ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 89141
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| Date: | Saturday 11 May 1940 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Fairey Battle Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 5/III/3 Aéronautique Militaire Belge |
| Registration: | T-70 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Vroenhoven, Limburg -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Belcele, East Flanders, Belgium |
Fairey Battle Mk.1 T-70, 5/III/3 - Aéronautique Militaire Belge. Based at Belcele, East Flanders, Belgium. Written off (destroyed) 11 May 1940 on a Mission to attack the Bridges over the Albert Canal at Vroenhoven. One of three aircraft tasked with this mission (T-61, T-64 and T-70), which took off at 06:50 hours.
Over Tongeren near the target they were fired upon by a German field convoy on the way north. T-70 replied with long MG bursts. A German projectile came through the fuselage and passed between the legs of a crewman without touching him. Over Vroenhoven all three aircraft were hit by flak.
T-70 and T-61 both encountered a problem with the release system and could not drop their bombs. T-64 dropped its bombs but all fell into the Canal. T-70 and T-61 now decided to dive-bomb the bridge. T-70 hit the bridge with three bombs but none did mentionable damage. The other five fell into the Canal. Because of this unhappy result, T-70 and T-61 headed west to make a fresh bomb run. T-70 was shot down between Lafelt and Vlijtingen, and T-61 at Veldwezelt over the Kip van Hees. Of the four crew members only 2nd. Lt. Vandenbosch (T-70) escaped with his life. He parachuted down at a perilously low height, his parachute failing to deploy in time. He sprained his right ankle, broke bones in his left foot and three vertebrae, and suffered injuries to his face and rib cage. He was taken to Maastricht Hospital.
According to the testimony of Jean Vandenbosch, the sole surviving crew member of Battle T-70 (written some time later, from memory)
“We arrived above the bridge. I prepared to release the bombs, the anti-aircraft defences intensify to such an extent that the eruptions disable the electric controls of the bomb system. To increase the chances of hitting the bridge, we gain altitude again and bomb in a dive. During this straight-ahead trajectory the Germans have plenty of time to target us and chase a projectile into our engine, causing the whole machine to crash, ablaze. The bombs are released, three fall on the bridge, but unfortunately without causing any damage. There is nothing left but to save ourselves and at 145 meters above the ground I jump with my parachute. Five hours later I was found seriously injured by German stretcher bearers."
Crew of Battle T-70:
Captain André "Dédé" Désiré Etienne Glorie (pilot) - Killed In Action 11/5/1940
O/Lt Jean Vandenbosch, observer - injured
Of the three Fairey Battles at Vroenhoven only T-64 made it back, on the way firing at every target offering itself, the fuselage being peppered by numerous hits. T-64 landed safely at Aalter at 0835 hrs.
The attack on all three bridges was a disaster. None of the aircraft managed to inflict any damage on the bridges while their losses were very high. Of the six escort fighters three were shot down and three damaged. Two of the pilots were killed. Of the nine bombers seven were shot down, only two returning to Aalter. Five of the crews lost their lives.
The reported crash site of Vlijtingen is a part of Riemst and is located in the southeast of Limburg (Belgium) in the Haspengouw region. Vlijtingen, consisting of the village itself and the hamlet of Lafelt, at approximate Coordinates 50°50′N, 5°35′E.
Note that the Fairey Battle marked as "T-70" in the Musée Royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire in Brussels, Belgium (see links #2 & #3) is, of course, not the "original", but the former RCAF 1899, and RAF R3950 before that
Sources:
1. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/belgium/af/losses.html
2. https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8587875
3. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/3039/T-70/70
4. https://halifaxjd371kno.com/index.php/lafelt-fairey-battle-t70-5-iii-1-ae/
5. http://users.skynet.be/lostplanes.net/the%20fairey%20Battle.htm
6. https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2016/06/05/the-allied-air-attacks-against-the-bridges-1112-may-1940/
7. https://www.luchtvaartgeschiedenis.be/content/fairey-battle-t-70-te-lafelt-andr%C3%A9-glorie-en-jean-vandenbosch
8. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlijtingen (Dutch text)
9. http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RCAF_1850_1899_detailed.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Jan-2011 13:45 | ThW | Added |
| 22-Jan-2011 13:35 | Anon. | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Feb-2011 13:59 | ThW | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 31-Oct-2020 01:17 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 29-Jun-2022 04:21 | Ron Averes | Updated [Operator, Location] |
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