ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 309169
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| Date: | Sunday 20 October 1940 |
| Time: | 06:55 |
| Type: |  Westland Lysander Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 419 (Special Duties) Flt RAF |
| Registration: | R9027 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Connel, Argyllshire, Scotland -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | France |
| RAF Tangmere, West Sussex |
Short version is that on 19 Oct 1940 F/Lt Farley left RAF Tangmere in bad weather in a Lysander to do a pick up. Farley found the field and landed and picked up Philip Schneidau. His radio was out. As he throttled back after take of he noted his elevator seemed to be jammed and about then he thought a bullet went through the compass between his knees. Cloud built up preventing map reading by moonlight. He went up to 16000 feet with no nav aids. Guessing he plodded on fearing a strong wind might have them over Belgium or Holland
At about 06:30hrs the fuel tanks had read empty for some time. At 06:50hrs Philip thought he saw ground and they went down. Their guess was it looked like Ireland. Farley told Philip to strip off his civvies in case they were over occupied territory. The wings came off on hitting the ground. Philip jumped out shouting at Farley to get out in case it went on fire to receive the pithily put response that there was no expletive fuel. After about 10 minutes two men with rifles appeared and the duo found they were in Scotland. A breakfast followed at RAF Oban. Not wanting to tell who they were they spun a fantastic story to the Station Commander who put them under armed guard. Eventually the matter was sorted and thus ends the first clandestine pick up operation of WW2
Sources:
1.Bomber Command Losses by W R CHORLEY, page 191.
2. Hugh Verity "WeLanded by Moonlight"
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