Date:	Saturday 13 July 1940
Time:	18:15 LT
Type:	Hawker Hurricane Mk 1
Owner/operator:	56 (Punjab) Sqn RAF
Registration:	P2922
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	English Channel, off Calais, Pas de Calais -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF North Weald, Essex
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I P2922, 56 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from a combat air patrol off the coast of Kent. Pilot Killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/1117): "Hurricane P2922 lost in air operations, 13 July 1940. Sergeant J J Whitfield: missing presumed dead".

At about 17:30 hours, twelve Ju 87 Stuka dive-bombers from II/StG 1, escorted by nineteen Bf 109s from II/JG 51, attacked Dover Harbour and the convoy code named BREAD. Hurricanes from No. 56 Squadron together with Spitfires from No. 64 Squadron intercepted the enemy aircraft, shooting down one Bf 109 and damaging two Stukas. Two 56 Squadron Hurricanes (N2432 and P2922) were also lost and two Spitfires were damaged by AA fire, force-landing at Hawkinge. During the attack, the British destroyer HMS Vanessa was badly damaged and had to be towed back to port.

The pilot of Hurricane P2922 was Joseph James Whitfield from Goldthorpe, Yorkshire. He was born in July 1915 and joined the RAF in November 1935 as an Aircraft hand (as an AC.2). He later applied for pilot training, was accepted and commenced training.

He went to 5 OTU Aston Down to qualify on Hurricanes on 26th March 1940 and joined 56 Squadron at North Weald on 20th April. Over the Channel off Calais on 13th July 1940 Whitfield was shot down in Hurricane P2922, probably by Oblt. Fozo of 4/JG51, and was posted Missing. He was 25 and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, panel 21.

Crew of Hurricane P2922
Sgt Joseph James Whitfield (Pilot) RAF 526295, aged 25 - killed in action 13/07/1940, body not found/not recovered, commemorated on the Runnymede Memoiral.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1977 p 13)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1115: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502927
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1531466/whitfield,-joseph-james/
4. https://battleofbritain1940.com/entry/saturday-13-july-1940/
5. http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Whitfield.htm
6. https://www.netweather.tv/forum/topic/63129-the-battle-of-britain-weather-diary/page/2/
7. https://www.battleofbritain1940.net/0021.html
8. https://www.facebook.com/BritishTroopsRemembered/photos/16sgt-jjwhitfield-from-no-56-squadron-was-on-patrol-in-a-hurricane-p2922-on-the-/2182438971986097/
9. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/battle-of-britain-casualties-r-a-f-or-fleet-air-arm-during-the-period-10-july-to-31-october-1940.24927/page-7#post-305500
10. The Fallen Few of the Battle of Britain By Nigel McCrery, Norman Franks

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
15-Oct-2019 18:40	Dr. John Smith	Added
15-Oct-2019 18:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
15-Oct-2019 18:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time]
16-Oct-2019 04:37	juza7	Updated [Operator]