73 squadron france 1940 book

On 17 june 1940 the squadron had withdrawn from france. In may 1940 the unit began a fighting withdrawal in the face off the german. On 17 may 1940 he flew with b flight of the squadron to merville in france to cover the withdrawal of the bef, from then on until 1 december 1940 neither he nor the squadron were ever out of the front line aerial fighting. Vpnavy has attempted to collect every available piece of information via the internet. Ww2 aircraft, military aircraft, wwii, france winter, hawker hurricane. I believe chis is correctto assign p2542 to this incident air 35196 aircraft casualties, baff at kew lists one hurricane casualty for 73 squadron on 7.

Note the generally worn appearance of these aircraft after having spent the winter in france. In september 1939 no 73 squadron moved to france with the advanced air striking force. Vpnavy vp51 history summary page vp patrol squadron. June 4, 1942, this squadron participated in attack upon enemy. Peter carter who was serving with 302 polish squadron when he was killed later on the 18th october 1940 flying hurricane i p3931 and he mentioned him in his diaries. Day by day the battle of britain memorial the battle of. The last out are the first in and the final squadrons to leave are no. Hurricane pilot, 3 kills, shot down, france,15th may 1940. In june 1940, another wartime ace, douglas bader, was promoted to squadron leader and took command of no. Then, in 1940, the squadron moved to assist in the. The squadron moved to cornwall on 11 october 1943 for similar operations over brittany, returning to raf merston on 14 april 1944 to join no. Also worth noting is the lack of squadron codes but presence of serial number. Reconstituted and consolidated 1936 with 73d headquarters squadron with was constituted on 18 oct 1927.

A hurricane pilot shot down in france,15th may 1940. On 10 may, the first day of the battle of france, flight lieutenant r. Kain was promoted to flying officer on 21 july 1939. Hugh thomas is a partner in a film and video production. In may 1940 the unit began a fighting withdrawal in the face off the german blitzkrieg. D minterne history of 73 squadron 3 vols 191769 tutor 19942000 n monks squadrons up 1940 n monks fighter squadrons, the epic story of two hurricane squadrons in france 193940. A chronological summary of subsequent operations of the squadron shows information as follows. Sergeant leslie allton of no 92 squadron was killed. Fo thompson mhb, may40, belgium, 607sqdnrafcommands. The rest of the year was thus relatively quiet for the single engined fighters, but in january 1941 the squadron began to fly sweeps over german occupied france, a costly tactic designed to take the initiative away from the luftwaffe. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids.

Before the raf was formed it was part of the royal naval air service as no. But while many squadron commanders played it by the book, others refused to be hidebound by rules and regulations. All told, between september 3, 1939 and june 24, 1940, the raf lost 1,127 airmen. The squadron returned south in october 1940, by which time the battle of britain had turned into the blitz. Ms unofficial war diary 56pp, july 1940 january 1941, of no 73 squadron raf, which operated hurricanes in a night fighter role from raf church fenton. There might be some mistakes, if so i am sure our specialists will correct them quickly. They were thehighestscoring allied fighter squadron in the battle of britain, downing threetimes the average raf score while incurring only onethird the averagecasualties. N3194 was given the aircraft letter z and became the aircraft of squadron leader roger bushell. His unofficial war diary transports us back over 60 years to the. Two flights of 73 squadron hurricane mk is fitted with threeblade propellers, including p2569. Conversion to hawker hurricanes took place just prior to the german invasion of france, but by 20 may 1940 the squadron was back at kenley. After the german attack in may 1940, no 73 helped to cover allied airfields and bases, falling back as its airfields were overrun by enemy columns.

Battle of britain the canadians vintage wings of canada. A broken propeller blade and a wooden cross mark the grave of the sergeant j. War diary of no 73 squadron raf, july 1940 january 1941. Ayersts combat career began in 1940 with 73 squadron in the doomed. With the fall of france, peter was recalled to england where he spent the. Navy asw patrol squadrons is posted with permission on pages dedicated to each respective squadron. Today he did not return from an action over the channel. Rouvres mvt to reimschampagne during the afternoon.

