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F. Albacore
| SERIAL |
VARIANT |
SQUADRON |
ARRIVED |
DEPARTED |
NOTES |
| ? |
|
|
24.01.42 |
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Aircraft was being ferried from North Africa to Malta, but never arrived, presumed to have crashed in the sea. Two fatalities. |
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| SERIAL |
VARIANT |
SQUADRON |
ARRIVED |
DEPARTED |
NOTES |
| |
|
|
15.11.42 |
|
The aircraft was being flown to Malta to re-enforce 227 sqd, but never reached the island. |
| ? x4 |
|
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10.08.42 |
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| _____/W |
VI |
|
03.08.42 |
|
This aircraft would be assigned to 248 squadron, and lost on a mission on the 13th. |
| T4651/C |
IC |
252 |
|
15.02.42 |
Took off from Luqa with other aircraft for RAF Idku/LG229 at the end of their convoy escort duties detachment to Malta. The detachment was recalled almost immediately as an incoming air raid was identified. Some of the formation returned safely but some failed to receive the message and flew on, as insufficient time had been available in Malta to have their sets adjusted for the correct frequency. Fifteen to 20 enemy fighters soon intercepted them and shot this aircraft down into the sea a few miles east of the island. |
| T4658 |
|
OADU |
06.10.41 |
|
Crew had to make a forced landing near Beja, Tunisia. Crew uninjured, interned as pow’s. |
| T4830 |
Ic |
252 |
|
15.02.42 |
As above. |
| T4834 |
Ic |
252 |
|
15.02.42 |
As above. |
| T4872 |
|
252 |
15.11.42 |
|
The aircraft was being flown to Malta to re-enforce 227 sqd, but never reached the island. |
| T4879 |
|
248 |
|
11.02.42 |
Aircraft departed on delivery to the Middle East but failed to reach its destination. Two missing believed dead. |
| T4889 |
Ic |
OADU |
|
12.02.42 |
Departed for Egypt on delivery but never arrived. Last seen off Filfla islet being attacked by two Me-109s. |
| T4894 |
|
2 OTU |
27.02.42 |
|
Aircraft crashed in the sea during a transit flight between Gibraltar and Malta. Two crew missing presumed dead. |
| T4896 |
|
236 |
|
11.02.42 |
Departed Malta for the Middle East but failed to arrive. Two crew missing believed dead. |
| T4915 |
|
236 |
|
11.02.42 |
Aircraft departed on delivery to the Middle East but failed to reach its destination. Two missing believed dead. |
| T4982 |
|
252 |
15.11.42 |
|
The aircraft was being flown to Malta to re-enforce 227 sqd, but never reached the island. |
| T4990 |
|
236 |
04.06.42 |
|
When flying between Tunisia and Sicily, the crew were intercepted by an Me-109. In the ensuing evasive actions, the crew lost their bearing and true course, used more fuel than had been planned for and suffered damage in their left-hand engine.
Seeking a solution to their predicament, they approached a convoy, and seeing the ships scatter in different directions, leading them to think it was Italian. Seeking land some 30 kilometres on, he flew on, where after crashing landing on the beach7 kms south of Mahdia, Tunisia, burnt the aircraft and papers. The crew were later transferred to, and interned in, Algeria.
