Date & Time:
Dec 18, 1939 at 1410 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 408 Wellington IA
Operator:
Registration:
N2962
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Mildenhall - Mildenhall
Country:
Germany
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
5
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
Took off from RAF Mildenhall at 0927LT. Shot down from 10,000 feet by a Messerschmitt Me.110 executing a beam attack at 1410LT. This was the first Wellington to be shot down during the operation and it was seen to dive vertically into the sea following a sharp explosion forward of the astrodome. All five crewmen were killed.
Crew (149th Squadron):
F/O J. H. C. Speirs,
P/O F. N. Lines,
Sgt R. R. Hammond,
LAC J. H. Sinton,
AC2 W. J. Ellis.
Crew (149th Squadron):
F/O J. H. C. Speirs,
P/O F. N. Lines,
Sgt R. R. Hammond,
LAC J. H. Sinton,
AC2 W. J. Ellis.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.
