ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 160778
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| Date: | Monday 9 April 1945 |
| Time: | 06:20 |
| Type: |  Handley Page Halifax Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 58 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | PN425 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Anti-Submarine Patrol Area L.6, east of Arendal, Aust-Agder, Sørlandet -
 Norway
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Stornoway, Isle of Lewis |
| RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk |
Halifax PN425 ("BY-E") of 58 Squadron, on a sortie from from RAF Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland. Damaged Beyond Rrepair 09.04.1945 when photo flash exploded in bomb bay on anti-submarine patrol. Aircraft made a FIDO (Fog Dispersal Operation) landing at RAF Woodbridge, Suffolk; due to the adverse weather, Woodbridge was selected as a diversion airfield, as it was equipped with the FIDO fog-dispersal gear.
Crew:
Flt Lt R N Lawson
Flt Sgt J Ricketts
Pilot Officer C H Kohler (RAAF)
Flt Sgt W L Magness
Wireless Op R E Blades
Flt Sgt F C Yeandle
Flying Officer W Smith
Flt Sgt J F Smith
Flying Officer V Jones
Sortie to Anti-Submarine Patrol Area L.6, at approximate co ordinates 58.48 North, 09.40 East, which is over the sea east of Arendal, Aust-Agder, Sørlandet, Norway. Took off 21.15, Landed 06.20
At 02.58 hours, attacked at co ordinates 58.48 North, 09.40 East a cargo type passenger Motor Vessel of approximately 3,000 tons, releasing 7 x 500 lb M.C. bombs from 3,800 feet. The last bomb scored a direct hit, causing a cloud of smoke from forward of amid-ships. Flames could still be seen when aircraft 20-25 miles away. No flak experienced. Photography was attempted, but the photo flash became detached from the carrier and was caught up in the lanyards from the flares released, unbeknown to the crew - so when it released, it exploded, causing extensive damage to the aircraft to such an extent that air-speed was reduced, and due to lack of fuel, captain set course for RAF Carnaby in East Yorkshire. It was revealed after the aircraft had landed that the mid-upper gunner had been blown out of the aircraft and was found to be hanging by his parachute harness to jagged parts of the damaged fuselage. He had spent 3 hours outside the aircraft at 3,000 feet, at a speed of 150 mph.
The captain may have set course for 'Carnaby', but it appears that he in fact landed at Woodbridge. It is not listed in the Woodbridge Station ORB, but there is a small booklet held up at Kew called a "Short History of RAF Woodbridge" which does refer to this arrival.
Position "58.48 North/09.40 East" plots as the sea off the South East Coast of Norway (east of Arendal, Aust-Agder, Sørlandet, Norway, which is the nearest landmark at 58°28′56″N 8°46′57″E) and the distance from there to Carnaby or Woodbridge is almost the same.
The Mid Upper Turret Gunner was discovered - alive - hanging by his parachute harness just beneath the aircraft. He had apparently fallen through a hole in the floor of the aircraft and the crew believed him to have been lost. However his harness had snagged on part of the damaged aircraft and he survived the three and a half hour flight home and the subsequent landing, suffering from no more than "shock and exposure" and with his oxygen mask and goggles having been "scraped by the runway surface"!
The airman in question - Flt Sgt J Francis Smith - not only survived this incident, but made a full recovery, survived the War, and indeed made a return visit to Stornoway in 2001.
Sources:
1. Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
2. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?11615-Coastal-Command-Halifax-9-4-1945-and-one-lucky-b******/page2
3. http://www.aircrewremembered.com/BomberCommandDatabaseSearch/?q=SMITH
4. http://web.archive.org/web/20171120043658/http://www.rafastornoway.org.uk:80/raf-storno-hist/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Sep-2013 17:11 | JINX | Added |
| 21-Sep-2013 17:13 | JINX | Updated [Registration] |
| 06-Mar-2017 19:31 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Mar-2017 19:31 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time] |
| 06-Mar-2017 19:38 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 09-Nov-2018 17:28 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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