The story
On the night of the 6/7 November 1941, 408 RCAF Squadron were operating
Hampden Bombers from RAF Syerston
Sgt. Palastanga was the Observer in Hampden AD 972 which took off as part of
a raid on Germany (Target not identified)
As they were crossing the Dutch coast returning from bombing the target
Hampden AD 972 was attacked by a Messerschmitt 110 night-fighter
The aircraft was immediately put into a diving cork-screw to port manoeuvre
and contact was lost with the enemy aircraft but not before it had fired
several bursts of machine gun and cannon fire
A crew check was made by the pilot to which Sgt. Palastanga did not respond
On checking his position the escape hatch was found open
Sgt. Palastanga had evidently bailed out as his stowed parachute was missing from the rack
Sgt. Palastanga was reported as missing - believed killed in action
933248 - Sergeant - Observer - Bernard William Palastanga - RAFVR - Age 21 - KIA
- of Hollington, St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, UK -
Bernard William Palastanga
Thanks to PATS (see source link for more info)
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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.