Posted on Jun 1, 2018
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BOAC Flight 777, June 1
==Brief Description==
BOAC Flight 777-A was a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation civilian airline flight from Portela Airport in Lisbon, Portugal, to Whitchurch Airport near Bristol, England, on 1 June 1943. It was attacked en route by eight German Junkers Ju 88s and crashed into the Bay of Biscay, resulting in the deaths of all 17 “souls on board”. There were several notable passengers, amongst them actor Leslie Howard.
==Cause==
1- Attacked by German bombers
==Airplane Info==
Cn: 1590
Type: Douglas DC-3-194
Registration: G-AGBB
Delivered: ?
Pax on board: 13, Crew- 4, 17 dead.
==Narrative==
From Wikipedia:
7:35–10:54 am: Takeoff and flight
1 June 1943 BOAC flight from Lisbon to Whitchurch was assigned to the Ibis and given flight number 777-A. The flight was originally scheduled to take off at 0730, but was delayed when Howard left the aircraft to pick up a package he had left at customs. At 0735 GMT, Flight 777-A departed from Portela Airport at Lisbon. Whitchurch received a departure message and continued regular radio contact until 1054 GMT. At that time, while the DC-3 was roughly 200 miles (320 km) northwest of the coast of Spain, Whitchurch received a message that the DC-3 was being followed and that it was fired upon at 46.54N, 09.37W. Shortly afterwards, the aircraft crashed and sank into the Bay of Biscay.
The following day BOAC released a statement:
The British Overseas Airways Corporation regrets to announce that a civil aircraft on passage between Lisbon and the United Kingdom is overdue and presumed lost. The last message received from the aircraft stated that it was being attacked by an enemy aircraft. The aircraft carried 13 passengers and a crew of four. Next-of-kin have been informed
— The Times
Media accounts
The New York Times reporting from London, announced, in its 3 June 1943 edition that, “A British Overseas Airways transport plane, with the actor Leslie Howard reported among its 13 passengers, was officially declared overdue and presumed lost today …” The article also reported – “In their daily communique, broadcast from Berlin and recorded by The Associated Press, the Germans said: ‘Three enemy bombers and one transport were downed by German reconnaissance planes over the Atlantic’.”
In its 14 June 1943 issue, Time magazine carried a brief story on the downing of BOAC Flight 777. The most valuable information from that article was the details of the final radio broadcast from the Dutch pilot. “I am being followed by strange aircraft. Putting on best speed. …we are being attacked. Cannon shells and tracers are going through the fuselage. Wave-hopping and doing my best.”
The news of Howard’s death was published in the same issue of The Times that reported the “death” of Major William Martin, the red herring used for the ruse involved in Operation Mincemeat.
German pilots’ account
Eight Junkers Ju 88C-6s like this preserved Ju 88R-1 night fighter version on display at RAF Hendon attacked and downed BOAC Flight 777.
One of the most detailed versions of the attack was revealed in Bloody Biscay: The History of V Gruppe/Kampfgeschwader 40 by Christopher H. Goss. This book states that BOAC Flight 777 was not intentionally targeted and was instead accidentally shot down when it was mistaken for an Allied military aircraft. The account is composed of the author’s analysis of events and interviews, conducted decades after the war ended, with some of the German pilots involved in the attack.
According to this account, eight Junkers Ju 88C-6 heavy fighters (Zerstörer) from the 14th Staffel of the Luftwaffe’s main maritime bomber wing, Kampfgeschwader 40, took off from Bordeaux at 1000 hrs local time to find and escort two U-boats; these aircraft belonged to the long-range fighter group known as Gruppe V Kampfgeschwader 40. The names of four of the eight pilots are known: Staffelführer Oberleutnant (Oblt) Herbert Hintze, Leutnant Max Wittmer-Eigenbrot, Oblt Albrecht Bellstedt, and Oberfeldwebel (Ofw) Hans Rakow. The pilots claim that before setting out they were unaware of the presence of the Lisbon to Whitchurch flights. Due to bad weather the search for the U-boats was called off and fighters continued a general search. At 1245 hrs, BOAC Flight 777 was spotted in P/Q 24W/1785 heading north. Approximately five minutes later, the Ju 88s attacked. Hintze retold his account for Goss as the following: “A ‘grey silhouette’ of a plane was spotted from 2,000–3,000 metres (6,600–9,800 ft) and no markings could be made out, but by the shape and construction of the plane it was obviously enemy.” Bellstedt radioed: “Indians at 11 o’clock, AA (code for enemy aircraft ahead slightly to left, attack, attack).” BOAC Flight 777 was attacked from above and below by the two Ju 88s assigned to a high position over the flight, and the port engine and wing caught fire. At this point flight leader Heintze, at the head of the remaining six Ju 88s, caught up to the DC-3 and recognised the aircraft as civilian, immediately calling off the attack, but the burning DC-3 was already severely damaged with the port engine out. Three parachutists exited the burning aircraft, but their chutes did not open as they were on fire. The aircraft then crashed into the ocean where it floated and then sank. There were no signs of survivors.
