ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 300261
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| Date: | Friday 24 September 1943 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Bristol Beaufighter TF Mk X |
| Owner/operator: | 39 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | LX903 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Sea south west of Elba island -
 Mediterranean Sea
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Protville II. Tunisia |
Beaufighter LX903/T: Took off at 10:03 hrs for Offensive fighter patrol at Corsika. 24/09/1943
During attack on 8 Ju52 transports over the sea was aircraft shot down by Ju52 gunners and a good ditching. The crew did a Mediterranean cruise in a rubber dinghy and an open skiff sailed to German-held Elba and then to liberated Corsica when his aircraft was shot down while leading an attack on 8 Ju52 transports over the sea.
Crew:
P/O (143.239) Henry Hazard DEACON (pilot) RAFVR - Ok
P/O (J/16650) Cecil Leroy HEIDE (nav.) RCAF - Ok
Crew in emergency dinghy, were circled every day by both German and British aircraft during their four-day sail to Elba. “The other aircraft from our squadron knew where we were and came over to take a look at us every day, but we were too far from British-held territory for a ship to come and the sea was too rough for seaplanes,” he said. // “Every day German Arado seaplanes circles us – I don’t think they were sure whether we were British or Germans from one of the Ju’s,” Heide related, adding that the two airmen were chiefly worried about their next of kin because, although their squadron knew they had come down safely, they had to be listed officially missing. When we came down, we were in sight of Elba and we never lost sight of it on the sea. When we landed there, we knew the Germans still held it and the nearest British were in Corsica. We stayed clear of the German army men, but the civilians took care of us. They hid us in caves and brought food. A couple of days later, two Sardinian deserters from the Italian army came up to do business with us. They offered to take us to Corsica if we’d clear them with the French authorities so they could get home to Sardinia,” the young navigator explained. // The rough crossing to Corsica, 45 miles away, was carried out by night with the aid of an improvised sail.
Sources:
1.Beaufighter production list
2.ORB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2022 11:25 | Nepa | Added [Operator] |
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