Kiwi SOE Lysander pilot...

[chinapilot]

Bimbling around France the other day I realised that we were in the area where many SOE Lysander pick ups took place...

Having a copy of 'We landed by Moonlight' [excellent book BTW] which has been thumbed through many times I recollected that a Kiwi, James Bathgate was shot down, the only Lysander lost to enemy fire.

www.nzrh.org.nz/WWII/WWII_RNZAF/B-C-1943/bathgate-james-robertson-grant.html

Flew over the area he was killed the next day - he is buried to the NE of this area.

Lonely way to go...these pickups were quite incredible and I was wondering if anyone had more info on FO Bathgate?

Long shot but does anyone know any sites that have Luftwaffe 'kills' on particular dates or even, dare I say it, Mosquito 'kills' as they were always roaming around.

[phasselgren]

Try with Tony Wood's Combat Claims & Casualties Lists - www.lesbutler.ip3.co.uk/tony/tonywood.htm
Here you can find Luftwaffe and RAF claims

[chinapilot]

Thanks for that great site...fantastic!
Interesting; no Luftwaffe claims for that night but a night fighter 'intruder' Mosquito was lost that night almost in the same area.
Possibility here that the Mosquito did shoot down the Lysander.
No mention of how the Mossie was lost [both crew KIA] and no Luftwaffe claims for a Mossie that night...
Ian

[kiwichappers]

China,
Have a look at www.ivyandmartin.demon.co.uk/martinphotos/lys_v9673.htm which has pictures of V9673/J in the Duxford Imperial War Museum.

[chinapilot]

Thanks for that - interestingly it is the subject of some debate over here in the UK.
Must go up there and see if anyone knows why it has the serial number of one that was supposedly lost..
Ian

[kiwichappers]

Yes I wondered about that. Was it recovered from France or just marked up for an occassion. Either way we better get down there and slap a Kiwi on it!

[chinapilot]

Yeah - if it is V9673 it must the most remarkable restoration ever carried out as it was reported completely burnt out...

[chinapilot]

Old topic- but fortunately through the kind help of a SOE researcher have been provided with all his operation reports and Lat/Longs of fields that he [and others of course] used.
Some of us are hoping to fly into a few of these but this will depend on the co-operation of many different 'departments' in France...

[Dave Homewood]

Good luck, it sounds like a neat adventure to visit these old fields where history was made. If you get any photos we'd be interested to see them here.