This is good stuff. There were incidents involving a Boston and a Beaufighter and trapped/injured crewmen only a couple of miles from me, both in 1942. In the first a Beaufighter shot down by a Spitfire crash-landed in a field and the observer's perspex 'bubble' was almost sliced off by an anti-invasion cable draped across the field in 1940. The observer was pinned in the aircraft with serious head injuries and died in hospital in Lowestoft later. In the second incident, a Boston coming back from Holland on one engine force-landed in a field and the observer ended up buried up to his knees in Suffolk muck as the topsoil entered the nose. The pilot gashed his head on the gunsight and he ended up in Lowestoft hospital while the other two crewmen ended the day in a local pub, seriously 'sozzled', but apparently having won every game of darts, and not having had to pay for a drink !!! BC
Lancaster and Hampden - from The Hampden Crash Log EDIT: Don't you just love smart-arse Australians pointing out ones mistakes?!! That should Halifax and Hampden!
A: Yes it was ! Do you have an interest/know anything else of the incident ? Only recently obtained a copy of the F.1180 card on this tragic incident. BC
Afraid not - I looked it up in the Beaufighter Crash Log. But I'm sure I've heard of teh incident before, maybe on rafcommands or TOCH
The date in the Beaufighter Crash Log is 29.05.42 but in the text in the introduction, in a piece called "Beaufighter Blunders" it says 27.05.42 The actual was 29.05.42 The biggest "rocket" from the Court of Inquiry went to the Station Commander at RAF Ludham; he was reminded that it was his responsibility to ensure that all aircrew received regular aircraft recognition training classes. I must admit I had to smile when I read in the F.1180 that the pilot of the Beaufighter added to the Spitfire pilot's impression he was a hostile aircraft "by taking evasive action". I would imagine that when bullets and cannon-shells are whizzing by one does not stop to try and establish who is shooting at you but rather does everything in one's power to get out of the way ! BC
Nick I haven't been able to find a comparable article for the Blenheim. However, I have scanned the cutaway for the Blenheim IV. In the second attachment I have highlighted the three escape hatches, the top two probably being the easiest for exit when ditching in the sea. Sorry about the line running through it but the book is A4 and I had to try to marry-up the two scans.
I found this ..... T4919 - but I don't think it's the accident you're talking about though ! Page 16 ..... ( I was trying to upload just the page but it wouldn't let me - you have to wait a bit !! ) http://82.149.225.246/Squadron_Signal/Squadron Signal [Aircraft In Action] 1153 Beaufighter.pdf