ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 229573
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| Date: | Thursday 13 June 1940 |
| Time: | 19:30 LT |
| Type: |  Fairey Battle Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 12 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L5531 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | between Esternay and St.Martin du Boschet, Marne -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Sougé, France |
Fairey Battle Mk.I L5580 (PH-R) 12 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations over France. Of the three crew, all survived, but were captured and taken as PoWs. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/962): "Battle L5531 crashed at Chateau-Thierry France, 13 June 1940. Sergeant C S G Beevers, Leading Aircraftman J G Thompson and Pilot Officer J F McPhie: prisoners of war".
Airborne 18:00 hours from Sougé to bomb Panzer columns reported to be refuelling in the Forêt de Gault, near Montmirail. Hit by intense Flak/ground AAA fire and crashed between Esternay and St.Martin du Boschet, Marne. All three crew survived, but were captured, and taken as PoWs.
Crew of Battle L5531:
Pilot Officer J F McPhie (Pilot) RAF 40730: survived, captured, taken as PoW; Interned in PoW Camps 8B/L3, as PoW No.16247
Sergeant C S G Beevers (Observer) RAF 564349; survived, captured, taken as PoW; Interned in PoW Camps 8B/L6/357, as PoW No 13399
Leading Aircraftman J G Thompson (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) RAF 755699;survived, captured, taken as PoW; Interned in PoW Camps 8B/L6, as PoW No.13337.
The reported "official" crash location of Château-Thierry is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France and in the Province of Champagne, at approximate Coordinates: 49°02′N 3°24′E (49.033333 / 3.4). However, other (unofficial published) sources give the crash location as "between Esternay and Saint-Martin du Boschet, Marne". Esternay is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France, at approximate Coordinates: 48°43′58″N 3°33′37″E (48.732778 / 3.560278). The two locations are about 43 km apart.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/962: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502413
3. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=5530
4. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/12_squadron.html#1306
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau-Thierry
6. http://olivier.housseaux.free.fr/AVIONS/L5531/equipage.htm
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esternay
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Oct-2019 19:24 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 01-Oct-2019 19:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 01-Oct-2019 19:29 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 02-Oct-2019 09:19 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 13-Jun-2022 06:59 | Rob Davis | Updated [Narrative] |
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