Hintze states that all of the German pilots involved expressed regret for shooting down a civilian aircraft and were “rather angry” with their superiors for not informing them that there was a scheduled flight between Lisbon and Britain. Goss writes that official German records back up Hintze’s account that Staffel 14/KG 40 was carrying out normal operations and that the day’s events occurred because the U-boats could not be found. He concludes that “there is nothing to prove that [the German pilots] were deliberately aiming to shoot down the unarmed DC-3”. This account of the German pilots and Goss’s conclusions are challenged by some authorities.
Hintze’s version is supplemented by the research of Ben Rosevink, a retired research technician at the University of Bristol, and son of BOAC Flight 777 flight engineer Engbertus Rosevink. In the 1980s, Rosevink tracked down and interviewed three of the German pilots involved in the attack, including the individual responsible for opening fire on BOAC Flight 777. In a 2010 interview with the Bristol Evening Post, Rosevink stated that he was convinced of the veracity of the German account.
The following day, a search of the Bay of Biscay was undertaken by “N/461”, a Short Sunderland flying boat from the Royal Australian Air Force’s 461 Squadron. Near the same coordinates where the DC-3 was downed, the Sunderland was attacked by eight V/KG40 Ju 88s and after a furious battle, managed to shoot down three of the attackers, scoring an additional three “possibles,” before crash-landing at Penzance. In the aftermath of these two actions, all BOAC flights from Lisbon were subsequently re-routed and operated only under cover of darkness.
From ASN:
OAC Flight 777-A, a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation civilian airline flight on 1 June 1943 from Lisboa-Portela de Sacavém Airport (LIS), Portugal to Whitchurch Airport near Bristol, United Kingdom, was attacked by eight German Junkers Ju 88s and crashed into the Bay of Biscay, killing 17 on board including several notable passengers, most prominent being actor Leslie Howard.
Theories abound that the aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, was attacked because the Germans believed that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was aboard. Other theories suggest the DC-3 was targeted because several passengers, including Howard, were British spies. During the Second World War, British and German civilian aircraft operated out of the same facilities at Portela and the incoming and outgoing traffic was watched by Allied and Axis spies. The Lisbon-Whitchurch route frequently carried agents and escaped POWs to Britain.
https://planecrashsite.wordpress.com/accidentinfo/439-1943/779-boac-flight-777-june-1/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOAC_Flight_777
http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/actor-leslie-howard-fate-on-boac-flight-777/
==Brief Description==
BOAC Flight 777-A was a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation civilian airline flight from Portela Airport in Lisbon, Portugal, to Whitchurch Airport near Bristol, England, on 1 June 1943. It was attacked en route by eight German Junkers Ju 88s and crashed into the Bay of Biscay, resulting in the deaths of all 17 “souls on board”. There were several notable passengers, amongst them actor Leslie Howard.
==Cause==
1- Attacked by German bombers
==Airplane Info==
Cn: 1590
Type: Douglas DC-3-194
Registration: G-AGBB
Delivered: ?
Pax on board: 13, Crew- 4, 17 dead.
==Narrative==
From Wikipedia:
7:35–10:54 am: Takeoff and flight
1 June 1943 BOAC flight from Lisbon to Whitchurch was assigned to the Ibis and given flight number 777-A. The flight was originally scheduled to take off at 0730, but was delayed when Howard left the aircraft to pick up a package he had left at customs. At 0735 GMT, Flight 777-A departed from Portela Airport at Lisbon. Whitchurch received a departure message and continued regular radio contact until 1054 GMT. At that time, while the DC-3 was roughly 200 miles (320 km) northwest of the coast of Spain, Whitchurch received a message that the DC-3 was being followed and that it was fired upon at 46.54N, 09.37W. Shortly afterwards, the aircraft crashed and sank into the Bay of Biscay.
The following day BOAC released a statement:
The British Overseas Airways Corporation regrets to announce that a civil aircraft on passage between Lisbon and the United Kingdom is overdue and presumed lost. The last message received from the aircraft stated that it was being attacked by an enemy aircraft. The aircraft carried 13 passengers and a crew of four. Next-of-kin have been informed
— The Times
Media accounts
The New York Times reporting from London, announced, in its 3 June 1943 edition that, “A British Overseas Airways transport plane, with the actor Leslie Howard reported among its 13 passengers, was officially declared overdue and presumed lost today …” The article also reported – “In their daily communique, broadcast from Berlin and recorded by The Associated Press, the Germans said: ‘Three enemy bombers and one transport were downed by German reconnaissance planes over the Atlantic’.”
In its 14 June 1943 issue, Time magazine carried a brief story on the downing of BOAC Flight 777. The most valuable information from that article was the details of the final radio broadcast from the Dutch pilot. “I am being followed by strange aircraft. Putting on best speed. …we are being attacked. Cannon shells and tracers are going through the fuselage. Wave-hopping and doing my best.”
