ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 227521
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| Date: | Sunday 19 May 1940 |
| Time: | 18:00 LT |
| Type: |  Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 |
| Owner/operator: | 56 (Punjab) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | N2439 |
| MSN: | US-J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Biache-Saint-Vaast, Pas-de-Calais Department, Hauts-de-France -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Vitry-en-Artois, near Douai, France |
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I N2439 (US-J) 56 (Punjab) Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from a combat air patrol on 18 May 1940. Pilot killed. According to the official Air Ministry file on the incident: "Hurricane N2439 crashed at Biache-Saint-Vaast, France, 18 May 1940. Acting Flight Lieutenant I S Soden: report of death"
Details lacking, but was one of two 56 Squadron Hurricane lost on 18 May 1940; the squadron had only relocated to Vitry-en-Artois the previous day, and the above incident was the squadron's first day of combat air patrols. One source (see link #5) states that Hurricane N2439 was shot down by a Bf 110 at 18:00 hours at Biache-Saint-Vaast
Crew of Hurricane N2439:
Flight Lieutenant (Pilot) Ian Scovil Soden, RAF 33289, DSO, age 23, killed in action 18/05/1940, buried at Biache-St Vaast Communal Cemetery, France
The reported crash location of Biache-Saint-Vaast is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France at approximate Coordinates: 50°18′45″N 2°56′42″E
Note that some published unofficial sources list the Hurricane of F/O Frank Rose as "N2439"; two 56 Squadron Hurricanes were lost in the combat air patrols of 18 May 1940. N2430 (with F/O Rose) was one, the other other was N2439 (Flight Lieutenant Ian S. Soden). The Air Ministry AIR 81 files confirm which pilot was in which aircraft.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977 p 13)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) file AIR 81/431: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502102
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2278855/soden,-ian-scovil/
4. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/56_squadron.html#1805
5. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=715
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biache-Saint-Vaast
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Jul-2019 00:35 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 25-Jul-2019 13:37 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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