Date:	Tuesday 28 May 1940
Time:	10:28
Type:	Fairey Battle Mk I
Owner/operator:	103 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L5515
MSN:	PM-S
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Chalons-en-Champagne, Marne -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Rheges/St-Lucien Ferme, France
Destination airport:	Chalons-en-Champagne Airfield, France

Narrative:
Fairey Battle Mk.I L5515 (PM-S) 103 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) 28 May 1940 when lost (failed to return) from combat operations. All three crew survived, but injured. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/654): "Leading Aircraftman B F Dubois: injured; Battle L5515 in air operations, 28 May 1940"

Airborne from Rheges/St-Lucien Ferme to attack a Chateau at Roumont. Damaged by ground fire in Abbeville area; force-landed at Chalons and abandoned. All three crew survived, but injured.

Four Battles led by Flying Officer J R Havers took off at 10:00 hrs to attack Chateau Roumont near Oschamps airfield with fighter escort. Intelligence had discovered that there was to be a meeting of 20 senior Luftwaffe officers at the Chateau that day. Hits were claimed on the target and again heavy flak was encountered.

According to an eyewitness account by Flying Officer Roy D Max, pilot of Battle L5515: "We were sent out to bomb pontoon bridges the Germans had built, and we had to try and hit this darned thing. I came around at about 6,000 ft, and started to dive down, and as I did so, I found German guns on three sides. It amazed me because the German convoy was still moving up and hadn't yet got near the bridge. Obviously their engineers had come ahead to put the bridge across and had placed guns all around.

I dropped the bombs, and came out low. I could see this one gun on top of a hill, which seemed to be doing most of the damage, so gave him a good burst with my wing gun. Unfortunately, they had hit us before that and the engine started to back fire and make funny noises. Then I saw the engine temperature rising, so obviously glycol was leaking out, and it was getting hotter and hotter. I headed back as far as I could, saw an airfield which had French aircraft on it, and landed there. Poor old "Trunky" Allen, my observer, was cursing. Dubois my gunner had been wounded, and I had been hit by a piece of shrapnel in the left knee. I thought I had lost my knee as I could not feel a thing. All I could see was blood dripping off my heel.

Anyway, when I landed, I'd almost decided I had lost my leg, but when I got out, I found my knee was only cut and bruised. Obviously the sharpnel's energy was spent before it could do much damage."

Crew of Battle L5515:
Flying Officer Roy D Max (pilot) - injured
Sergeant D "Trunky" Allen (Observer) - injured
Leading Aircraftman B F Dubois (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) - wounded in action

The target was Chateau Roumont, located in Ochamps (section of the municipality of Libin) in the Belgian province of Luxembourg at approximate co ordinates 49°57'05" north, 5°17'19" east. However, Fairey Battle L5515 crash landed (and was abandoned) at Chalons-en-Champagne (formerly Chalons-sur-Marne) an airfield in a French commune, prefecture of the department of the Marne, in the region of Grand Est at approximate co ordinates 48°57'27" North, 4°21'54" East.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J .Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 36)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/654: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502237
3. The Battle File (Sidney Shsail, Air Britain, 1997 p 152)
4. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/103_squadron.html#2605
5. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=7594
6. https://www.northlincsweb.net/103Sqn/html/103_squadron_-_op_abbeville_-_28-05-40_-_f-o_r_d_max.html
7. http://www.lostbombers.co.uk/bomber.php?id=5463
8. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Roumont
9. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalons_en_Champagne

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
22-Sep-2011 12:26	ThW	Added
22-Sep-2011 12:42	ThW	Updated [Source, Narrative]
10-Nov-2014 15:41	Unites	Updated [Operator, Narrative]
28-Sep-2015 20:21	Anon.	Updated [Narrative]
26-Aug-2019 22:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
26-Aug-2019 23:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
27-Aug-2019 06:36	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
13-Nov-2022 00:24	Ron Averes	Updated [Location, Country]
13-Nov-2023 15:55	Anon.	Updated [Date, Time, Narrative]