Lost Spitfire squadron - India 1945?

[Lyffe]

A friend has asked if there is any record of a whole squadron of Spitfires that were lost after flying into a storm somewhere in India, possibly in 1945? According to his source the incident was 'hushed up'.

I'm a little sceptical but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Would appreciate your advice.

Brian

[Graham Boak]

615 Sq. It may have been hushed up at the time but can be found in several more recent sources.

[Lyffe]

Any more details Graham, I'm getting nothing on Google other than the squadron fought in the BoB and later went to India?

Brian

[COL BRUGGY]

Hi Brian,

Thursday, 10 August 1944.

During the day 16 Spitfire VIIIs of 615 Squadron took off to fly from Deragon to Baigachi, which is located in the Sunderbans area to the east of Calcutta. En Route the formation flew into a violent monsoon storm during which eight aircraft were lost and four of the pilots killed, including the commanding officer, Sqn Ldr D.W. McCormack, DFC & Bar and Flg Off W.S. Bond, RCAF, Plt Off M. Pain, RAAF, and Wt Off A.L. Chappell, RAAF. Flt Sgt Watson managed to crash land, but the three others survivors all baled out, and all injured their legs on hitting the ground. The stricken squadron was at once rendered non-operational.

See:
Air War for Burma.
Shores,Christopher.
London:Grub Street,2005.
p.254.

Col

[Lyffe]

Very much obliged Col, that will do me, and my friend, nicely.

Brian

[Leendert]

The online Spitfire production list identifies at least five lost Spitfires with 615 Sqadron on 10 August 1944: MD273, 276, 292, 373 and 378.
A more thorough search may reveal the other three.

Regards,

Leendert

[COL BRUGGY]

Brian,

Casualty List 10-8-1944 No.615 sqn.

Lost:

AUS400232 S/L David William McCORMACK RAAF DFC & Bar (later MiD) Spitfire VIII LV742
J/17190 F/O Wilfred Sidney BOND RCAF
AUS420253 F/O Malcolm Turner Wellesley PAIN RAAF Spitfire VIII MD292
AUS413737 W/O Alan Lancaster CHAPPELL RAAF Spitfire VIII MD373

Baled Out:

F/O COSTAIN RAF (Broken leg)
F/O ARMSTRONG RCAF (Dislocated knee cap)
NZ411980 F P FAHY RNZAF (Twisted knee)

Force Landed:

F/O WATSON RAF (Unhurt)

Eight other aircraft and pilots landed safely. One of whom was:

AUS414244 W/O Roy Sidney Meyers LAYFIELD RAAF - OK. Another was: AUS404563 F/Lt Kevin Francis GANNON RAAF - OK.

Col.

[Andy in West Oz]

McCormack flew Hurricanes with 615 (Churchill's Own) on escort and low-level work (Hurribombers) across the Channel before heading to the Far East. Both DFCs were earned over Europe, the second, IIRC, after he was wounded pressing home his attack.

He was that well-regarded as a leader that apparently every member of the unit contributed to a memorial window that was unveiled at St Augustine's in Yarraville, Melbourne in 1946. I haven't seen the window first-hand but it is apparently stunning.

Just running off the top of my head as I have been looking into his career off and on (more off than on) for the past couple of years.

[OldRotor]

In 1945, four or five Mustangs and their pilots were lost in Italy on 26 Jul when they flew up a blind valley.

73 Sqn had a similar number of Vampires lost over Italy in a cock up.

10 Sqn lost three Dakotas in the same day in 1946

The famous Day Fighter Leaders School and its six or seven Hunters on 8 Feb 56

Haven't thought of anymore just yet but there are probably others - and in peacetime at that!!

O-R

[Lyffe]

My thanks for your comprehensive replies gentlemen.

Andy,

Do you, by any chance, have the Accident Report for the 615 Sqn acident?

Brian

[Bill Walker]

111 (F) Squadron, RCAF lost 5 Kityhawks on 16 July 1942, after encountering fog on the Alaska coast. They were enroute from their original base at Patricia Bay, BC to Umnak Island, Alaska in response to the Japanese landings. All 5 aircraft struck mountains on Unalaska Island, no survivors. The squadron received replacement aircraft from the the US and continued operations, scoring the Home War Establishment's only air to air kill on 25 September 1942 over Kiska.

[COL BRUGGY]

Brian,

McCormack had long-left England's shores when he was awarded his second DFC (LG 18-6-1943 p.2769). Citation reads: "Flt Lt McCormack has been actively engaged on operations in India since October 1942. He has achieved excellent results on long distance sorties over difficult country. As a pilot and Flight Commander, his cool courage and skill have been invaluable to his Squadron. In attacks on Mandalay and Akyab, despite considerable opposition, he allowed no obstacle to deter him from completing his tasks successfully."

Re: McCormack's accident:

Monday, 29 May, 1944.

Thirty-four Ki 43s again appeared over Imphal early in the day, this sweep once more involving all three sentais - 50th, 64th and 204th. At 0720 11 Spitfires of 607 Squadron were scrambled, but failed to find the intruders. 81 and 615 Squadrons then followed and at 0800 the latter's unit pilots in their older Spitfire Vcs found them, claiming four damaged, two by Flg Off H.A. Chandler (MH899) and one each by Sqn Ldr McCormack (MH640) and Flt Lt K.F.Gannon (MH686). However Sgt H.K. Young RAAF, crashed in MA383, south-west of Palel and was killed, while Sqn Ldr McCormack crash-landed at Sapam due to a glycol leak.

