Alastair Goodrum p.63
3. Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1943 Part One
4. 515 Squadron ORB for March 1943: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/1981/15: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8413891
5. http://www.flensted.eu.com/19430019.shtml
6. https://www.airmen.dk/a050016.htm
7. https://www.airmen.dk/a050017.htm
8. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2271380/bartholomew-mckeon/
9. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2271374/eric-hannah-ferguson/
10. https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T2194&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._515_Squadron_RAF
12. https://www.key.aero/article/moonshine-boys
13. https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/FergusonEH.htm
14. https://www.natwestgroupremembers.com/our-fallen/our-fallen-ww2/f/eric-ferguson.html
15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den_Helder

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Dec-2008 11:45	ASN archive	Added
08-Sep-2011 05:08	angels one five	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Total occupants, Phase, Narrative]
08-Sep-2011 05:17	angels one five	Updated [Other fatalities, Narrative]
30-Dec-2011 09:09	Nepa	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Narrative]
11-Aug-2013 15:34	JINX	Updated [Operator, Narrative]
25-Apr-2015 06:27	AlLah	Updated [Operator]
10-Apr-2018 07:05	TigerTimon	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
10-Apr-2018 07:06	TigerTimon	Updated [Other fatalities]
04-Oct-2018 12:22	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
17-Jun-2022 11:43	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]