The 158 Sqdn left from East Moor at 1942-07-27 at 23:00. Loc or duty Hamburg
On Monday 27 July 1942, a member of the 158 Sqdn, Flight Sergeant D McG Blott, took off from East Moor in the United Kingdom. His mission is mentioned here on Back to Normandy. You can find the other details of this mission by searching here. Training and cargo flights are not separately mentioned as a mission. The plane left at 23:00. He flew with a Handley Page Halifax (type II, serial W1164, code NP-B).
BLOTT, Donald McGregor Service No. J/16601 RCAF
The story by his son Allan:
......Yes for sure I would be happy to publish more about my father as it pertains to the record you made. I came upon it quite by accident and was very surprised and humbled to see that someone so far away took an interest.
Of course you know that was his last operational mission that he flew. His luck had finally run out. He had missed getting shot down on two prior sorties. As you know if you came down with a serious cold or flu you were grounded. Both times his crew did not return. Both times the crews were all killed. I guess you could say by this time he had a fare amount of experience and was considered a veteran, due to the fact that statisticly youre time would run out by by mission 5.
On the the night of the record you made, here are the events that took place as described by my father.
After completeing their mission, pilot FS White (see his record here) set course for home and just off the coast of Belgium over the North Sea, they were jumped by two night fighters. They were shot up pretty bad but no one on board was hit.
Upon the third go at them, the port engines were set ablaze, and rather then abandoning ship, Pilot White decided to ditch as he still had good control of the plane. Upon hitting the water, the plane violently broke apart and my father found himself still alive and relatively unscathed but wallowing in the sea. All that was left of the plane was one of the main wings which he swam to and was able to partially crawl on to.
Two other crew members also surviving in good shape made it to the wing too. Pilot officer White layed unconcious in the water and my dad swam out to bring him to the wing. The four survivors hung on to the wing for some 16 hrs, unfortunetly P/O White, did not survive the ordeal.
Described by the Observer, P/O. Eric Johnstone RNZAF:
‘We successfully bombed the docks area of the city, but in taking evasive action from all the Flak being fired at us, we lost height and found ourselves in the defensive balloon barrage. This was a pretty hairraising experience, but after much difficulty we got clear of the barrage and course was set for the North Sea. This was cleared, but while gaining height a couple of night fighters had a go at us and in three firing passes set fire to both engines on the port wing. There was no chance of getting home after this, but the skipper called to say he was going to try and put it down in the sea and he ordered us to take up our ditching positions.
I made my way towards the rear of the aircraft and got down behind the main spar, where I was soon joined by both gunners, and a few minutes later we hit the sea. The impact was pretty severe and there was a tremendous crack and the rear fuselage just broke away from the rest of the kite. Although we had all been bounced about we managed to get out and cling on to a piece of the wing which had broken off in the crash and was still afloat. There was no sign of the rest of the aircraft and I can only assume it went straight to the bottom.’
After 16 hours, the three airmen, including F/Sgt. Blott, were eventually rescued by a German seaplane and became prisoners of war. Of their colleagues there was no further news and all were presumed to have died.
Donald Blott was initially taken to Dulag Luft, Oberursel and then held variously in Stalag 8B/Stalag 344 Lamsdorf and Stalag Luft III, Sagan
POW record (click on the photo to enlarge)
Continue by Allan:
My father had to set him adrift. This haunted him his entire life. F/LT Don M Blott thought at this point that it was just a matter of time for the sea to also take the rest them.
Night turned to day but the 3 shocked and dazed airmen clung on to life. But once again fate had intervened...A German seaplane spotted them and rescue was in hand. My father had once again escaped the clutches of death. The other 4 crew members were not as lucky. All of this is documented in the book written by W.R. Chorley....In Brave Company.....the story of 158 squadron.
Chorley had sent my father a copy back in the early 90's. He had now become a POW in the famous Stalug Luft 3 German prison camp, better known for the Holywood movie The Great Escape......but there in lies another complete story.
Photo L/R: Taken in Regina, ?, No.1 W.S. (Click on the photos to enlarge)
Blott was born in Leader, Saskatchewan on 9 August 1915. He lived in Leader as a Grain Farmer untill 20 June 1940 when he was enlisted in Regina.
