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18th December 1939On this day:
- Aircraft Lost The British Air Ministry decided to launch an attack on German surface ships to prevent them supporting the U-boats in the North Atlantic. Wellington bomber squadrons had undertaken a number of sweeps over the North Sea during October and November against any enemy shipping. On 18th December 1939, a force of 24 Wellington bombers – nine from no.9 Squadron at Honington, six from 37 Squadron at Feltwell, and nine from 149 Squadron at Mildenhall – was sent to attack German ships in the Heligoland Bight and sink or damage as many as possible. The mission was a disaster.
The Wellingtons took off for the daylight raid around 0930, led by the C/O of 149 Squadron, Wing Commander Richard Kellet. Two of the aircraft turned back early, leaving 22 Wellingtons to fly on to the target area. No German ships were found at sea. Several German Navy warships were sighted in Wilhelmshaven Harbour, but orders had been given not to bomb the port area in case civilians were hit, so the Wellingtons turned for home.
The theory was that the well armed Wellington had the fire power to defend itself from attack by fighters, especially if they were flying in tight formation. However the 22 aircraft on this return flight were strung out in a straggle when they were intercepted by 44 Luftwaffe fighters – a mixture of Me Bf 110s and Bf 109s. In the battle that followed 10 were shot down, two ditched in the sea before reaching the English coast and three more crash landed in East Anglia - a total loss of 68% of the force. 56 RAF aircrew were killed and five were taken prisoner. 37 Squadron lost five of its six aircraft shot down and 9 Squadron also lost 5 aircraft. The aircraft and crews lost were:
9 Squadron:
- N2939 Crashed off Wilhelmshaven
- Pilot: F/O John Thomas Irvine Challes
- 2nd Pilot: P/O Alistair Hugh Richmond Bourne
- Observer: Sgt Frank Michael Mason
- Wop/AG: Sgt Thomas Henry English
- AG: LAC Gurth Ernest Cox
- AG: AC1 Alexander Telfer
- N2940 Crashed off Wilhelmshaven
- Pilot: P/o Eric Francis Lines
- 2nd Pilot: Flt Sgt Alfred Kitto Fearnside
- WOp/AG: AC1 Edward Malcolm George Polhill
- AG: LAC Alex Morrison Dickie
- AG: AC2 Clifford Walker
- N2941 Crashed off Wilhelmshaven
- Pilot: F/O Douglas Bellamy Allison
- 2nd Pilot: F/O Donald Charles Ephraim Bailey
- Observer: Sgt John Archibald Brister
- Air Bomber: Sgt Joseph Buglasi Adamson Turnbull
- Wop/AG: Sgt Reginal Thomas Black
- AG: LAC Albert George Goodenough
- N2872 Crashed off Wilhelmshaven
- Pilot: Squadron Ldr Archibald John Guthrie
- 2nd Pilot: P/O John Edgar Atkinson
- Observer: Sgt Harold Walter Tyrrell
- Wop/AG: LAC Thomas Leo Marlin
- Wop/AG: Sgt Bertie Joseph Pickess
- AG: LAC Josias Melville Fletcher Key
- N2983 Badly damaged by gunfire and Crashed off Cromer, Norfolk. Four survivors were picked up by a trawler.
- Pilot: Sgt Jack Richardson Ramshaw DFM – injured
- 2nd Pilot: Sgt Robert Hewitt – injured
- Wop/AG: LAC D.J.Connolly – injured
- AG: LAC Walter Lilley – killed
- AG: AC1 Charles Ronald Driver DFM - injured
- N2871 badly damaged and made forced landing at RAF North Coates Fitties
- N2873 badly damaged and made forced landing at RAF Sutton Bridge, two crew injured.
37 Squadron:
- N2904 LF-B Last reported with the Starboard wing burning furiously and heading out to sea off Wilhelmshaven.
- Pilot: Squadron Ldt Ian Victor Hue-Williams
- 2nd Pilot: Flt Lt Thomas Gaufrey Wearmouth Appleby
- Observer: F/O Arthur Richard Vaughan Williams
- Wop/AG: Sgt Alister Raymond Norris
- Wop/AG: LAC John Arundel Barstow
- AG: LAC Ernest Lowe
- N2888 LF-A crashed into the sea off Borkum Island
- Pilot: F/O Peter Arabin Wimberley - survived and taken PoW
- Observer: Sgt Leslie Alfred Sheppard - killed
- Navigator: P/O Michael Ratcliffe - killed
- Wop/AG: AC1 Alexander Maxwell Hill - killed
- AG: LAC Alfred William Walter Lane - killed
- N2889 LF-P Broke up in the air and crashed into the sea off Borkum following a sustained attack by Lt. Helmut Lent of 3./ZG-76.
- Pilot: F/O Oliver John Trevor Lewis RAAF
- Observer: Sgt Maurice William Barrington-Taylor
- Wop/AG: LAC Peter Thomas Jones
- Wop/AG: P/O Roderick Menzie Ross
- AG: AC1 George Warne Geddes
- N2935 LF-H Shot down out to sea off Wilhelmshaven: three of the crew are buried in the Sage War Cemetery but two were missing and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
- Pilot: F/O Arthur Telford Thompson
- Navigator: P/O Matthew Infield Drawwater
- Observer: Sgt Alfred John Tilley
- Wop/AG: Cpl Wilson Robinson
- AG: LAC Leonard Arthur Stock
- N2936 LF-J Crashed Borkum Islands.
- Pilot: Sgt Herbert Ruse – survived and taken PoW.
- Observer: Sgt Thomas William Holley – killed and buried on Sage War Cemetery
- Wop/AG: Sgt Thomas K.May – survived and taken PoW.
- Wop/AG: Cpl Frederick James Taylor - killed and buried on Sage War Cemetery
- AG: LAC Harry Jones – survived and taken PoW.
149 Squadron:
- N2961 Ditched off Cromer Norfolk. There were no survivors
- F/O Michael Franklin Briden
- P/O W.S.F.Brown
- Sgt Valentine Henry Garner Richardson
- AC2 A.G.Foster
- AC1 Isaac Davidson Leighton
- AC1 Peter John Warren
- N2962 OJ-B Shot down and crashed into the North Sea. All reported missing and commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial
- P/O Fred Norman Lines
- F/O James Heggie Cumming Speirs
- AC2 William James Ellis
- Sgt Richard Robin Hammond
- LAC John Humble Sinton
A direct outcome of this air battle was the decision to fit Wellingtons with armour plate and self-sealing fuel tanks to make them more robust. Another outcome was that this was the last unescorted daylight bombing raid undertaken by Bomber Command until the closing stages of the war.
Wellington N2980 which was flown by the 149 Squadron crew of Squadron Ldr P.I.Harris is an exhibit in the Brooklands Museum.
- Aircraft Lost
- Appointments
- Lectures
- Orders
- Courses
- Working Parties
- Convoy
- Demonstration
- Naval mine
- Naval mine
- Naval mine
- Naval mine
- Frontier Patrols
- Preparations
- Quiet Again
- Leave
- Guard of Honour
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