Mearns, Stephen Andrews

The last victory of the Hurricane


In the second half of the 2nd st. war already legendary aircraft Hurricane was not enough for its original role of fighter. However, they were widely used in the role of combat and fighter-bomber aircraft on peripheral battlefields such as the Mediterranean and the Far East. Nevertheless, even in the penultimate year of the war, they were used as fighters in their navalized version of the Sea Hurricane. Again, it was not on the main fronts, but during the protection of convoys in the Atlantic, or to the Soviet Union. The main task of the pilots of these machines was to accompany the attack aircraft in their search for enemy submarines and fight with reconnaissance machines. And it was with him that Hurricane's last air victory was won.


That memorial day became May 26, 1944 and the pilots 835. squadron. The unit operated from an escort aircraft carrier HMS Nairana and had a mix of machines in its arsenal Swordfish a Sea Hurricane Mk.IIC. She worked mainly to accompany ships on the Gibraltar route.

Shortly after dawn, the Sea Hurrican patrol over the Bay of Biscay collided with a reconnaissance Ju 290 (9k + FK) from 2./FAGr 5. A duel broke out, but it was not one-sided. Section Commander Sub-Lt. C. W. Richardson, who had driven another Junkers the day before, was hit by defensive fire and died. His number is Sub-Lt. Al Burgham did better and the volleys of four 20 mm cannons of his machine serial number NF672 sent the Germans into the waves.


In the afternoon, the Sub-Lt. Sammy Mearns (NF698/7D) and Sub-Lt. Frank Wallis. At around 4 pm they were led to an unknown plane around the convoy. The British did not recognize another Ju 290 and launched a prosecution. Eventually, they caught up with the machine serial number 164 with the code 9V + GK from 1./FAGr 5, commanded by Hptm. Pavletka, and opened fire. The pilot of the huge aircraft Lt. Kurt Nonneberg tried to escape the attackers, but did not have a chance. After about fifteen minutes, this machine ended up at the bottom of the Bay of Biscay. Four men from the crew were caught by Inglis and captured.


The pair of naval pilots thus won the last victory of the famous Hurricane machines, whose score was opened on October 21, 1939 by a successful duel 46. Squadron RAF with reconnaissance formation He 115 off the coast of Lincolnshire.


Source:
Thomas, A .: Hurricane Aces 1941-45, Osprey Pub., Oxford 2003
Šnajdr, M .: Deck Fighters of His Majesty/3, Votobia, Olomouc 2003