Lieutenant Jespersen was an orienteering champion before the war. Commercial College. Volunteered for the Royal Norwegian Army and participated in the defence of Norway following the German invasion in April, 1940.He Volunteered for the Royal Norwegian Army and participated in the defence of Norway following the German invasion in April, 1940. After the capitulation he went to Finland and onwards through the Soviet Union and Japan to join the free Norwegian forces in Canada, where he joined the RNAF at RNAF Little Norway in Toronto. Flight School, Flight Instructors' School. Served for some time with RAF Transport Command before transferring to RAF Bomber Command.source: Haakon O. V. Vinje, Royal Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality
Memorial to the crew of Lancaster ND 815 St. Clement's Church in Osmaville
Bombing St. Pierre du Mont 1944-June-06 to 1944-June-06
97 (PFF) Sqn (RAF) Coningsby
D-Day
ND815 was shot down at ca. 05.00hrs on D-Day, 6 June 1944, by Hauptmann Helmut Eberspächer of Luftwaffe's I.Gruppe, Schnell-kampfgeschwader 10, 3. Staffel, who operated Focke-Wulf 190G night fighter-bombers out of Evreux. Eberspächer survived the war and corresponded with the Dutch aviation historian Theo Boiten. His account is featured in Theo Boiten's Night Airwar. Personal Recollections of the Conflict over Europe, 1939-45. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press, 1999. Eberspächer also wrote an article «Flugtag Juni 1944", in Luftwaffen-Revue 1/95 in 1995. Eberspächer's sortie is also described in Steven J. Zaloga's Smashing Hitler's Guns. The Rangers at Pointe-du-Hoc. D-Day, 1944. Cumnor Hill: Osprey, 2022. However, the kill was also claimed by Feldwebel Kurt Eisele of Eberspächer's squadron.
There were no survivors. Ashpole and an Unknown Norwegian Airman were, as far as we understand, found in the wreckage and buried in the local churchyard in Osmanville. The wreckage is said to have crashed in the garden of the local mayor. Ashpole was identified by the dental surgeon of the Norwegian War Graves Service, Major John Braadvig, in 1950; this was accepted by the RAF and his grave was subsequently rededicated and a CWGC headstone marking his name was installed. It was unfortunately not possible to identify the Norwegian; he was repatriated and is buried as an Unknown Norwegian Airman at Oslo's Western Cemetery.
The Mid-Upper Gunner, Flying Officer McCutcheon of the RCAF, and the Norwegian Rear Gunner, Sgt. Evensen, were found with what I understand to have been another piece of the wreckage, and buried at Bayeux War Cemetery. They were both identified on the basis of the piece of the wreckage and uniform effects. Sgt. Evensen was repatriated to Norway in 1946 and is buried in Oslo's Western Cemetery; being the only Norwegian crew member who is accounted for. As they were not buried in Osmanville but in Bayeux, I surmise that they were not found with Sgt. Ashpole and the Unknown Norwegian Airman.
The story of the Jespersen crew is quite well-known in Norway; there are relatively few RNAF crews that are still unaccounted for, and there is a certain shroud of mystery surrounding the case. The Norwegian War Graves Service has been reviewing and re-reviewing the case over a number of years.
In 2014, to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the Norwegian Armed Forces erected a Memorial to the crew, with all names inscribed, in front of St. Clement's Church in Osmaville, with the attendance of the Chief of the Norwegian Defence Staff.
The Norwegian Armed Forces hold a ceremony there on D-Day each year. At the 80th anniversary in 2004, both the Norwegian Minister of Defence, the Chief of the Norwegian Defence Staff, and the Chief of the Norwegian Air Staff, were in attendance, as well as an honour guard from the Royal Norwegian Navy. Wreaths were laid at the memorial. The Senior Enlisted Leader of the RNAF, Command Sergeant Major Didrik Sand, laid a wreath on Sergeant Ashpole's grave.source: Haakon O. V. Vinje, Royal Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality
Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster Mk. X RCAF Serial FM 213 Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling, all three aircraft being four-engined heavy bombers adopted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the same wartime era.
