421. letka [1940-1941]

No. 421 Flight
No. 421 Flight
421st Squadron


Codename: L-Z


Armament
08.10.1940-12.10.1941 Spitfire Mk.IIA
12.10.1940-06.11.1940 Hurricane Mk.IIA
06.11.1940-11.01.1941 Spitfire Mk.IIA


History
The squadron was formed on 8 October 1940 at Gravesend airfield from part of 66 Squadron. The squadron was armed with six Spitfire Mk.IIA fighters, which came from the parent squadron. They also retained the original code letters on the fuselage, but a dash was added between the L and Z. The new code was therefore L-Z. The squadron was commanded by F/Lt C. P. Green, who had nine pilots at his disposal.


The squadron's main focus was Jim Crow operations. In these, a pair of fighters patrolled over the Channel and reported the movements, numbers and direction of enemy aircraft, or tracked enemy shipping. As Luftwaffe air activity decreased, tracking German ships became the main focus of these flights. During these flights, pilots often encountered not only Luftwaffe scouts but also German fighters. On the first day of its existence, the squadron conducted two such patrols.


However, the squadron did not come into contact with the enemy until the tenth, and immediately suffered its first loss. First, Sgt Lee had to make an emergency landing after fighting with German 100s, Sgt C. Ayling was not so lucky during the afternoon flight and found death in the wreckage of Spitfire P7303.


Two days later, the squadron was rearmed with the brand new Hurricane Mk.IIA. 421 Squadron became the first unit to receive the new type of this fighter. However, the squadron retained a few Spitfires and the pilots preferred them to the Hurricanes.
On the same day, a Messerschmitty, probably from JG 52, was shot down in a Spitfire P7441 F/Lt Green, but fortunately managed to abandon his burning fighter in his parachute.


The squadron's first victory came on 15 October when Sgt Lee shot down one Bf 109, but was subsequently hit himself and had to make an emergency landing. The co-pilot had a technical fault later that day and also made an emergency landing.


At the end of October the squadron moved to West Malling and on 6 November moved to Biggin Hill where, much to the delight of the pilots, it was again armed with Spitfires. Six days later she moved again, this time to Hawkinge. During the move, he encountered Sgt D. A. S. McKay on a lone Do 17 Z-3 (W.Nr.2894, 5K+FN) from 5th /KG 3 and shot it down at Folkestone. The entire crew of B. Büttkere lost his life.


Various reconnaissance and search aircraft were then frequent victims of the squadron's pilots. On 26 November, for example, F/O J. J. O'Meara scored his first victory with the squadron when he shot down a floatplane He 59 (W.Nr.539, N0+FT) of Seenotflugkommando 3 over the Channel. The entire crew of Ofw. Hermann Behnke, who was searching for the downed airmen, lost their lives.


The following day the tables turned and the squadron lost Spitfire P7499, which fell victim to Lt. Gustav Sprick of II./JG 26. The pilot of the Spitfire, P/O K. W. Lawrence, was wounded and did not return to the squadron. Later that same day, a pair of pilots, F/O Baker- Sgt McKay, engaged a formation of German fighters and scored three kills.


In December, the first signs began to appear that the squadron would be expanded to a standard squadron. This was because the Luftwaffe was expected to launch its air offensive against Britain again in the spring of 1941, and because the squadron had proved itself, it was to operate with more aircraft.


December started successfully for the pilots of the squadron, when the very first F/O P. Hartas shot down over the Canal a Bf 109 E (W.Nr.0885, "Yellow 9") from 6./JG 53, whose pilot Ofw. Bernard Seufert was killed, despite the fact that Hartas's Spitfire P7498 had previously been damaged by fire from another centurion.


The last month of 1940 was an overall successful one for the pilots. On the fifth, for example, a pair of F/Lt Green - F/O O'Meara encountered two hundred and fifteen gunships attacking a British vessel. The British attacked them, at which point six more Messerschmitts appeared. However, the British did well and reported a 1-1-1 victory. Their victim was probably the Oblt. Heinz Vogeler, commander of the 4th /LG 2, who did not return from the action in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4 (W.Nr.5563, "white C"), the other aircraft of the same unit suffering 75% damage. On the 18th, the last certain victory for the squadron was won by the pair of P/O Hartas - Sgt Forrest, who, although they reported a bomber Do 17 shot down, their victim was a reconnaissance Bf 110 C (W.Nr.2287) from 3.(F)/11, which made an emergency landing at Calais with 35% damage.


The squadron also began conducting reconnaissance flights over the French coast, mostly with just one aircraft. Then on the 20th, the squadron had a celebratory event when F/Lt B. Drake received DFC and Sgt McKay received DFM. These were the first decorations in the squadron, and in the celebration afterwards, it didn't matter at all that the pilots received their decorations for accomplishments prior to their joining the squadron.


On the last day of 1940 the squadron lost one of its original members when Sgt M A Lee crashed in bad weather.


The year 1941 began as the previous one had ended, with bad weather. The pilots were thus successful for the first, and indeed last, time until 7 January, when F/Lt Drake damaged first one Ju 88 together with O'Meara and then the other alone.


