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Date: | Friday 31 May 1940 |
Time: | 14:40 |
Type: | Boulton Paul Defiant Mk I |
Owner/operator: | 264 (Madras Presidency) Sqn RAF |
Registration: | L6980 |
MSN: | 30 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | English Channel, off Dunkirk, Pas de Calais -
France
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Manston, Ramsgate, Kent |
Destination airport: | |
Narrative:Two Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.1s of 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron, RAF were written off (damaged beyond repair) on 31 May 1940: Defiant L6961 and Defiant L6980 collided with each other during combat with Bf109's of III./JG26. L6980 broke up in flight over Dunkirk, Pas De Calais, France. According to the official file at the National Archives at Kew (File AIR81/738 - see link #4): "Sergeant S B Johnson: missing presumed dead; Defiant L6980 in air operations over Belgium, 31 May 1940
Pilot bailed out, air gunner also bailed out, but posted as "missing in action" later "killed in action" (presumed drowned after landing in the sea after bailing out; however, as his body was never found and never recovered, his fate will probably never been known).
Crew:
P/O (????) M H Young (pilot) RAF
Sgt (747782) Stanley Bernard Johnson (AG) RAF - killed
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. Air Battle for Dunkirk, 26 May–3 June 1940 By Norman Franks
3. The Battle Of France: Then And Now By Peter Cornwell p.399
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/738:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502622 5. 264 Squadron ORB (Operational Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/10/1939 to 31/5/1940: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/1553/1 at
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8397999 6. CWGC:
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1802168/stanley-bernard-johnson/ 7.
https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/264-squadron-patrol-over-dunkirk-calais-friday-31st-may-1940.19870/#post-240196. 8.
http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/264_squadron.html#31 9.
https://www.aircrewremembered.com/AlliedLossesIncidents/?q=L6980&qand=&exc1=&exc2=&search_only=&search_type=exact 10.
https://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-losses-may-1940-an-update.16940/page-16#post-202731 11.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=52109 12.
https://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=6445 Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
03-Jul-2022 23:30 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
04-Jul-2022 21:34 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator] |
04-Jul-2022 21:35 |
Nepa |
Updated [Operator] |