ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 141508
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| Date: | Saturday 11 October 1941 |
| Time: | 21:19 LT |
| Type: | Airspeed Oxford Mk II |
| Owner/operator: | 12 SFTS RAF |
| Registration: | AB767 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Dysart Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Spitalgate, Grantham, Lincolnshire |
On the night of the 11th October 1941Sergeant Tom Graham, a 19 year-old Pilot from Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire, and Corporal Sam Edwards, a 29 year-old Pupil Pilot, from Fishponds, Bristol, took off from RAF Grantham in Lincolnshire on a short training flight in an Airspeed Oxford (AB767).
Unknown to the two airmen was the fact that an ace German night-fighter pilot, Hans Hahn, was flying his Junkers Ju-88 in the vicinity, on the prowl for unsuspecting British bombers that were returning from operations over Europe. Hahn had previously served with a bomber unit and was a veteran of the Blitzkrieg campaigns that were such a success for the Germans. He was transferred to night-fighting operations and joined Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 where he was assigned to III/NJG2 and achieved his first night Intruder victory on the 24th October 1940 when he shot down an Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley (P5073) flown by Pilot Officer Anthony Glyndwr Davies, injuring the Pilot and his Wireless Operator but taking the lives of three other crewmen.
Hahn went on to destroy at least 12 British fighters and bombers and was responsible for taking the lives of at least 26 airman. He was awarded the Knights Cross on the 9th July 1941 is known to have been wounded on at least one occasion.
When he encountered the Airspeed Oxford of Sergeant Graham and Corporal Edwards he was piloting Junkers Ju-88C-4 “R4+NL” (werkenummer 0851). He is believed to have brought his aircraft to bear on the unarmed British aircraft in readiness for an attack but, for an unknown reason, he collided with the Oxford and both aircraft plunged to the ground. The Junkers crashed near Barrowby village, Lincolnshire, killing Leutnant Hans Hahn, Unteroffizier E.W. Meissler and Unteroffizier H. Scheidt.
The Oxford came to earth at Dysart Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire. The two British airmen were buried in their home towns and the crew of the Junkers are now buried in the Cannock Chase Cemetery, Staffordshire.
Sergeant Thomas Daye GRAHAM and Corporal SAMUEL JOHN EDWARDS. No.12 Service Flying Training School. Killed in Action on the 11th October 1941.
The site of the Junkers crash has been the subject of a number of excavations by various aviation groups over the years.
Sources:
1. http://www.aircrewremembered.com/graham-thomas.html
2. http://scarletboy44.tumblr.com/post/63742149602/remember-sergeant-thomas-daye-graham-and-corporal
3. http://www.bcar.org.uk/new1941-incident-logs#oct
4. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/15269.php
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Jan-2012 12:10 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 28-Jul-2017 20:52 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Aug-2017 16:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 23-Dec-2017 18:51 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 07-Apr-2020 18:11 | TigerTimon | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source] |
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