ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 53939
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 24 May 1940 |
| Time: | 07:28 LT |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IVF |
| Owner/operator: | 235 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L9259 |
| MSN: | LA-F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | North Sea off Schiermonnikoog, Friesland -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Bircham Newton, Kings Lynn, Norfolk |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IVF L9259/LA-F took off at 04:15 hours from RAF Bircham Newton, to escort Lockheed Hudsons of 206 Squadron RAF from Borkum to the mouth of the Ems Canal. L9259 lagged behind the formation leader, and was attacked by two Me 109s, being shot down by one piloted by Oblt. Emmerich of II/Staffel, JG 186 at 08:30 local time
The Blenheim was seen to plunge into the North Sea off Schiermonnikoog Island, Friesland, by the air gunner of one of the 206 Squadron Lockheed Hudsons. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident: "Blenheim L9259 failed to return from an operational flight, shot down in the North Sea off Borkum Island, Germany, 24 May 1940. Leading Aircraftman A G Smith, Sergeant W Martin and Pilot Officer M E Ryan, report of deaths"
According to a published Dutch report, roughly translated into English:
"Blenheim L9259, piloted by Pilot Officer Michael E. Ryan, took off from RAF Bircham Newton together with Flight Lieutenant Richard Cross in P6909 at 04.15 hours. Both were on escort duty and giving protection to a 206 Squadron Hudson bomber by flying 2,000 feet above it.
Nearing the Dutch coast four miles from Borkum, the Hudson bombed the merchantman Hertha Engeline Fritzenfrom 2,000 feet, its bombs exploded within 10 yards of the vessel. According to Andrew Bird's book, 'Coastal Dawn', Pilot Officer Ryan's aircraft then slowed down when his fingers were caught in the rotary fuel switch. Around that time a pair of Luftwaffe Bf109Es were sighted. They were apparently flown by Oblt. Peter Emmerich, and Uffz Otto Rückert of Trägergruppe 186, a unit originally formed to operate from the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin but believed at that time land-based on the Fresian island of Wangerooge.
At 07.18 they attacked L9259 from the rear. The Blenheim's gunner, twenty-year-old LAC Albert Smith, fired off many rounds in a desperate attempt to defend his crew mates. Ten minutes later at 07.28 one of the Bf109Es finally felled twenty-year-old Pilot Officer Michael Ryan and his crew. It is difficult to assess which of the two German pilots was responsible as various claims lists have named both.
The navigator on board the Hudson saw “a splash in the water, evidently made by the machine” when it was shot down, plotting its position as 270 degrees, Borkum ten miles, and close to Schiermonnikoog Island. The Blenheim was seen to disappear into the sea off Schiermonnikoog by the air gunner of the Hudson".
The three crew killed were:
Pilot: Pilot Officer Michael Erskine Ryan (RAF 42154, aged 20)
Observer: Sgt. William Martin (RAF 748313)
Wireless Op./Air Gunner: Leading Aircraftman Albert G. Smith (RAF 552170, aged 20)
Both Pilot Officer Ryan and Sgt Martin are buried in the Schiermonnikoog (Vrendenhof) Cemetery, Friesland, Netherlands; Leading Aircraftman Albert G. Smith was never recovered, and he is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 19478 p 61)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/530: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502018
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2649128/ryan,-michael-erskine/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2649117/martin,-william/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1807347/smith,-albert-george/
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/235_squadron.html
7. https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T0710&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
8. http://www.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/24-05-1940-sglo-t0710-bristol-blenheim-mk-ivf-l9259-qy/
9. https://www.arnhem1944themissingones.com/missing-soldiers-in-the-netherlands-1940-1945-allied-german-and-axis/raf-raaf-rcaf-rnzaf-missing/waddenzee-7-may-1940-18-january-1943/
10. http://www.626-squadron.co.uk/willem4.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2008 11:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 19-Jun-2013 10:41 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 13-Nov-2016 00:19 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Oct-2018 06:03 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 22-May-2019 19:14 | TigerTimon | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Other fatalities, Location, Source] |
| 11-Aug-2019 19:12 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Jun-2022 00:22 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation