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| Date: | Monday 15 April 1940 |
| Time: | 10:37 |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 110 (Hyderabad) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L8652 |
| MSN: | VE-G |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | North Sea off Wilhelmshaven, Heligoland area -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Wattisham, Suffolk |
Blenheim IV L8652 (VE-G) : Lost on combat operations (officially "Blenheim L8652 failed to return from a reconnaissance flight over Wilhelmshaven, 15 April 1940"). Operation: Reconnaissance mission. Took off from Wattisham to reconnoitre the Heligoland area. During the course of the operation, the crew attacked an enemy patrol boat, but were shot down by return fire. One source gives the "return fire" as coming from a Bf 109 of the Luftwaffe unit 1./LG 2. All three crew posted as "missing presumed dead"
Oblt Georg Graner 3(J)/LG 2 - West of St. Peter-Ording at 10:37 (OKL+JFV d.Dt.Lw. II - 8)
Crew
F/Lt (37866) Mervyn Lascelles Morris (pilot) RAF : killed
Sgt (562429) Leslie Bancroft (Obs.) RAF : killed
LAC (546429) Richard Henry Mercer (WOp/AG) RAF : killed
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James j Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 58)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/144: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141894
3. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/wilhelmshaven-raid-110-sqdr-1939.76369/#post-821428
4. http://www.oldhaltonians.co.uk/pages/rememb/ROH/18.htm
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1077220/morris,-mervyn-lascelles/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1083290/bancroft,-leslie/
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1076731/mercer,-richard-henry/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Jun-2019 22:12 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 12-Jun-2019 12:55 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 15-Jun-2019 21:53 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 02-Jun-2022 19:25 | Anon. | Updated [Time, Registration, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 14-Jul-2024 19:42 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport, Operator] |
| 14-Jul-2024 19:46 | Nepa | Updated [Narrative, Operator] |
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