Fs 67th fighter wing wich included n%b0 1 and n%b0 73. Fighter pilot was written from the immediate and unfettered personal journal that 23yearold flying officer paul richey began on the day he and no. Reconstituted and consolidated 19 sep 1985 with the 3 strategic support squadron, which was constituted on 26 oct 1950. British aviation archaeological council research topics. This was the initial operation of the 73rd in alaska. Jewish pilots and aircrews in the battle of britain.

His successes in the air, coupled with his warm personality and charm, made him the medias favourite airman of late 1939 and early 1940. As far as raf fighter squadrons in france were concerned, it was an allhurricane. Their exploits were not without their tribulations. It is perhaps not widely known that the raf continued to operate from french bases for a considerable period after the evacuation of the main british forces from dunkirk.

From june 3 to june 6 inclusive, planes of this squadron took part. Lovett and flying officer fanny orton, from 73 squadron, were the two first raf pilots to engage combat with the invading german aircraft. The book the battle of britain then and now reports that the wartime recovery operation at the scene was. After operating as a night fighter squadron during the battle of britain it them moved to the middle east, taking part in the campaigns in north africa, in italy, and in greece, before ending the war in the balkans. Nearby the grave the wreck, completely burned, of his plane. After months of inconclusive action the storm broke in may 1940, and the squadron was soon involved in desperate battles over allied airfields. Joining no 151 squadron raf at raf martlesham heath on 26. The squadron suffered tragedy during the withdrawal when rms lancastria was sunk off the coast. The co and fl beytagh to debden for supper and a discussion on tactics with oc 17 squadron. We follow, from the very first page, the arrival of our hero, george yeoman, to the active theatre of the defense of france in early 1940.

After months of inconclusive action the storm broke in may 1940, and the squadron was soon involved in desperate battles. These were used in air defence and convoy protection duties following the start of world war ii. Steve was right to highlight landed, but the book left it open to interpretation. In hurricane squadron we have the beginning of what gives promise of a very well done series. In june it returned to the uk and during the battle of britain it concentrated on night fighter operations. The rcafs number 1 fighter squadron and the battle of britain by dr. On the 30th of march 1940 n3194 joined 92 squadron at biggin hill. What is thought to be a posed photo of an 87 squadron scramble in france in march 1940, as the hurricanes would normally be dispersed around. The first raf ace of the war, a young new zealander known as cobber kain, flew a hurricane with no.

Vassincourt mvt to berryaubac during the afternoon. A little later the bf110s were involved in combat with 1 squadrons b flight and they claimed. British military aviation in 1940 royal air force museum. Aircraft from 73 squadron did appear on the scene later, but too late to affect any damage on the enemy bombers although one lone french hurricane was seen. History operations and losses sources links books questions andor remarks. The history of 73 squadron raf, part 2, 1940 to september 1943. In 1939, the squadron was outfitted with supermarine spitfires which replaced the gloster gladiators that came with the flight from no. Later in 1938, the squadron converted to the new monoplane hawker hurricane. As he says in the book every squadron has a wilf sizer, or if it does not it should have. Number 25 fighter squadron alternatively number xxv f squadron is squadron of the royal air force, having reformed on 8 september 2018 during the first world war, no. These aircraft feature the tail stripes on the rudders instead of the fin in the style of the french air force. The squadron suffered tragedy during the withdrawal when rms lancastria was sunk off the coast of st. The squadron went to france as part of the air component of the bef in november 1939, having reequipped with gloster gladiators in may.

G webster, hurricanes pilot of the no 73 squadron royal air force, killed in action on 14 april 1941. The royal air force component of the british expeditionary force air component, air vicemarshal charles blount. Squadrons of the raf and their aircraft john d r rawlings crecy books. The history of 73 squadron part 3 september 1943 to march 1969 by minterne, don and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Vpnavy is dedicated to the men and women of the united states navy flying asw vpvpb patrol aircraft past and present. One of the 30 best travel and adventure books of all time, as selected by gear patrol, winner 2015 us travel and adventure website. The famous childrens author roald dahl also flew hurricanes with no. George reynolds mccubbin, shot down the famous german fighter. On 18 june the squadron was finally forced to retreat back to britain. Here is what i believe to be the raf battle order in france on 10 may 1940.