ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 229295
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| Date: | Thursday 13 June 1940 |
| Time: | 18:20 LT |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 82 (United Provinces) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | P6910 |
| MSN: | UX-X |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Courgivaux (Marne), 5 km WSW of Esternay, -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Watton, Norfolk |
| RAF Watton, Norfolk |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV L8829 (UX-X) 82 (United Provinces) Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations. Of the three crew, one was killed, and the other two survived to be taken as PoWs. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/881): "Blenheim P6910 shot down near Courgivaux, France, 13 June 1940. Sergeant K H Harris: report of death. Sergeant H H Williams and Flight Lieutenant J C Breese: prisoners of war".
Airborne at 15:04 from RAF Watton, Norfolk. Tasked with attacking enemy Panzer tank columns in the Forêt de Gault, near Bourth, France. Believed shot down in the area of Courgivaux (Marne), 5 km West-South-West of Esternay, by a Bf 109 piloted by Hauptmann Erich Gerlitz, of 1./JG 1, who claimed 2 victories on this day, one at 18:20 (local time) in the area of Coulommiers (département of Seine-et-Marne). All three crew bailed out, but two landed by parachute in enemy held territory, and were captured to be taken as PoWs
Crew of Blenheim P6910:
Flight Lieutenant J C Breese, DFC (Pilot); survived, bailed out, captured and taken as a PoW. Interned in PoW Camps L1/L3/21B/L3 as PoW No.91. DFC Gazetted 22 November 1940 while still in captivity.
Sergeant H.H. Williams, DFM (Observer); survived, bailed out, captured and taken as PoW. Interned in PoW Camp 357, as PoW No.30663. DFM Gazetted 22 November 1940 while in captivity
Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Kenneth Henry Harris, RAF 530943, DFM, age 23, killed in action 13/06/1940, buried at Courgivaux Communal Cemetery, Marne, France
The reported crash location of Courgivaux is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France at approximate Coordinates: 48°42′47″N 3°29′20″E
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/881: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502527
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2346114/harris,-kenneth-henry/
4. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=76
5. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/82_squadron.html#1306
6. http://olivier.housseaux.free.fr/AVIONS/P6910/recit.htm
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courgivaux
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 13 August 1940 | R3800 | 82 (United Provinces) Sqn RAF | 1 | Limfjord, near Aalborg airfield, Fliegerhorst Aalborg West |  |
w/o |
| 4 April 1941 | L9270 | 82 (United Provinces) Sqn RAF | 3 | North Sea 30 km W of Bergen aan Zee, Noord-Holland |  |
w/o |
| 10 January 1942 | V6440 | 82 (United Provinces) Sqn RAF | 3 | Postweg / Schoolweg Soesterberg, Utrecht | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Sep-2019 00:07 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 25-Sep-2019 04:10 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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