ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 227532
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Saturday 18 May 1940 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 |
| Owner/operator: | 253 (Hyderabad) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L1600 |
| MSN: | SW-L |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Merville, Nord department, Hauts-de-France region -
 France
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Vitry-en-Artois, near Douai, France |
| Merville, France |
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I L1600 (SW-L) 253 (Hyderabad) Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from a combat air patrol on 18 May 1940. Pilot bailed out, uninjured. According to the official Air Ministry file on the incident (File AIR 81/432: "Hurricane L1600 force landed at Merville, France, 18 May 1940. Pilot Officer J D Ford, missing, later reported to be safe".
Crew of Hurricane L1600
Pilot Officer J D Ford (RAF 123383)(Pilot) - bailed out survived uninjured, returned to his unit 21 May 1940.
On 30 October 1939, No 253 Squadron reformed at Manston and was originally intended as a shipping protection unit with Blenheims. None were delivered, however, and the squadron began to receive Hurricanes in February 1940, becoming operational on 3 April. In May 1940 one flight was sent to France to reinforce the hard-pressed Hurricane squadrons while the second flight flew daily to French airfields from 17 to 23 May 1940 from RAF Kenley, Whyteleafe, Surrey.
When the Germans invaded France, 253 were split into two flights, one went to Vitry and the other to Lille. "B" flight went to Lille, the CO and Adjutant remained in England. "B" flight was the only flight whose Hurricane were without armour plating and mirrors; they also had single blade wooden airscrews.
They were in France for four days in which they lost five aircraft, and half their pilots, including the flight commander. The loss of Hurricane L1600 on 18 May 1940 seems to have been 253 Squadron's first loss in air to air combat. (They lost three more the next day, May 19th, and the fifth and final loss on May 21st). Only 3 aircraft flew back to the UK, the rest were broken up with axes. Most of the squadron's Hurricanes were the older Mk.I type in the first production batch (L1547-L2146) with twin bladed wooden airscrews and fabric covered wings. With combat damage, and neither time nor resources for repairs they were part of some 300 Hurricanes that were abandoned and destroyed during the fall of France.
The reported crash location of Merville is a commune in the Nord department and Hauts-de-France region of northern France, at approximate Coordinates: 50°38′40″N 2°38′28″E
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 11)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/432: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502103
3. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=7310
4. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/253_squadron.html#1805
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merville,_Nord
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Jul-2019 16:03 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 26-Jul-2019 11:38 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation