Den 12. april 1940 styrtede
HAM P1173 i havet. FAF skriver:
"Den 12. april 1940 angreb RAF fly tyske krigsskibe i
Kristiansand havn,
hvorunder formationen af bombefly blev angrebet af tyske jagere.
Et Hampden fly
blev ramt, og det blev set styrte brændende i havet ca. 100 miles fra den norske
kyst. Hele besætningen omkom."
Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver:
"Den 12. april
1940 blev en engelsk ekspeditionsstyrke sendt fra
England til Narvik. (Tyskerne foretog den 9.
april 1940 Besættelsen af
Norge.) Engelske rekognosceringsfly
observerede en større tysk krydser ("Karlsruhe")
ved Kristiansand og en større sydgående
fjendtlig flådestyrke på vej ned mod Skagerrak.
83 fly forlod England for
at angribe de tyske skibe, men vejret var dårligt i området, og styrken
blev hurtigt opsplittet i mindre enheder. Syv
Hampdens fra no. 44
og fem Hampdens fra no. 50
BS lettede kl. 08.15 fra Waddington flyvepladsen
i Lincolnshire.
Alle 12 Hampdens nåede frem til havnen i Kristiansand
og angreb de opankrede tyske skibe. Trods
intensiv flak lykkedes det alle de engelske fly at kaste deres
bomber, men ingen af skibene blev ramt. To Hampdens blev ramt og styrtede
ned i målområdet. Tyske jagerenheder på
Sola og
Kjevik flyvepladser var
blevet
alarmeret umiddelbart inden angrebet, og da de
resterende ti Hampdens forlod målområdet blev de angrebet af
Messerschmitt
Bf109E fra II/JG 77. Efter en intensiv
kamp styrtede tre Hampdens og to Messerschmitt
ned i Skagerrak.
P1173 var et af disse
fly, og flyets 22-årige pilot, F/ O Harry
Wood Robson, blev begravet på Frederikshavn
kirkegård den 27. maj 1940.
Yderligere to tyske fly totalhava  rerede,
og et andet nødlandede ved
Mandal. De engelske fly fik
på hjemvejen benzinmangel, og en enkelt Hampden måtte derfor
nødlande på havet ud for Newcastle, medens de øvrige fly Iandede på deres
baser med betydelige skader. Det havde været krigens
hidtil største bombeangreb, men
de svære tab medførte, at det også blev krigens
sidste større dagangreb med Hampdens og
Wellingtons."
(FT 89-30-1)
1 flyver fra
HAM P1173 blev begravet i Frederikshavn. Se
p003MACR. 3 flyvere
har ingen kendt grav. 4 flyvere.
On 12 April 1940
HAM P1173 crashed into the sea. FAF writes:
"On 12 April 1940 the RAF attacked German naval
ships in Kristiansand Harbour.
The formation of bombers was attacked by German fighters.
A Hampden was
hit and it was seen, burning, crashing into the sea about 100 miles off the coast of
Norway. All of the crew perished."
(Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes:
On 12 April 1940 a British expeditionary force
was sent from Great Britain to Narvik. (This was part of the
Norwegian Campaign.) British reconnaissance aircraft
observed
a great German cruiser ("Karlsruhe")
near Kristiansand and a large enemy naval force heading south towards the
Skagerrak. 83 aircraft took off from Great
Britain to attack the German ships,
but the
weather in the area was bad and the formation was soon split into smaller parts.
7 Hampdens from 44 Squadron and
5 Hampdens from 50 Squadron took off from
RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire at 08.15 hours.
All 12 Hampdens reached the harbour of
Kristiansand and attacked the German ships lying at anchor. In spite of
intensive flak all British planes succeeded in
dropping their bombs, but none of the ships were hit. 2 Hampdens were hit and
crashed into the target area. German fighter units in the airfields
Sola and
Kjevik had
been scrambled just before the attack, and as the remaining 10 Hampdens were
leaving the target area they were attacked by
Messerschmitt Bf109E from II/JG
77.
After an intensive aerial battle 3 Hampdens and 2 Messershmitts crashed into the
Skagerrak.
P1173 was one of these planes and the Pilot, F/O Harry
Wood Robson, 22, was buried in Frederikshavn Cemetery on 27 May 1940.
There was a total loss of 2 more German planes and another made a forced landing
near Mandal. On the return flight the British planes were short of fuel and one
Hampden had to ditch off Newcastle while the other planes landed on their bases
with considerable damage. It had been the greatest bombing attack of the war
so far, but due to the heavy losses this also became the last great attack in
daylight with Hampdens and
Wellingtons."
(FT 89-30-1)
1 airman from HAM P1173 was buried in Frederikshavn. 3
airmen have no known grave.
See
Hampden and
No. 44 Squadron
RAF in Wikipedia
and No. 44
Squadron (RAF): Second World War
RAF-Lincolnshire.info: 44 Squadron. This took
off from . See RAF
Waddington now. 4 airmen.
Hampden I P1173 KM-
took off from
RAF
Waddington at
08:20 on 12 APR 1940. (Source:
Aircrew Remembered
has
this.)
See also p003MACR. |