90 FLYPAST June 2018
it be like taking bombers in 50 miles?”
Pilots of 92 Squadron claimed five
destroyed – including one to Kingaby
and two to the CO, Sqn Ldr Jamie
Rankin, taking his total to nine.
From the day’s action, JG 26’s tally
was four Spitfires and a Blenheim.
These included Fg Off Bill Douglas
of 603 in Spitfire Vb W3110 who
was wounded by a cannon shell on
the Mardyck Circus, and 92 lost Sgt
Hugh Bowen-Morris in R6761 who
was shot down and became a prisoner.
Another Circus, on the 24th, had
Comines power station as the target
for 17 Blenheims of 18, 107 and 139
Squadrons. Messerschmitts of JG 26
engaged the escorting Spitfires over
Gravelines claiming three but at the
cost of Lt Erdmann Neumann.
When the Circus was homebound
over the coast, JG 2 caught the
formation and claimed ten Spitfires
for the loss of two pilots. In fact,
the RAF lost only two aircraft, one
flown by Buys of 611, while 603’s Sgt
Deryck Lamb was wounded, and force
landed on the Kent cliffs.LUCKY TO SURVIVE
On the following day, June 24, two
Circuses were mounted against the
rail yards at Hazebrouck and JG
26’s base at St Omer, resulting in
significant losses. In the attack on the
rail complex the Hornchurch Wing
Leader, Battle of Britain ace Wg Cdr
Joe Kayll, was shot down. He later
described events: “I was to lead the
escort wing but at the last moment
Gp Capt Broadhurst [Station
Commander Hornchurch] said that
he would like to lead so I decided to
go as his No.2.
“The raid was carried out
successfully and the wing headed
for home but Gp Capt Broadhurst
decided to fly back over France,
detached the leading flight of four
aircraft and headed west, climbing1918 2018Neville Duke of 92 Squadron, flying
Spitfire Vb R6904, wrote in his diary
highlights the confusion of a large air
battle: “We were cover off Bethune
and were engaged by ’109s. CO got
one in flames – wizard sight. He
got another later, so did Archer and
Kingaby.
“I was separated from the rest in the
general mix-up and was attacked by
five Me 109Fs near Le Touquet. One
did a head-on attack; saw flashes from
his guns and tracer whistling past.
Gave him a burst and he skimmed just
over me with white and black smoke
coming from his engine. Claimed as
a probable. ...Hit by machine-gun
bullets twice in wing. Pretty warm
time!”
The experienced F/Sgt Don Kingaby
recalled the operation near Bethune
on the 23rd: “We were expecting a
target about 10 miles inside the coast
and it was some time before anyone
believed that that was it – 50 miles in!
We had no long-range tanks then, and
30 miles in meant a darned good fight
and a landing at a forward base to
refuel on the way home. What wouldAgainst RAF claims for the day of 29
destroyed, in reality JG 26 lost only
Lt Hans Glasmacher who was killed
near Clairmarais in Bf 109E 6219 –
probably a victim of 611 Squadron.
In return, four Spitfires were reported
downed including one each by HptmsRolf Pingel and Walter Adolph.
Ominously, Plt Off Wilf Duncan-
Smith of 611 noted that the Bf
109F... “was making itself known
more and more. This design had a lot
more power and a slight edge on us
for speed.”DARNED GOOD FIGHT
Whatever the reality, June 22 was the
start of a long, bloody summer for
Fighter Command with a significant
rise in casualties, particularly as raids
were made deeper into France.
Two Spitfires and their pilots were
lost during a fighter sweep early on the
23rd. This was followed by another
Circus, in accordance with Churchill’s
directive, when Blenheim IVs from
107 Squadron with a fighter escort
raided Mardyck airfield near Dunkirk.
This was a diversion for the main
effort that saw 22 Blenheims from
21, 105 and 110 Squadrons attacking
the chemical factory at Choques to
the southwest of Lille. When intense
flak forced 107’s Blenheims to break
formation, around 20 Bf 109s
pounced and the close escort fighters
were unable to drive them off. In a
brief running fight Blenheims V5517
and V6195 flown by Sgt Fairbanks
and Fg Off Redfearn-Smith were
shot down near the target, one of
them by Hptm Gerhard Schöpfel,
Gruppenkomandeur of JG 26’s III
Gruppe.
Once again claims were
considerable, with 32 Bf 109s
declared as destroyed. What Plt OffTop right
Off Dunkirk during a
Circus on June 25 Plt
Off Neville Duke of 92
Squadron claimed the
fi rst of his 28 victories.
N F DUKERight
Among the successful
Luftwaffe pilots on
June 22 was Oblt
Walter Adolf of II/JG- VIA ROBERT FORSYTHE
Right
Fg Off Bill Douglas of
603 Squadron was
wounded by a cannon
shell during the
Mardyck Circus on June- VIA A P FERGUSSON