ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 241433
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| Date: | Thursday 25 April 1940 |
| Time: | c. |
| Type: | Gloster Gladiator Mk II |
| Owner/operator: | 263 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | N5641 |
| MSN: | - |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Frozen lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in Oppland in central southern Norway -
 Norway
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | - |
| - |
N5641 (EH-G) was flown onto the frozen 'Lake Lesjaskogsvatnet Air Base', Norway on 24th April 1940 from the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious. On the 25th April following a combat mission, during a Luftwaffe raid, Plt Off R.S. Mills crashed the aircraft back onto the lake.
Following 8 hrs of Lufwaffe attacks on the air base on the 25th April the RAF abandoned the frozen 'Lake Lesjaskogsvatnet Air Base', Norway on 27th April leaving the wrecks of N5641 together with 12 other 263 Sqn. Gladiators on the ice.
After the RAF abandoned the base the airframe of N5641 was dismantled and stored locally. A full restoration commenced in 1980 for static display in the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum, Bodo, Norway.
18 Gloster Gladiators of 263 Squadron, Royal Air Force, were flown off the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious to their new Norwegian operating base on frozen 'Lake Lesjaskogsvatnet', central Norway on 24th April 1940. 13 were destroyed on the 25th April during the air raid on the lake. The remaining 5 were re-deployed to a new base at Setnesmoen where they crashed or were destroyed by the RAF due to fuel shortage.
Sources:
https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/collections/72-A-472-Gladiator-II-N5628.pdf
https://www.norwegianaviationmuseum.com/gloster-gladiator-ii
https://tihlde.org/~ktsorens/flyvrak/lesjaskog.html
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/gladiator_raf_263.htm
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 21 April 1940 | N5624 | 263 Sqn RAF | 1 | Scapa Flow, Scotland, |  |
w/o |
| 21 May 1940 | N5697 | 263 (Fellowship of the Bellows) Sqn RAF | 1 | Seja Island, northern Norwegian coast. | |
w/o |
| 21 May 1940 | N5693 | 263 (Fellowship of the Bellows) Sqn RAF | 0 | Seja Island, northern Norwegian coast. | |
w/o |
| 2 June 1940 | N5914 | 263 (Fellowship of the Bellows) Sqn RAF | 1 | Lille Haugefjellet, 12 miles East of Narvik, | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Sep-2020 17:47 | Peter Clarke | Added |
| 15-Sep-2020 19:48 | Apen | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator] |
| 19-Sep-2020 07:11 | Peter Clarke | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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