The news of Howard’s death was published in the same issue of The Times that reported the “death” of Major William Martin, the red herring used for the ruse involved in Operation Mincemeat.
German pilots’ account
Eight Junkers Ju 88C-6s like this preserved Ju 88R-1 night fighter version on display at RAF Hendon attacked and downed BOAC Flight 777.
One of the most detailed versions of the attack was revealed in Bloody Biscay: The History of V Gruppe/Kampfgeschwader 40 by Christopher H. Goss. This book states that BOAC Flight 777 was not intentionally targeted and was instead accidentally shot down when it was mistaken for an Allied military aircraft. The account is composed of the author’s analysis of events and interviews, conducted decades after the war ended, with some of the German pilots involved in the attack.
According to this account, eight Junkers Ju 88C-6 heavy fighters (Zerstörer) from the 14th Staffel of the Luftwaffe’s main maritime bomber wing, Kampfgeschwader 40, took off from Bordeaux at 1000 hrs local time to find and escort two U-boats; these aircraft belonged to the long-range fighter group known as Gruppe V Kampfgeschwader 40. The names of four of the eight pilots are known: Staffelführer Oberleutnant (Oblt) Herbert Hintze, Leutnant Max Wittmer-Eigenbrot, Oblt Albrecht Bellstedt, and Oberfeldwebel (Ofw) Hans Rakow. The pilots claim that before setting out they were unaware of the presence of the Lisbon to Whitchurch flights. Due to bad weather the search for the U-boats was called off and fighters continued a general search. At 1245 hrs, BOAC Flight 777 was spotted in P/Q 24W/1785 heading north. Approximately five minutes later, the Ju 88s attacked. Hintze retold his account for Goss as the following: “A ‘grey silhouette’ of a plane was spotted from 2,000–3,000 metres (6,600–9,800 ft) and no markings could be made out, but by the shape and construction of the plane it was obviously enemy.” Bellstedt radioed: “Indians at 11 o’clock, AA (code for enemy aircraft ahead slightly to left, attack, attack).” BOAC Flight 777 was attacked from above and below by the two Ju 88s assigned to a high position over the flight, and the port engine and wing caught fire. At this point flight leader Heintze, at the head of the remaining six Ju 88s, caught up to the DC-3 and recognised the aircraft as civilian, immediately calling off the attack, but the burning DC-3 was already severely damaged with the port engine out. Three parachutists exited the burning aircraft, but their chutes did not open as they were on fire. The aircraft then crashed into the ocean where it floated and then sank. There were no signs of survivors.
Hintze states that all of the German pilots involved expressed regret for shooting down a civilian aircraft and were “rather angry” with their superiors for not informing them that there was a scheduled flight between Lisbon and Britain. Goss writes that official German records back up Hintze’s account that Staffel 14/KG 40 was carrying out normal operations and that the day’s events occurred because the U-boats could not be found. He concludes that “there is nothing to prove that [the German pilots] were deliberately aiming to shoot down the unarmed DC-3”. This account of the German pilots and Goss’s conclusions are challenged by some authorities.
Hintze’s version is supplemented by the research of Ben Rosevink, a retired research technician at the University of Bristol, and son of BOAC Flight 777 flight engineer Engbertus Rosevink. In the 1980s, Rosevink tracked down and interviewed three of the German pilots involved in the attack, including the individual responsible for opening fire on BOAC Flight 777. In a 2010 interview with the Bristol Evening Post, Rosevink stated that he was convinced of the veracity of the German account.
The following day, a search of the Bay of Biscay was undertaken by “N/461”, a Short Sunderland flying boat from the Royal Australian Air Force’s 461 Squadron. Near the same coordinates where the DC-3 was downed, the Sunderland was attacked by eight V/KG40 Ju 88s and after a furious battle, managed to shoot down three of the attackers, scoring an additional three “possibles,” before crash-landing at Penzance. In the aftermath of these two actions, all BOAC flights from Lisbon were subsequently re-routed and operated only under cover of darkness.
From ASN:
OAC Flight 777-A, a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation civilian airline flight on 1 June 1943 from Lisboa-Portela de Sacavém Airport (LIS), Portugal to Whitchurch Airport near Bristol, United Kingdom, was attacked by eight German Junkers Ju 88s and crashed into the Bay of Biscay, killing 17 on board including several notable passengers, most prominent being actor Leslie Howard.
Theories abound that the aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, was attacked because the Germans believed that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was aboard. Other theories suggest the DC-3 was targeted because several passengers, including Howard, were British spies. During the Second World War, British and German civilian aircraft operated out of the same facilities at Portela and the incoming and outgoing traffic was watched by Allied and Axis spies. The Lisbon-Whitchurch route frequently carried agents and escaped POWs to Britain.
https://planecrashsite.wordpress.com/accidentinfo/439-1943/779-boac-flight-777-june-1/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOAC_Flight_777
http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/actor-leslie-howard-fate-on-boac-flight-777/
WWII World War Two
Aviation
World History
Lisbon
England
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