ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 229431
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| Date: | Friday 14 June 1940 |
| Time: | 15:15 |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 40 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | N3592 |
| MSN: | BL-C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Fresney (Eure), 13 km SE of Evreux, Normandy -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire |
| RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV N3592 (BL-C) 40 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations over Northern France. All three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/902): "Blenheim R3592 [*sic] crashed at Fresney, France, 14 June 1940. Sergeant A F W Sammells, Sergeant R W Burge and Squadron Leader G W C Gleed: report of deaths".
Airborne at 13:45 hours from RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire. Tasked with attacking enemy troop columns on the roads around Evreux. One of two 40 Squadron, RAF Blenheim Mk.IVs lost on this combat operation (the other being R3693 - which see).
Shot down by a Bf 109 piloted by the famous Luftwaffe "ace" Adolf Galland (1912-1996) at 15:15 hours. He claimed it as his 13th victory in air to air combat and stated that he shot this aircraft down 22 km SE of Vernon/Breval
Crew of Blenheim N3592:
Squadron Leader (Pilot) Gerald William Chevalier Gleed, RAF 37558, age 24, killed in action 14/06/1940
Sergeant (Observer) Ronald William Burge, RAF 563432, age 26, killed in action 14/06/1940
Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Alen Frederick William Sammells, RAF 540079, age 26, 14/06/1940
All three crew fatalities were buried (in the same grave) at Fresney Churchyard, Eure, France. The reported crash location of Fresney is a commune in the Eure department in the Normandy region in northern France, at approximate Coordinates: 48°57′03″N 1°18′21″E
Note that the official Air Ministry file is incorrect - the Blenheim involved in the above incident was N3592 and NOT "R3592". True, there was a Blenheim Mk.IV with the serial "R3592" (third of a batch of 250 with serials between R3590 and R3919) but Blenheim R3952 was written off when it crashed landed at RAF Millom, Cumberland on 27 July 1942, whiole with 5 Air Observers School.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977 p 23)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/902: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502604
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2320794/gleed,-gerald-william-chevallier/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2320793/burge,-ronald-william/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2320795/sammells,-alen-frederick-william/
6. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=1153
7. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/40_squadron.html#1406
8. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showpost.php?p=128401&postcount=4
9. https://de-de.facebook.com/groups/LuftwaffeWW2/permalink/10155481144826572/
10. https://www.aerosteles.net/steleen-fresney-blenheim
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresney .
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 23 May 1940 | P4909 | 40 Sqn RAF | 2 | between Beuvry and Sailly-labourse, 3 km ESE of Béthune. | |
w/o |
| 2 September 1940 | L8796 | 40 Sqn RAF | 1 | RAF West Raynham, near Fakenham, Norfolk, England |  |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2019 19:32 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 28-Sep-2019 10:19 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 28-Sep-2019 20:21 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Sep-2019 20:22 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
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