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Date: | Thursday 13 June 1940 |
Time: | c. |
Type: | Blackburn Skua II |
Owner/operator: | 803 Sqn FAA RN |
Registration: | L2963 |
MSN: | - |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
Other fatalities: | 0 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | In the sea at Frøsetskjæret Byneset 14 miles west of Trondheim. -
Norway
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | HMS Ark Royal |
Destination airport: | HMS Ark Royal |
Narrative:Following the bombing of the German Battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in Trondheim Harbour, early morning of 13th June 1940, the 803 Sqn. Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy, Blackburn Skua, L2963 "A7-F", was shot down by 3/ZG-76 Luftwaffe, Messerschmitt Bf 110D flown by Obersleutnant, G.Gollob. The aircraft ditched In the sea at Frøsetskjæret Byneset 14 miles west of Trondheim. Pilot, Lieutenant, Cecil Howard Filmer and Air Gunner, Midshipman, Thomas Anthony McKee survived and became prisoners of war. The aircraft was subsequently recovered from the sea by the German forces. (Pictures of the recovery are on " Blackburn Skua Vagnildgrenda (tihlde.org) "
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.
53% of the attacking aircraft were lost during the raid, inflicting only minimal damage on the Battleship Scharnhorst.
Sources:
Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Flying Personnel 1939 - 1947 (aircrewremembered.com)
Black Thursday – a disastrous Fleet Air Arm raid | Naval Air History
World War 2 - FAA No. 803 Squadron, January/June 1940 (epibreren.com)
Roll of Honour.jpg (1125×1113) (skua.no)
English Channel sea battles, June 1940 (naval-history.net)
Skua!: The Royal Navy's Dive-Bomber - Peter C. Smith - Google Books
Blackburn Skua Frøsetskjæret (tihlde.org)
http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/803_squadron.html#0905 Blackburn Skua Frøsetskjæret (tihlde.org)
http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/803_squadron.html#0905 Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
12-Dec-2020 00:44 |
Peter Clarke |
Added |