ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 227848
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| Date: | Wednesday 22 May 1940 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 107 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | P4925 |
| MSN: | OM-R |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | English Channel, Dungeness, 7 miles off Kent coast, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Wattisham, Suffolk |
| RAF Wattisham |
Blenheim P4925/R: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from combat operations on 22 May 1940. All three crew survived, and were later rescued. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/488): "Blenheim P4925 hit by enemy gunfire over English Channel, 22 May 1940. Leading Aircraftman W R Stokell, Sergeant R J Saunders and Pilot Officer J A Millar, injured".
A combined force of 58 Blenheims of 107 Squadron, 110 Squadron, and other Squadrons (plus 1 on reconnaissance) took off to attack German troops advancing to the northern French coast. Blenheim P4925 was airborne at 16:15 from RAF Wattisham, Suffolk. Hit by Flak while attacking armoured vehicles in fields near Bouloge-sur-Mer, and one engine was knocked out. Returning across the Channel, the remaining engine failed, and the Blenheim was successfully ditched at a position approximately 7 miles from the English coast. The crew were rescued from their dinghy some 90 minutes later
Crew:
P/O (41446) John Alexander MILLAR (pilot) RAF: Injured
Sgt (564781) Richard James SAUNDERS (Obs.) RAF : Injured
LAC (548679) William Ranger STOKELL (WOp/AG) RAF: Ok
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 27)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/488: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502190
3. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/107_squadron.html#2205
4.ORB 107 Sqdn RAF
5.London Gazette
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 27 May 1940 | N6192 | 107 Sqn RAF | 3 | English Channel, off Merck-Saint-Liévin, 7 km east of Calais. |  |
w/o |
| 10 July 1940 | R3916 | 107 Sqn RAF | 0 | near Airaines, Amiens, Somme department, Hauts de France. | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Aug-2019 00:29 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 04-Aug-2019 11:33 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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