|
| T5101 |
VI |
|
01.08.42 |
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This aircraft would be assigned to 248 squadron, and lost on a mission on the 13th. |
| T5261 |
|
272 |
15.11.42 |
|
The aircraft was being flown to Malta to re-enforce 227 sqd, but never reached the island. |
| X7639 |
|
604 |
24.11.41 |
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Missing between Gibraltar and Malta. Crew later found to be safe. |
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| SERIAL |
VARIANT |
SQUADRON |
ARRIVED |
DEPARTED |
NOTES |
| L9893 |
|
217 |
10.06.42 |
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Crew member killed during an enemy attack whilst on delivery from Gibraltar to Malta. |
| N1036 |
|
OADU |
20.12.41 |
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Aircraft on a delivery from the UK to Malta. Pilot unable to draw fuel from overload system, leading to engines stopping as a result of fuel starvation. Crew were forced to land in the sea 3 miles from Gibraltar. Cause of fuel starvation appears to have been the result of all cocks and balance cocks being in the open position when the overload system was in use, and likely resulted in an air lock. Pilot claimed that he had been unable to obtain definite information on the fuel system in the UK. One slight injury. |
| AW298 |
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OADU |
06.04.42 |
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Crashed at Luqa during transit flight to Middle East. |
| AW376 |
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5 OTU |
17.05.42 |
18.05.42 |
Aircraft, which had arrived the previous day, departed Malta for the Middle East, but, developing engine problems, the pilot decided to return to Malta. Unfortunately, the crew were forced to ditch in the sea, 40 miles SE of Malta. Navigator wasn’t seen again and presumed to have gone down with the sinking aircraft. The remaining three crew members survived, and were picked up by a German float plane, becoming prisoners of war. |
| DW823 |
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30.09.42 |
Lost during a transit flight from Malta to the Far East. Four crew members missing. |
| DW824 |
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09.10.42 |
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Aircraft was in transit from the UK to the Middle East. Crew failed to arrive in Malta from Gibraltar. Crew initially listed as missing but were discovered to have been interned in French West Africa. |
| DW833 |
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29.09.42 |
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Lost during flight from Gibraltar to Malta four crew members missing. |
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| SERIAL |
VARIANT |
SQUADRON |
ARRIVED |
DEPARTED |
NOTES |
| L9263 |
|
4 Ferry Pilots Pool |
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One of twelve Blenheims being ferried to the Middle East via France, Tunisia, and Malta. Pilot suffered engine failure during take-off from Marigrane, France on 18.06.40, the aircraft being abandoned there. |
| L9314 |
IV |
4 Ferry Pilots Pool |
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Crashed near Prunieres, France on 18.06.40, during delivery to the Middle East via France, Tunisia and Malta. |
| L9315 |
IV |
4 Ferry Pilots Pool |
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Crashed near Prunieres, France on 18.06.40, during delivery to the Middle East via France, Tunisia and Malta. |
| L9317 |
IV |
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Crashed near Prunieres, France on 18.06.40 during delivery to the Middle East via France, Tunisia and Malta. Three casualties. |
| L9318 |
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Aircraft was one of twelve being ferried to the Middle East as above. Crashed in France on 18.06.40. Three casualties. |
| L9351 |
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4 Ferry Pilots Pool |
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Aircraft crashed in France on 18.06.40. |
| L9934 |
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4 Ferry Pilots Pool |
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One of twelve Blenheims being ferried to the Middle East via France, Tunisia and Malta on 18.06.40. Crew tried landing in the sea, but the aircraft flipped over, taking the crew down with. |
| T1853 |
IV |
OADU |
04.11.41 |
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Aircraft was in the circuit to land at North Front Aerodrome, Gibraltar when the port propeller and reduction gear flew out and downwards from the aircraft. Unable to maintain height, the pilot flew into the sea, 120 yards from the airfield. |
| V5535 |
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OADU |
27.02.42 |