The squadron's pilots made their last combat flight on 11 January. On that day, the RAF made its first major daytime attack on targets in France. The target of Operation Circus No.1 was Foret de Guines airfield, but the German fighters showed up only briefly and the expected major battle did not occur. A pair of pilots from 421 Squadron then ascertained the outcome of the attack.


The following day, the squadron transformed into 91st Squadron and thus ceased to exist. During its three-month existence, its pilots scored 11+2-4-13 victories, for which they paid with the loss of five aircraft and two pilots. Several other pilots suffered various serious injuries and several Spitfires were damaged.


Sources:
Shores C., Williams C.: Aces High, Grub Street, London, 1994
Hall P.: No 91 "Nigeria" Squadron, Osprey pub., Oxford, 2001
Foreman J.: Battle of Brittanin - The forgotten months, Air Reasearch Pub., New Malden, 1988
Foreman J.: Fighter Command war diaries, part 2, Air Research Publication, Walton-on-Thames, 1998
Franks N.: RAF Fighter Command losses, volume 1, Midland Pub., Leicester, 2000
http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn091-95.htm
URL : https://www.valka.cz/421-letka-1940-1941-t59105#213168 Version : 0
Air victories of 421st Squadron


Datum
Čas
Jméno
Typ letounu
Nepřítel
Místo
15.10.1940
8:50
Sgt M.A.Lee
Spitfire IIA P7444
Bf 109 destroyed
J Maidstone




Bf 109 damaged
J Maidstone
24.10.1940
12:30
Sgt D.A.McKay
Hurricane IIA*
Bf 109 damaged
Ashford area
1.11.1940
13:45~
F/O H.C.Baker
Hurricane IIA*
Bf 109 destroyed
SV Margate




Bf 109 probably
SV Margate
15.11.1940
9:30
Sgt D.A.McKay
Spitfire IIA P7499/M
By 17 Z destroyed
J Folkestone
20.11.1940
9:00~
F/Lt B.Drake
Spitfire IIA
Up to 17 damaged
Calais area
23.11.1940
11:15
P/O K.A.Lawrence
Spitfire IIA
Bf 110 damaged
At Dover
24.11.1940
15:00
F/O H.C.Baker
Spitfire IIA
1/4 Bf 109 destroyed
JJV Dover




Bf 109 damaged
JJV Dover
25.11.1940
8:50
F/Lt C.P.Green
Spitfire IIA
By 17 destroyed
JJV Dover
26.11.1940
16:10~
P/OJ.J.O´Meara
Spitfire IIA
He 59 destroyed
JJZ Dungeness
27.11.1940
15:50
Sgt D.A.McKay
Spitfire IIA P7499/M
Bf 109 destroyed
Kanál




Bf 109 destroyed
Folkestone


F/O H.C.Baker
Spitfire IIA
1/2 Bf 109 destroyed
Kanál




Bf 109 damaged
Kanál
29.11.1940
16:10
Sgt D.H.Forrest
Spitfire IIA
Up to 17 damaged
2 miles S Folkestone
1.12.1940
12:40
F/O P.M.Hartas
Spitfire IIA P7498
Bf 109 E destroyed
Dymchurch
3.12.1940
12:00~
P/O J.J.O´Meara
Spitfire IIA "O"
Up to 17 damaged
J Dungeness
5.12.1940
14:50~
P/O J.J.O´Meara
Spitfire IIA "F"
Bf 109 destroyed
Dover




Bf 109 damaged
Dover

14:50~
F/Lt P.C.Green
Spitfire IIA
Bf 109 probably
Dover
7.12.1940
9:15~
F/Lt B.Drake
Spitfire IIA
By 17 probably
25 miles SE of Ramsgate


Sgt J.Gillies
Spitfire IIA


12.12.1940
9:30
P/O P.M.Hartas
Spitfire IIA
Ju 88 damaged
J Folkestone


Sgt D.H.Forrest
Spitfire IIA



10:55
Sgt Perkin
Spitfire IIA
Up to 17 damaged
SV Sheerness


Sgt M.Lee
Spitfire IIA


17.12.1940
14:50
Sgt D.A.McKay
Spitfire IIA P7499/M
Ju 88 destroyed
JV Dungeness
18.12.1940
14:20
F/O P.M.Hartas
Spitfire IIA
By 17 destroyed
At Dover


Sgt D.H.Forrest
Spitfire IIA


27.12.1940
11:10
F/Lt B.Drake
Spitfire IIA
By 215 probably
Goodwin Sands


F/Lt C.P.Green
Spitfire IIA


7.1.1941
12:00
F/Lt B.Drake
Spitfire IIA
Ju 88 damaged
Dover area


F/O J.J.O´Meara
Spitfire IIA



14:00
F/Lt B.Drake
Spitfire IIA
Ju 88 damaged
okolí Hawkinge



*note - some sources state that these kills were also achieved on Spitfires


Prameny:
Foreman J.: RAF Fighter Command Victory Claims of WW2, part 1 and 2, Red Kite, Walton-on-Thames, 2003 and 2005
Shores C., Williams C.: Aces High, Grub Street , London, 1994
URL : https://www.valka.cz/421-letka-1940-1941-t59105#213169 Version : 0
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