Stirling BK661

[K4KittyCrew]

To Gary,

As mentioned in the Guestbook section, you may already have these details ............

Chorleys BC Losses report -

Stirling BK661 Information
Type Stirling
Serial Number BK661
Squadron 90
X1D WP-O
Operation Duisburg
Date 1 12th May 1943
Date 2 13th May 1943


Further Information
"Serial Range BK644 - BK667. 24 Stirling Mk.111. Part of a batch of 150 Short S.29 Stirling Mk.1/111. BK592-BK628; BK644-BK647 (41) Mk.1; BK648-BK667; BK686-BK727; BK759-BK784; BK798- BK818 (109) Mk.111. BK660 was DBR on its delivery flight 10Jan43. Delivered by Austin Motors Ltd between Dec42 and Feb43. Contract No.774677/38. Deelivered to No.44MU 30Jan43, to No.90 Sqdn 29Mar43. BK661 was one of two 90 Sqdn Stirlings lost on this operation. See: BF523. Airborne 0018 13May43 from Ridgewell. Lost without trace. All are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Their average age was 23. P/O J.I.Gedak RCAF KIA Sgt S.James KIA Sgt D.H.Robinson KIA Sgt A.V.Edwards KIA Sgt L.Urry KIA Sgt S.Owen KIA Sgt T.G.Matthews KIA 'Air Battle of the Ruhr', A.Cooper has recorded P/O J.I.Gedak as Sgt D.H.Gedak, and Sgt D.H.Robinson as P/O D.H.Harrison

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From the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site - www.cwgc.org/

Casualty Details
Name: URRY, LEOPOLD
Initials: L
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 90 Sqdn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 13/05/1943
Service No: 1380640
Additional information: Son of Archibald Urry, and of Marie L. Urry, of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 168.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL

Gary, You may wish to search the crew members as well.
Regards,
John

[M Simpson]

Hello John,
Some other information that Gary may find interesting,or already have.
BK661 was also coded 'Y' during it's time on 90 Sqn.,when it completed 7 sorties.
Theo Boiten's 'Nachtjagd War Diaries Vol.1' link the loss of BK661 to a claim by Ofw. Hermann Schonthier of 2/NJG1 for a Stirling at 03.52 over the sea 35 km west of Voorne,his fourth confirmed claim.Schonthier served with ZG26,2/NJG1 and 7/NJG5 and was wounded in a crash landing between Neustettin and Barwalde on the night of 2-3/1/44 after being shot down in combat.He claimed approximately 3 victories at night and 1 by day.It seems possible that he should be identified with Fw.Hermann Schonthier of 5/ZG 26 who was shot down in combat c.5.00pm with Hurricanes of 56,111 and 151 Sqns. between Cambrai and Amiens on 18/5/40,possibly by F/L Ironside of 151 Sqn.His Bordfunker,Uffz.Alois (or Aloys) Komanns was killed,while Schonthier bailed out and was captured,returning to his unit on 17/6/40.
Above information culled from-'The Stirling File','Nachtjagd War Diaries Volumes 1 and 2',John Vasco and Peter Cornwell 'Zerstorer' and Peter Cornwell 'The Battle of France Then and Now'.
Hope this is of interest,
Regards,Mark.