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Aircraft crashed 1,000 yards east of North Front airfield, Gibraltar during a transit flight to the Middle East. Aircraft was reported to be making a single engine approach to the airfield at 20 feet, when a wing dropped and hit the sea, causing the aircraft to crash into the sea. Three crew survived with injuries. |
| V6165 |
|
82 |
21.05.41 |
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Aircraft crashed in sea between Gibraltar and Malta. 2 missing, one survivor. |
| V6394 |
|
OADU |
19.03.42 |
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Ditched off the coast of Cap Bon, Tunisia. 3 crew missing. |
| |
|
OADU |
15.11.41 |
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Crew were inbound to Malta, but intercepted by CR.42s, damaging the aircraft, which crash landed at Luqa. |
| Z6283 |
|
OADU |
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01.04.42 |
Aircraft reported missing during transit flight from Malta but arrived safely at Camp Almaza, Egypt. |
| Z6422 |
|
82 |
22.06.41 |
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Aircraft was shot down between Pantalleria and Malta by Italian destroyer. 3 pow. |
| Z7689 |
IV |
82 |
04.01.42 |
|
Aircraft went missing on a ferry flight from Egypt to Malta. Believed shot down by the Luftwaffe. |
| Z7924 |
IV |
21 |
28.12.41 |
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Aircraft crashed in the sea, 440 yards east of Gibraltar during a ferry flight from the UK to the Middle East. Engine cut shortly after take-off, but picked again, but with a noticeable loss of power. The pilot selected the flaps instead of undercarriage, causing the aircraft to stall. Two injuries, two missing, presumed dead. |
| Z7972 |
|
OADU |
26.12.41 |
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Aircraft crashed off coast of Gibraltar in the sea on delivery to Malta. One missing, two injured. |
| Z7979 |
|
88/OADU |
29.10.41 |
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Aircraft crashed in the sea 10 miles from Ras Engella near the Gulf of Tunis during a delivery flight to the Middle East. Three crew members missing, presumed dead. |
| Z9832 |
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30.03.42 |
Aircraft departed Malta for the Middle East but lost en route due to causes unknown. The three Australian crew reported missing, presumed dead. |
| BA288 |
V |
13 OTU |
21.06.42 |
|
Aircraft departed from RAF Portreath in the UK for Gibraltar. The crew had an uneventful flight until about 180 miles from the Spanish coast, when the starboard engine began “cutting”, but started operating again shortly afterwards. On reaching the Spanish coast, the air gunner reported what he thought was a fuel leak in the port petrol tank. The captain decided to cut across Spain to Gibraltar, but with the fuel consumption having increased considerably, he decided at a point 100 miles north-east of Lisbon, that there wasn’t enough petrol to reach Gibraltar, and a diversion to Portugal was advisable.
An attempt to land at Tancos airfield had to be abandoned when they couldn’t locate it, but by following the Tangus river, they managed to reach the then new airport of Portela.
Contrary to normal procedure, the crew had been advised not to destroy the aircraft in Portugal, but all documents were burnt, and the IFF equipment blown up.
The crew were interned at Caldas de Rainha, were they joined other British crews. It would appear that they were later released, and transported to Gibraltar, then the UK. |
| BA442 |
V |
|
20.06.42 |
21.06.42 |
Aircraft arrived from Gibraltar for the Middle East. The crew of this aircraft made the report about the crash of BA446 (below). Presumably they continued to their destination. |
| BA446 |
V |
|
20.06.42 |
21.06.42 |
Aircraft arrived from Gibraltar for the Middle East. After taking-off from Malta, the crew crashed in the sea for unknown reasons, the aircraft breaking up, 90 miles north of Derna. The three crewmen escaped, spending 12 hours in a dinghy, before being picked up by the Italian hospital ship S.S. Aquila. As one of the crew had died by then, the Italian captain simply ordered that he be thrown overboard in the sea.
Report about crash came from accompanying aircraft BA442. |
| BA542 |
V |
|
15.07.42 |
16.07.42 |
Aircraft departed from No. 13 O.T.U. Bicester for Gibraltar. It landed at Luqa, taking-off for the Middle East after a night stop, but never reached its destination. It crashed in the sea, either because of mechanical issues, or enemy action. Three fatalities, with the body of one crewman washing ashore at Port Said on 12th August. |
| BA371 |
V |
OADU |
24.05.42 |
|
Crew departed from RAF Portreath for Gibraltar, but crashed in the sea in west of North Front aerodrome, Gibraltar. Salvaged from the sea were mail bags destined for Malta. Three crew suffered slight injuries. |
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