See:
Air War for Burma/Shores p.235.

S/L McCormack was injured (cuts to legs and head), and admitted to 60 MFH on 29-5-44, and discharged on 6-6-44.

McCormack's aircraft (Hurricane IIB Z3348) had been hit by flak over Dunkirk on 31-10-1941, he was slightly wounded (slight flesh wound in foot), not enough to be taken off duty.

Col.

[Celt 22]

Hi. There is a first hand account of the 615 Sqn incident on 10-8-44 by F/O Costain in Ian Allan's Spitfire at War by Alfred Price.

[Lyffe]

Can anyone advise as to the location of Deragon please - I'm not having any success with Google, which makes me wonder if it was a landing strip without many facilities?

Brian

[Henk Welting]

Brian,
Have a look at Dergaon !
Regards,
Henk.

[Amrit]

A typo for Dergaon

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%22Dergaon%22&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=8.074932,28.256836&ie=UTF8&hq=%22Dergaon%22&hnear=&radius=15000&ll=22.674847,100.239258&spn=12.587806,45&z=5

A

EDIT: pipped to the post by Henk :)

[COL BRUGGY]

Hi,

Yes fellows, my typo. Not Shores'.

Col.

[Henk Welting]

Col,
For S/Ldr McCORMACK I found in his files for 10-8-1944:
Spitfire VIII LV742 - aircraft and body found 12-8-1944 at Jalalpore.
Regards,
Henk.

[COL BRUGGY]

Henk,

Alan Storr has McCormack's aircraft as Spitfire VIII LV742, likewise his A705 (have edited my earlier entry).

McCormack was originally buried in Calcutta Cemetery, Bengal (Plot J. Grave 49), on 13-8-1944. Later reinterred (graves re-grouped) in renamed, Calcutta (Bhowanipore) Cemetery, India, Plot O. Row G. Gr.4.

On a rather sad note. Photographs of McCormack's grave in Calcutta (Bhowanipore), were sent to his N.O.K's address on 30-9-1957 - they were returned unopened.

Col.

[Andy in West Oz]

McCormack had long-left England's shores when he was awarded his second DFC

Cheers, Col, had a feeling I was going astray somewhere.

[FforFreddie]

A friend has asked if there is any record of a whole squadron of Spitfires that were lost after flying into a storm somewhere in India, possibly in 1945? According to his source the incident was 'hushed up'.

I'm a little sceptical but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Would appreciate your advice.

Brian

My Grandpa know's all about this incident.

[Lyffe]

Welcome FforFreddie. Any chance you could give us your Grandpa's story of the accident? Was he a pilot by any chance?

Brian

[FforFreddie]

He was a pilot, he and his twin brother flew Spitfires KW-X with 615 Squadron

The accident happened during a ferry flight i believe,
All the pilots drew straws and those with the shorter ones had to take the Spits from A to B (i can't recall details but i can ask grandpa)
The planes were flying in close formation at staggered heights, The weather closed in on them and in an updraft a number of the planes made contact, prop to tail.
Most were destroyed but 2 or 3 made it back.

I'll try and get a few more details, next time i see him.

[Lyffe]

My thanks for such a quick response, FforFreddie, and I look forward to seeing what more you can add. It is not often that we have the opportunity to hear from someone directly involved in such tragedies, so anything you can add to what has been posted previously will be of considerable interest.

Brian

[Jagan]

McCormack's A605 file from AWM is online
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1073341

McCORMACK, David William - (Squadron Leader); Service Number - 400232; File type - Casualty - Repatriation; Aircraft - Spitfire MH-640; Place - Palel, India; Date - 10 August 1944

has some incident reports by fellow formation members, as well as photograph of his grave from Bhawanipore in 1947/48

[Andy in West Oz]

He was a pilot, he and his twin brother flew Spitfires KW-X with 615 Squadron


FforFreddie, your Grandfather must be one of the Payne boys, John and Alfred? Is he and his brother still with us?

I have been long fascinated by McCormack and, having moved back to Melbourne, need to get back in to researching his career. It's only been I've years since I last posted in this thread! I work for Flightpath magazine now so the least I can do is start with a feature.

[Jagan]

should have added this.. Logbook page from Frank Fahy

http://www.rafcommands.com/galleries/var/resizes/SEAC/615-Squadron/LogBook_Nov44_1.jpg?m=1389761776

[Katherine Wright]

Lost: F/O Malcolm Turner Wellesley PAIN RAAF Spitfire V111 MD292. The death of Mal Pain was mentioned in my Father's Log Book. F/O R.T. Wright 155 Squadron wrote,' Waited for Mal Payne(sic). But was killed on way over.{Bloody Monsoons}'.
I was able to give Mal Pain's brother the date of his brother's death by referring to my Father's Log Book.
Regards
Katherine Wright

[Lyffe]

Thank you Katherine. The thread seems to have generated interest over the years, so it may be others might like to know more.

Brian