His carreer in the Service
No. 22 Operational Training Unit, Wellesbourne Mounford
25/8/41 - No. 104 Squadron at Driffield
10/9/41 – Turin
12/9/41 - Frankfurt
14/2/42 - Posted to No. 158 Squadron at Driffield
Taken at No. 158 Squadron. Blott is front row left (click to enlarge)
Flew as Air Gunner on operations to:
- 5/4/42 – Cologne (P/O. W.R. Suggitt RCAF) (other mission of Suggitt click here)
- 8/4/42 – Hamburg (P/O. W.R. Suggitt RCAF)
- 23/4/42 – Rostock (P/O. L.E. Bradbury) (other missions 26-6-1942 and 14-7-1942)
- 25/4/42 – Rostock (P/O. L.E. Bradbury)
- 28/4/42 – Kiel (P/O. L.E. Bradbury)
- 4/5/42 – Stuttgart (P/O. L.E. Bradbury)
- 6/5/42 – Stuttgart (F/Sgt. J.F. Tait RCAF)
- 8/5/42 – Warnemunde (Sgt. F.S. White)
- 30/5/42 – Cologne (Sgt. F.S. White) Relocated to East Moor (missions 27-7-1942,
- 25/6/42 – Bremen (Sgt. F.S. White)
- 21/7/42 – Duisburg (P/O. F.S. White)
- 25/7/42 – Duisburg (P/O. F.S. White)
- 26/7/42 – Hamburg (P/O. F.S. White)
Left to Right: P/O. E. Johnstone, F/Sgt. D. McG Blott, Sgt. C.B. Bridgewater, P/O. F.S. White, Sgt. D.G. Mogg, Sgt. G.A. Archer (Nav to P/O. F.T. Hardy), Sgt. F.W. Holmes Not in photo – Sgt. F.N. Wright Allan Blott, the son of F/Sgt. Blott advises that his father is not in the photo. Check also Archer – doesn’t look like him Louis Van Aardt (see his record here) , John Forrest Shaw Hood, John James Edward Mahoney (see his record here) RAF (later RCAF) Don Blott, Bill Thurston RCAF Aardt, Hood and Mahoney were 149 Sqn and Thurston (see his record here) was 427 Sqn
8/5/45 - Reported safe in UK
1/6/45 - Repatriated to Canada
12/6/45 - No. 8 Repair Depot, Winnipeg
28/7/45 - No. 3 Air Navigation School, Portage-la-Prairie
25/9/45 - Release Centre
28/9/45 - Released from Service
Promotions:
R/61623
17/8/40 LAC
18/1/41 Sgt.
F/Sgt.
9/7/42 Pilot Officer
Flight Lieutenant
Promoted! (click on the photo to enlarge)
Decorations:
As many Airgunners he did not receive a medal for his work but he got the gratitude of the people of Saskatchewan.
(click on the photo to enlarge)
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What happened that day also:
Campaign report of the USAAF:
(8th Air Force): HQ VIII Bomber Command issues an order establishing 1st Bombardment Wing at Brampton Grange [replacing 1st Bombardment Wing (Provisional), established there on 15 Jun) and 2d Bombardment Wing at Old Catton. 1st Bombardment Wing is commanded by Colonel Claude E Duncan; 2d Bombardment Wing by Colonel Newton Longfellow. US aircraft of 97th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and 1st Fighter Group land at Prestwick, Scotland, thus completing the first series of flights in Operation BOLERO, air movement across the N Atlantic ferry route. 97th Bombardment Group (Heavy) becomes the first US heavy bomber group complete with air and ground echelons in the UK. Lieutenant General Ira C Eaker and officers of the RAF Fighter Command agree to use Spitfire Mk IX's as high fighter cover for B-17s of the VIII Bomber Command until the VIII Fighter Command is ready for escort duty; this also will provide a test of the Spitfire Mk IX against Fw 190s at high altitude. HQ VIII Fighter Command moves from High Wycombe to Bushey Hall, England. Campaign report of the RAF:
26/27 July 1942
Hamburg
403 aircraft - 181 Wellingtons, 77 Lancasters, 73 Halifaxes, 39 Stirlings, 33 Hampdens dispatched in what was probably a full 'maximum effort' for the regular Bomber Command squadrons. 29 aircraft - 15 Wellingtons, 8 Halifaxes, 2 Hampdens, 2 Lancasters, 2 Stirlings - were lost, 7.2 per cent of the force.
Crews encountered a mixture of cloud and icing at some places on the route but clear weather at the target. Good bombing results were claimed. Hamburg reports show that severe and widespread damage was caused, mostly in housing and semi-commercial districts rather than in the docks and industrial areas. At least 800 fires were dealt with, 523 being classed as large. 823 houses were destroyed and more than 5,000 damaged. More than 14,000 people were bombed out. 337 people were killed and 1,027 injured.
12 Bostons and 10 Blenheims carried out Intruder flights to airfields. 1 Boston of 226 Squadron was lost while attacking Jever; this was the first Boston Intruder casualty.
27 July 1942
8 Wellingtons on cloud-cover raids to Northern Germany bombed blindly through clouds in the Bremen and Emden areas. 2 aircraft lost.
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