Spitfire Leader by Dennis Newton & Richard Bungey

Author:Dennis Newton & Richard Bungey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amberley Publishing
Published: 2019-01-07T00:00:00+00:00

No.145 Squadron’s records for 10 March reveal doubts about Gundry’s ‘kill’:

Weather fine. Convoy patrol in the morning. In the afternoon a sweep carried out over Hastings, Boulogne, Cap Gris Nez and Calais. Earlier in the afternoon a Ju88 was attacked over the Channel by F/Lt Bungey, P/O De Hemptinne and P/O Gundry. In spite of firing all their ammunition, it could only be claimed as damaged, and was last seen climbing for cloud cover.

Gundry’s attack had apparently not been fatal and indeed Luftwaffe records show that Ju88A5 No.4157 of Kampfgeschwader Gr.806 later crash-landed at Caen. It had suffered 40% damage in combat but there was no mention of the presence of any casualties among the crew. Obviously, it had not crashed into the sea, as was suggested.

However, there were other German aircraft operating in the same area that day. The Luftwaffe sustained another loss when a Messerschmitt 110E-3, No.2316/4U+XL, from 3.(F)/123, failed to return. This was a Luftflotte 3 reconnaissance unit equipped with a mixture of Ju88s, Do17Ps and Me110s based at airfields in the Paris area, and the aircraft was reported missing somewhere south of Portsmouth, believed to have crashed into the sea. Of its two-man crew, St.Fw H. Zeigenbalk was listed as missing and Fw W. Ruschenburg was listed as killed.

Was it actually this Me110, not the Ju88, which Green Section had seen crashing down into the water? As Ju88 No.4157 made good its lucky escape from the Spitfires hidden by cloud cover, could it have been Me110 No.2316 that appeared ‘a little lower down, and crashed into the sea’? Or, could it have been the Me110 that the three Spitfires attacked, not the Ju88? Mistakes in aircraft recognition were not rare.

The weather improved the next day and 145 Squadron was committed to patrols over the Portsmouth area to try to intercept more possible German reconnaissance machines, but no contacts were made. Again on the 12th, the weather was fine but this time the day was occupied with a full programme of practice flying. That night, the Luftwaffe paid Tangmere aerodrome a visit. About twenty bombs were dropped, including a large one that fell on the corner of the officers’ mess. Five people were killed.

Circus No.7 was flown in the early afternoon of 13 March. Six Blenheims of 139 Squadron attacked Calais/Marck airfield under heavy fighter protection. This included the Tangmere Spitfires flying top cover. Nos.610 and 616 Squadrons from Westhampnett were employed with 145 capping as top squadron, Mike Newling leading ‘A’ Flight and Bob leading ‘B’ Flight.

After the bombers unloaded, they withdrew towards Boulogne where the escorts were hotly engaged by Me109s flying in pairs. No.610 Squadron fought off the main assaults and in the process claimed one Messerschmitt destroyed and two probables for the loss of one Spitfire and pilot. Bob and the 145 squadron pilots could see the dogfight below, but there was little they could do to intervene. They were busy themselves. With the exception of Sgt Sykes who had to return to Tangmere early, 145 landed without loss between 3.

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