Spitfire N3063 of 611 Sqn Crashed 27 April 1940

[paulmcmillan]

After 100% success in last questions a new tack..


27 April 1940:

A Pilot of 611 Sqn in Mk I, N3063 was blinded by searchlights, into spin and baled out
Can anyone put a name to him ?

Many Thanks

Paul

[Amrit]

"Then came the Nazi invasion of Norway and Denmark and orders for 611 Squadron to come to an advanced state of readiness and to ensure that night-flying training was maintained. Sgt Levinson was caught and held in our Army's searchlights over Grantham until, completely blinded, he was forced to bale out when in a spin" (Twenty-One Squadrons by Leslie Hunt: Page 250)

So no specific date nor a first name but certainly sounds right.

A

EDIT: Just looked in The Men of the Battle of Britain and there's a Stephen Austin Levenson 745292 of 611 Squadron. Killed 17/09/1942 whilst serving on Stirlings with 214 Squadron

[Leendert]

Must be Sgt S A Levenson indeed. Spelled as such on No 611 Squadron website: http://www.611squadronrauxaf.co.uk/history/combatclaims.html

Levenson also involved in crash landing of P7321 after being shot down by Bf-109 on 11-9-40.

Regards,

Leendert

[paulmcmillan]

Thanks Guys

[Rich Allenby]

Paul, i also have a record for a possible extra incident which this airman was involved in during his early training, though the injuries he sustained make this only a possible link. It needs further work to rule him in or out as being the same man.

14th May 1937. Fury K8220, 9FTS Thornaby. pilot lost and attempting force landed on beach at Whitby, Yorkshire stalled avoiding cliffs and crashed on beach.

I noticed that an airman of the same name was in the War but was unaware of the incidents you refer to. My S A Levenson sustained eye injuries in the Whitby incident, Ive yet to determine whether the two are the same person. Its possible, or even probable his injuries may have put paid to his flying career in May 1937.

regards Rich Allenby

[paulmcmillan]

Rich

I don't know

there is a S A Levenson appointed to RAF Depot, Uxbridge on appointment to short service commission as Acting Pilot Officer on probation with effect Aug 24th 1936

Confirmed in position March 22nd 1938 in General Duties branch


BTW Levenson resigned his SSC 19th October 1938 (maybe due to the injury he received)

But the Spitfire Levenson was NCO?

[Ross_McNeill]

Gents

From the Air Force lists on S A Levenson

Posted to No.10 FTS (Tern Hill)
5 Sept 1936

Posted to No.66 (Fighter) Squadron (Duxford)
27 Nov 1937

Regards
Ross

[SaraW]

I have just come across this old thread and joined your forum so that I can let you know that Stephen Levenson was my uncle. If you are interested I can find further details for you from my mother, his sister. As far as I can remember her saying he was a Spitfire pilot but lost his commission before the war. I think he got into debt, which in those days was rather worse than it is today. I have copies of two letters from Air Commodore J R Cassidy to a family friend, one dated 30/09/42 saying that he could be considered for recommissioning but was sadly missing. The second dated 07/11/42 giving the names and addresses of next of kin of two crew members for my grandmother to contact for details of his last flight. The crew members were POWs at the time. They were A/Sgt Gordon Barrow and Sgt Richard John Cox.
I will take a copy of your postings to my mother next week and she will be able to confirm whether her brother was the pilot with the eye injury.

[jossleclercq]

hello,

the incident is described in the Squadron history "Beware ! Beware !" by Aldon P. Ferguson with John Hamlin.

Page 23 : "On 27 April, Sgt Levenson in N3063 was caught and held in a searchlight near Grantham. He climbed to 8000 ft to try to evade the beam, but was temporarily blinded by it and found his Spitfire in a spin which he was unable to correct, so he decided to bail out. He came down safely, but the aircraft was of course totally wrecked when it crashed near Kilvington, Nottinghamshire."

He's on a picture taken at Digby during the Battle of Britain, first from left, 2nd from left is Colin MacFie. I've seen this picture in several publications, and it might be on the web too.

Page 35, we learn that the nickname of Levenson was "Stromboli".

Joss

[ianh]

Hi all

In case it's of interest, from my notes of 214 Sqn's wartime ops:

W/O Levenson was killed with 4 other members of his crew (2 PoW), when their Stirling R9350 BU-T was shot down by a night fighter on an op to Essen on 16-17/9/1942.

It was his 14th op as a/c captain with 214 (albeit one op was aborted). The first one was on 28-29/7/42.

Might fill in a few gaps? ...

Cheers

Ian