Unaccounted Airmen - Unknown Aircraft, Incorrect Serials, Unidentified Types

[Alex Smart]

Photo is in the findagrave link in my earlier post.
Newspaper date 22nd.
But could it be "198" ? of Brooks ?

[Alex Smart]

Hello Jagan,
I seem to have missed the findings on the two Greek airmen SKANAVIS and TAKTIKOS of 23 SFTS on 21st August 44, what was the answer re a/c serial number ?

Come to think about it several of the Greek and also Indian airmen seem to have vanished all at once ?

[Jagan]

Hi Alex, they are still in the sheet as unresolved. No answers yet. Thanks for the updates you have been doing in there! The unresolved serials have dipped below 500!. more than 185 have been resolved.

[Alex Smart]

Hello Jagan,
In regards to my entery for KNIGHT and HARWOOD, a/c "C", 108 Sqn 1st October 1944.

Today I set about going through the AB RAFSerial books for serial numbers in the ND and V range for 108 Sqn.
This is what I came up with.
I have not included numbers that went on to serve in other units or Countries. Or that had been reported to have been crashed or SOC before the 1st October 1944. Also I did not include those that only had ME ( Middle East).

It left the following -

ND145 - Soc 14.6.45 ( a/c "W" in ORB October '44).
ND146 - To FAF( French Air Force) 27.9.45.
ND155 - Swung on take off, under carrage collapsed, crash landed Kalamaki 21 October '44.
ND164 - To FAF, 6.9.45.
ND166 - SOC 31.5.45.
ND175 - To FAF, 4.10.45.
ND181 - missing Maleme 29.1.45.
ND237 - SOC 21.6.45.
ND276 - Engine cut, a/c stalled, Luqa, 17.4.44( But a/c still in ORB in Sept/Oct '44 as "C" ).
ND279 - Missing on GI 1 practice, Aegan, 9.10.44.
ND290 - Engine cut, a/c ditched 1m W of Hassani 16.1.45.

V8639 - SOC 10.44.
V8887 - NFT ( But a/c was "W" in July, August, September and still in ORB as "A" and "X-A" in September/October '44).

As for V8865 as recorded in vol 5 of 'Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945' (age 273) as lost with Knight and Harwood on the 30 September/1st October 44.
Air Britain in T1000- V9999 has on page 139(1997) has the following -
V8865 - 219/ - Missing 31.10.44
The slash seems to suggest that a transfer to another unit was suspected or it could just have been a print/typing error.

Alex

[dennis_burke]

Can anyone check the fate of Wellington LR162, I dare say this is the correct serial for the LP162 of 77 OTU included in the table.

[Andy Marden]

LR162 was sold as scrap on 6 Feb 50:
http://lancasterbombersinfo.ipage.co...ile/index.html
It was one of a group of about 30 aircraft that don't seem to have seen any service at all. This one went straight into storage at 8 MU.
I don't think this is the one we are looking for sadly.

[Andy Marden]

Regarding the entry for F/O Chapple of 79 Sqn of 12 Jan 41, the suggestion of P3871 by DaveW is correct.
See: http://www.rafcommands.com/database/...php?uniq=P3871
and the TNA: https://discovery.nationalarchives.g...ls/r/C17386866

[Andy Marden]

Looking at the Auster loss on 12 Jan 44, what unit was 12 DAF HQ?
The only Auster loss listed on that date in Malcolm Fillmore's "Auster Production Histories" (Air-Britain) is MT415:
"Auster Mk.III MT415. To 20 MU Aston Down 28.7.43. To 47 MU Sealand 3.8.43 & shipped to North Africa 4.9.43 on J173. Crashed 12.1.44 & soc."
This must therefore be a reasonable candidate if the unit can be linked with Africa.

[paulmcmillan]

Desert Air Force Hq?

[dennis_burke]

DAng it, LR162 seemed very obvious.

So LP182 is the other suggestion, is its F78 available at the same site?