He115 on clandestine ops from Malta

[phillipwalton]

I have recently found a reference to an He115 that was used for clandestine operations from Malta in August 1941. The aircraft retained its German markings and was only used at night, during the day it was kept out of sight in a hanger at Kalifrana seaplane base. The only i.d. for this aircraft is given as "BV185". Has anyone any further information on this machine please?

[Bill Walker]

I have recently found a reference to an He115 that was used for clandestine operations from Malta in August 1941. The aircraft retained its German markings and was only used at night, during the day it was kept out of sight in a hanger at Kalifrana seaplane base. The only i.d. for this aircraft is given as "BV185". Has anyone any further information on this machine please?

According to my copy of Robertson's "British Military Aircraft Serials", this was one of four ex-RNoAF He 115s that escaped to Britain. Ex RNoAF 56, 58, 62, or 64. BV185 was a He 115 A-2.

[Amrit]

Phillip

As Bill said this one of four Mariens Flyvevaesens 115's that were flown out - one just after the invasion and three at the time of Norway's surrender. They were given serials BV184, BV185, BV186 (115A-2) and BV187(B-1).

They were initially taken over by the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment.

BV185 arrived in Britain on 7 June 1940, and delivered to the MAEE on the 9th. Used for performance assessment. Then ferried to RAF Colshot on14th Nov 1940, and then to Scottish Aviation and to BOAC. With BV184 and 186, it was painted in RAF colours and modified for its intended role in covert operations in Norway.

But it was flown to Gibraltor and then Malta, arriving on 23rd June 1941. It flew in clandistine operations in North Africa, and was then destroyed in an Italian air raid on 9th July 1941. SoC 1st April 1942.

No operational details of its clandestine missions are given.

An interesting notes is that BV187 was a Luftwaffe captured by the Norwegians in April, and then flown out in June 1940.

Details from "War Prizes" by Phil Butler

A

[Phil Listemann]

Hello,

Some sketchy details on the clandestine operations can be found in "MALTA :The Hurricane Years 1940-41" published by Grub Street in 1987.

Happy New Year 2008 to all.

Phil (www.raf-in-combat.com)

[Henk Welting]

Source: Aviateurs de la Liberté (Col Henri Lafont):
431 Flight - Malta - 12-9-1941
"Spy plane" prob lost over sea near Sardinia
F/Sgt (Pilot) George BLAIZE - 31067 - RAF (FFAF) - MiA
S.Lt/A (Obs) Reginald DRAKE - FAA - Lee on the Solent Mem. - B1 - P7 (not in source)
Sgt (Flt Eng) Raoul GATIEN - 31011 - RAF (FFAF) - MiA
A/c ex #58 Norwegian Navy, flown to Calshot and registered BV185, SOC Malta 1-4-1942.
Regards,
Henk.

[Kevin]

Indeed BV 185 was lost on the 22 Sep 1941. It took off from Kalafrana Bay at 00.05hrs, but the aircraft faced some difficulties, and was forced to alight on the sea 32km away from base. Here it was broken up by rough seas, and high waves. All three were lost at sea.

Regards

Kevin

[phillipwalton]

Thank you everybody for your replies.

[Paul Fox]

From "war in a Stringbag" by Charles Lamb. He was flying Swordfish in the Med in the begining of the war. In Summer of 1941, he was responsible for flying agents in & out of North Africa. In his book, Lamb describes flying to a field in Enfidaville in Tunisia to drop off 2 & pick up 2 Free French agents.

Also on 17th September 1941, he was to drop off an agent on a dry lake bed in Sousse. Unfortunatelty the lake had a thin crust & deep mud below. His plane crashed and he & his observer were arrested by Vichy French and imprisoned for 18 months.

Anyway the back up plan for these operations was a rendevous 2 days later with the Heinkel seaplane to extract them if anything went wrong. They were only a few miles from the r/v when captured, but according to Lamb it was lucky, as the He was lost on the return journey to Malta.

Hope this is of use.