Date:	Sunday 26 May 1940
Time:	10:00 LT
Type:	Fairey Battle
Owner/operator:	150 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L5459
MSN:	JN-L
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Avioth, 6 km NNE of Montmedy, Meause, Grand Est -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Pouan-les-Vallees, France
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Fairey Battle Mk.I L5459 (JN-L) 150 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from combat operations on 26 May 1940. All three crew survived, but two were taken as PoWs. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/626): "Battle L5459 force landed north of Libramont, Belgium, 27 May 1940. Sergeant G Busby and Leading Aircraftman A W Rutland: prisoners of war. Flying Officer J E Vernon - safe"

Airborne 09:25 hrs from Pouan-les-Vallees, France, to attack a Château at Roumont, Luxembourg. Attacked by Bf-110s and crash landed near Avioth (Meause), 6 km North North East of Montmedy, Meause, France and burned by the crew.

Flying Officer Vernon, who was with No. 150 Squadron, led a particularly daring attack on a German headquarters at a chateau near Recogne, in Belgium. In the vicinity of the target the formation he was leading lost touch while flying through a storm, but Vernon went on to locate and bomb his objective.

On the return flight he was attacked by six Messerschmitts, but by skilful flying he evaded their initial attacks and his gunner was able to shoot down one Messerschmitt and set fire to another. However, the remaining fighters continued to attack and seriously damaged the British bomber. With its engine failing, the Battle began to lose height rapidly and Vernon was forced to land in enemy territory. He assisted his wounded crew from the aircraft and set it on fire.

A German patrol approached and took the wounded men prisoner, but Vernon managed to escape, reach the French lines, and make his way back to his unit. On 07/06/1940 he was lost while making a low-level attack on a German convoy.

Crew of Battle L5459:
Flying Officer J.G. Vernon (pilot); survived, escaped and/or evaded capture, returned to his unit
Sgt G. Busby (Observer); survived, captured, taken as a PoW. Interned as a PoW in PoW Camp 357, as PoW No.38248
LAC A.W. Rutland (Wireless Op./Air Gunner); survived, captured, taken as a PoW. Interned in PoW Camps 8B/L6/357, as PoW No.18162

Note that the official account is that Fairey Battle L5459 crash "north of Libramont, Belgium", but later unofficial accounts give the crash location as Avioth, a commune in the Meause department in the Grand Est region in northeastern France at approximate Coordinates: 49°34′02″N 5°23′30″E. Libramont (now known as Libramont-Chevigny (Walloon: Libraumont)) is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg at approximate Coordinates: 49°55′N 05°23′E. The two locations are some 52.6 km apart, in different countries, along route N85

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 35)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/626: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502047
3. The Battle File (Sidney Shail, Air Britain, 1977 p 151)
4. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=1933
5. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/150_squadron.html#2605
6. http://www.anciens-aerodromes.com/?p=33864
7. http://www.lostbombers.co.uk/bomber.php?id=7728
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avioth
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libramont-Chevigny

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
22-Sep-2011 13:07	ThW	Added
10-Jul-2015 19:01	DG333	Updated [Operator]
30-Oct-2018 19:28	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
22-Aug-2019 22:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
23-Aug-2019 22:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
24-Aug-2019 08:23	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]