Date:	Thursday 13 June 1940
Time:	Early mornin
Type:	Blackburn Skua II
Owner/operator:	800 Sqn FAA RN
Registration:	L3028
MSN:	-
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Hermstadheia, Rissa Sør-Trøndelag , 20 miles northwest of Trondheim, -   Norway
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	HMS Ark Royal
Destination airport:	HMS Ark Royal

Narrative:
Following the bombing of the German Battleship Scharnhorst in Trondheim Harbour, early morning of 13th June 1940, the 800 Sqn. Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy, Blackburn Skua, L3028 "A6-G", was shot down by 4/JG-77, Luftwaffe, Messerschmitt Bf 109 flown by Unteroffizier, Ludwig Fröba. The aircraft crashed at Hermstadheia, Rissa Sør-Trøndelag , 20 miles northwest of Trondheim killing Pilot, Midshipman, Leonard Henry Gallagher and Telegraphist Air Gunner, Petty Officer Airman, Wallace Crawford. ( pictures of crash site on " https://tihlde.org/~ktsorens/flyvrak/hermstadheia.html "

Fifteen Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy Blackburn Skuas took off from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal at 00:05 hrs. on 13th June 1940, (six, 800 Sqn. and nine, 803 Sqn.), to bomb the German Battleship Scharnhorst anchored in Trondheim Harbour. Eight were shot by down Messerschmitt Bf 109's & Bf 110's during the mission with only seven, (two, 800 Sqn. and five, 803 Sqn.) aircraft returning to land back on HMS Ark Royal by 03:45 hrs.

Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Flying Personnel 1939 - 1947 (aircrewremembered.com)
Black Thursday – a disastrous Fleet Air Arm raid | Naval Air History
Roll of Honour.jpg (1125×1113) (skua.no)
English Channel sea battles, June 1940 (naval-history.net)
World War 2 - FAA No. 800 Squadron, May 1940 (epibreren.com)
Blackburn Skua (2) (valka.cz)
Skua!: The Royal Navy's Dive-Bomber - Peter C. Smith - Google Books
Боевые применение Blackburn Skua и Roc (airwar.ru)
https://w.krigskart.no/index.php?title=Hermstadheia,_Rissa_Sør-Trøndelag
Kracker Luftwaffe Archive (aircrewremembered.com)
Blackburn Skua Hermstadheia Rissa (tihlde.org)
53% of the attacking aircraft were lost during the raid, inflicting only minimal damage on the Battleship Scharnhorst.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Dec-2020 16:18	Peter Clarke	Added