Date:	Sunday 19 May 1940
Time:	10:45 LT
Type:	Fairey Battle Mk I
Owner/operator:	12 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N2178
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Cauroy, 20 km SE of Rethel, Ardennes -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Echemines, France
Destination airport:	Echemines, France

Narrative:
Fairey Battle Mk.I N2178 (PH-I) 12 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from combat operations on 19 May 1940. Of the three crew, two survived but were injured, and one died from injuries sustained. According to the official Air Ministry file on the incident (File AIR 81/434): Battle N2178 crashed near Rethel, France, 19 May 1940. Flight Lieutenant P R Barr and Leading Aircraftman V D Rawlings injured. Sergeant E J Belcher, report of death".

Fairey Battle N2178 was one of five aircraft from 12 Squadron airborne at 10:16 hours from Echemines to bomb targets at various locations (Operation "Hannogne"). Attacked by six Bf 109s from 4./JG 52 near St-Fergeux, Ardennes, 12 km West-North-West of Rethel, France, so the pilot decided to get rid of his bomb load, and return to his base, but crashed near Cauroy, 20 km south east of Rethel
Two 12 Squadron Fairey Battles were lost in Operation "Hannogne" - L5538 and N2178

Crew of Battle N2178:
Sergeant (Observer) Edward Joseph Belcher, RAF 580477, age 20, killed in action 19/05/1940, buried at Choloy War Cemetery, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France
Flying Officer Philip Rex Barr (pilot) survived but Injured and admitted to hospital
LAC V.C.Rawlings (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) survived but Injured and admitted to hospital

Fairey Battle N2178 was badly shot about and Sgt Belcher, who is buried at Choloy War Cemetery, was killed in the aircraft before its crash landed. The two injured airmen were admitted to Hospital. The reported crash location of Cauroy is a French commune, located in the department of Ardennes in the region Grand Est, 20 km south east of Rethel, at approximate coordinates 49°20'52" North, 4°28'08" East.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1977
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/435: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502106
3. The Battle File (Sidney Shail, Air Britain, 1997 p 163)
4. Peter D. Cornwell: The Battle of France then & now.
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2319622/belcher,-edward-joseph/
6. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=4808
7. http://39-45.auzeau.fr/france/54-meurthe-et-moselle/54-choloy-war-cemetery-18/
8. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauroy
9. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=25329 .

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-Jul-2019 18:27	Dr. John Smith	Added
24-Jul-2019 19:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
24-Jul-2019 19:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
26-Jul-2019 11:40	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
30-Jun-2022 05:07	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]