13's.... (1 Viewer)

Date: 7th of May 1942
Time: 02:53
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk IV
Owner/operator: 460 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force
Registration: Z1413
C/n / msn: UV-X
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Le Rond Bois- 2km NE Cne de Trelon 14km SE Avesnes-Sur-Helpe
Phase: Unknown
Nature: Military
Departure airport: RAF Breighton
Destination airport: Stuttgart
Narrative:
Claimed by Oblt Reinhold Eckardt 7./NJG3(detached III./NJG4) - 8km West of Trelon at 02:53. In a later statement by Plt Off Train (POW) he said "The aircraft was shot down at approx 0250 hours on 7/5/1942 at a position approx 10 miles south east of Maubeuge. All other members of the crew left the aircraft safely. I was last out at about 1000-2000 feet with Fg Off Kennedy still at the controls although preparing to leave. He did not say that he was then wounded although there was a hole in the perspex in front of him. When my parachute opened the aircraft was burning on the ground. The Germans picked me up about 36 hours later and took me to the scene of the crash. The remains of one of the crew was still in the wreckage. He later was told by Plt Off Ferry that the remains were
buried at Maubeuge." Sgt Stephenson (POW) said " Fg Off Kennedy was killed when the aircraft, of which he was
Captain, crashed in a wood approx 15kms from the village of Eppe le Sauvage in France, near the Belgium border."
In his statement Plt Off Ferry (POW) also stated "Kennedy was doing a magnificent job at the controls and this factor undoubtedly enabled the lives of the rest of the crew to be saved. Ferry also reported "the aircraft was attacked by an ME110 and the port engine and wing was set on fire. The Captain ordered the crew to bale out and the crew
acknowledged. The Captain was unable to bale out and he crashed with the aircraft. The aircraft was at 1200 feet and in a shallow dive when I baled out. It crashed near Eppe le Sauvage, France. I was four days at large and then betrayed by a French farmer and captured by the French police."

Crew
Pilot:402362 Fg Off William joseph Kennedy RAAF - Avesnes-Sur-Helpe Communal Cemetery Row AA. Coll. grave 5-8. (The collective gave contains those who died on 7 Sqn Stirling N3710 MG-M 6 May 1942)
Pilot:406130 Plt Off Ian Frederick Keys RAAF - Stalag Luft 3 Zagan & Belaria. PoW Number 7777
Observer:402913 Plt Off Henry Roland Train RAAF - Stalag Luft 3 Zagan & Belaria. PoW Number 782.
Bomb Aimer:402527 Sgt S H Sharp RNZAF - Stalag Luft 3 Zagan & Belaria PoW Number 88.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 402762 Sgt Jack Mitchell Stephenson RAAF - -Stalag Luft 6 Heydekrug. PoW Number 94
Air Gunner:406089 Plt Off Roderick Roland Ferry RAAF - Stalag Luft 3 Zagan & Belaria. PoW Number 768.

Date: 21st of June 1942
Time: 01:45
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk III
Owner/operator: 9 Squadron Royal Air Force
Registration: X3713
C/n / msn: WS-J
Fatalities: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Crashed near Leenstertillen South of Leens - 20 km NW of Groningen
Phase: Combat
Nature: Military
Departure airport: RAF Honington
Destination airport: Emden
Narrative:
Shot down by Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld 5./NJG 2 - Leens 20km NW of Groningen at 01:45 - flying a Bf 110 or Do 215 B-5 from Leeuwarden airfield. Aircraft was named "Jane".

Crew:
Pilot:37770 Wg Cdr Leslie Vidal James DFC - Leens General Cemetery De Marne Row 14. Grave 2.
Observer:R/70976 Flt Sgt Arthur Dunham Adair RCAF - Leens General Cemetery De Marne Row 14. Grave 4.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner:103529 Plt Off John David Baxter DFM - Leens General Cemetery de Marne Row 14. Grave 3.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner:114155 Plt Off Alfred Victor Brooks - Leens General Cemetery De Marne Row 14. Grave 1.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner:629164 Sgt Jack Brown - Leens General Cemetery De Marne Row 14. Grave 5.

Date: 26th of June 1942
Time:
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk IC
Owner/operator: 11 Operational Training Unit Royal Air Force (11 OTU RAF)
Registration: X3213
C/n / msn: KJ-L
Fatalities: Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Aircraft missing
Location: Unknown
Phase: Unknown
Nature: Military
Departure airport: RAF Steeple Morden
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Cause of loss is not known.
Crew
Pilot:969489 Flt Sgt Robert Holden - killed
Observer:R/82332 Sgt Robert Neil Urquhart RCAF - killed
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner:941198 Sgt Cyril Thomas Raynes Matthewman - killed
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner:NZ/41601 Sgt Leonard Allen Mitchell RNZAF - killed
Air Gunner: NZ/403571 Sgt Victor Arthur Bullecourt Falk RNZAF - killed.

Date: 27th of August 1942
Time: 23:23
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk III
Owner/operator: 156 Squadron Royal Air Force (156 Sqn RAF)
Registration: Z1613
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities: 0
Aircraft damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Crashed near Elsendorp
Phase: Combat
Nature: Military
Departure airport: RAF Warboys
Destination airport: Kassel
Narrative:
Shot down by night fighter pilot Hptm Streib of the I/NJG 1, flying a Bf 110 from Venlo airfield.

Call Sign: GT-
Takeoff time: 20:39
Crew:
Pilot P/O. J.W. Longhurst 130067 RAF Eindhoven JJ 113
Observer P/O. N. Millidge 130722 RAF Eindhoven JJ 115
Observer F/Sgt. J.W. Stuart 412363 RNzAF Eindhoven JJ 147
Navigator P/O. R.W. Byers 412201 RNzAF Eindhoven JJ 112
Wo ag Sgt. A.C. Blogg 910946 RAF Eindhoven JJ 114
Air gunner Sgt. H.R. Skinner 1111867 RAF Eindhoven JJ 120.

Date: 31st of January 1944
Time: 0130
Type: Vickers Wellington Mk XIV
Owner/operator: 172 Squadron Royal Air Force (172 Sqn RAF)
Registration: MP813
C/n / msn:
Fatalities: Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Aircraft damage: Aircraft missing
Location: Bay of Biscay
Phase: Combat
Nature: Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative:
On 30 January 1944 the Wellington XIV MP813 'K' of 172 Sqn RAF took off from Chivenor at 2011 hrs for a night 'Percussion' patrol over the Bay of Biscay. It did not return. It was formely credited with sinking U-364 in a night attack in the Bay of Biscay west of Bordeaux, France, in position 45.25N, 05.15W, by depth charges.

This attack was in fact made on the outbound U-608, inflicting no damage. The boat reported that at 0128 hrs on the 31st he had Naxos warning of an incoming aircraft, welcomed it with AA fire when it switched on the Leigh Light and scored hits on the aircraft with AA fire as it escaped by diving. The Wellington did not drop any depth charges, and apparently crashed shortly afterwards, as witnessed by a Polish-crewed Wellington (304 Sqdn RAF/2B, F/S S. Czekaski), but the crash was misinterpreted at the time as exploding depth charges. The crew of six were all lost.

Crew (all killed)
Flt Sgt Leighton Dawkin Richards RAFVR 1315328 (pilot)
Sgt Peter Horsfield RAFVR 952955 (2nd pilot)
Sgt Cyril James Lowther RAFVR 1452590 (navigator)
Wt Off John Pritchard RAF 638478 (wireless operator/air gunner)
Sgt Richard Charles Humphrey Fisher RAFVR 1318518 (wireless operator/air gunner)
Sgt Arthur Bernard Porter RAFVR 1287755 (wireless operator/air gunner)

All, other than Lowther, are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Lowther is buried Zumaya Cemetery, Spain.

A great shot, Jan.

F4U-4 Corsair aircraft of US Navy squadron VF-75 and SB2C-4E Helldiver aircraft of US Navy squadron VT-75 in flight over USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, western Atlantic Ocean, 5 May 1946.

"Mustangs of the RAAF and RNZAF" by Peter Anderson,



the pic source: RAAF and SAAF F-51D Mustangs A68-720 and 361/"Miss Marounichi" (Airfix 1/72)

Someone said that you are a bit derange with # 13. So here's to you.

Deranged is the perfect description.