The story
NORTH SEA-HELIGOLAND
After a 25-day interval since the last bombing raid on German warships, 11 Hampdens in 2 formations were dispatched to search the Heligoland area. 6 aircraft bombed 2 destroyers but without scoring any hits. The second formation, of 5 aircraft of 144 Squadron, did not return; a German radio broadcast stated that it had met 'a hornet's nest' of fighters and all the Hampdens had been shot down. Post-war records show that 18 of the 24 aircrew were killed, including the commander of 144 Squadron, Wing Commander J. C. Cunningham.
NORTH SEA SWEEPS, 8 October to December 1939
Flights by formations of bombers searching for German ships to attack were made on 9 days between 8 October and 2 December. The bombers did not approach the German mainland and the normal 'beat' was the 125-mile stretch of sea between Borkum and Sylt which marked the outer limits of Germany's small North Sea coast.
A total of 61 sorties were flown - 55 by Wellingtons and 6 by Hampdens. No German ships were seen; no bombs were dropped; no aircraft casualties were suffered.
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You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.