The Lancaster has its origins in the twin-engine Avro Manchester which had been developed during the late 1930s in response to the Air Ministry Specification P.13/36 for a capable medium bomber for "world-wide use". Originally developed as an evolution of the Manchester (which had proved troublesome in service and was retired in 1942), the Lancaster was designed by Roy Chadwick and powered by four Rolls-Royce Merlins and in one version, Bristol Hercules engines. It first saw service with RAF Bomber Command in 1942 and as the strategic bombing offensive over Europe gathered momentum, it was the main aircraft for the night-time bombing campaigns that followed. As increasing numbers of the type were produced, it became the principal heavy bomber used by the RAF, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within the RAF, overshadowing the Halifax and Stirling. Wikipedia
Lancaster ND815 Mk.III - Bombing St. Pierre du Mont - 1944-06-06 to 1944-06-06
Squadron: 97 (PFF) Sqn (RAF)
Start Date: 1944-06-06
Completion Date: 1944-06-06
Mission: Bombing
Operation: D-Day
Target City: St. Pierre du Mont
Target Specific:
Base: Coningsby
Take Off Time: 03:08:00
Squadron Code: OF M
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City:
Crash Specifics:
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: fighter
Flak Battery:
Enemy Claim:
War Diary Unavailable
6 Bomber Group June 6, 1944
419 squadron sent 7 Lancasters to the coastal guns at Longues. Target was attacked from 6000 feet with crews releasing 78,000 lbs of ordinance. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
ND815 was shot down at ca. 05.00hrs on D-Day, 6 June 1944, by Hauptmann Helmut Eberspächer of Luftwaffe's I.Gruppe, Schnell-kampfgeschwader 10, 3. Staffel, who operated Focke-Wulf 190G night fighter-bombers out of Evreux. Eberspächer survived the war and corresponded with the Dutch aviation historian Theo Boiten. His account is featured in Theo Boiten's Night Airwar. Personal Recollections of the Conflict over Europe, 1939-45. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press, 1999. Eberspächer also wrote an article «Flugtag Juni 1944", in Luftwaffen-Revue 1/95 in 1995. Eberspächer's sortie is also described in Steven J. Zaloga's Smashing Hitler's Guns. The Rangers at Pointe-du-Hoc. D-Day, 1944. Cumnor Hill: Osprey, 2022. However, the kill was also claimed by Feldwebel Kurt Eisele of Eberspächer's squadron.
There were no survivors. Ashpole and an Unknown Norwegian Airman were, as far as we understand, found in the wreckage and buried in the local churchyard in Osmanville. The wreckage is said to have crashed in the garden of the local mayor. Ashpole was identified by the dental surgeon of the Norwegian War Graves Service, Major John Braadvig, in 1950; this was accepted by the RAF and his grave was subsequently rededicated and a CWGC headstone marking his name was installed. It was unfortunately not possible to identify the Norwegian; he was repatriated and is buried as an Unknown Norwegian Airman at Oslo's Western Cemetery.
The Mid-Upper Gunner, Flying Officer McCutcheon of the RCAF, and the Norwegian Rear Gunner, Sgt. Evensen, were found with what I understand to have been another piece of the wreckage, and buried at Bayeux War Cemetery. They were both identified on the basis of the piece of the wreckage and uniform effects. Sgt. Evensen was repatriated to Norway in 1946 and is buried in Oslo's Western Cemetery; being the only Norwegian crew member who is accounted for. As they were not buried in Osmanville but in Bayeux, I surmise that they were not found with Sgt. Ashpole and the Unknown Norwegian Airman.
The story of the Jespersen crew is quite well-known in Norway; there are relatively few RNAF crews that are still unaccounted for, and there is a certain shroud of mystery surrounding the case. The Norwegian War Graves Service has been reviewing and re-reviewing the case over a number of years.
In 2014, to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the Norwegian Armed Forces erected a Memorial to the crew, with all names inscribed, in front of St. Clement's Church in Osmaville, with the attendance of the Chief of the Norwegian Defence Staff.
The Norwegian Armed Forces hold a ceremony there on D-Day each year. At the 80th anniversary in 2004, both the Norwegian Minister of Defence, the Chief of the Norwegian Defence Staff, and the Chief of the Norwegian Air Staff, were in attendance, as well as an honour guard from the Royal Norwegian Navy. Wreaths were laid at the memorial. The Senior Enlisted Leader of the RNAF, Command Sergeant Major Didrik Sand, laid a wreath on Sergeant Ashpole's grave.source: Haakon O. V. Vinje, Royal Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Equality
4 x Rolls-Royce, Packard or Ford UK built Merlin XX, 22, 24, 28, 85 or 224 liquid-cooled V-12 piston engines with power output between 1,280 hp (954 kW) and 1,635 hp (1,219 kW) each
Lancaster Mk.II:
4 x Bristol Hercules Mk.VI or XVI air-cooled 14-cylinder radial piston engines with power output of 1,615 hp (1,204 kW) each
Propellers:
Lancaster Mk.I, III, VI, VII & X:
3-bladed de Havilland, Hamilton Standard or Nash Kelvinator Hydromatic constant-speed fully feathering metal bladed propellers, 13 ft (3.96 m) diameter
Lancaster Mk.II:
Rotol electric constant-speed fully feathering wooden bladed propellers, 13 ft (3.96 m) diameter
Performance:
Maximum speed:
Lancaster Mk.I, II, III, VII & X: 287 mph (461 km/h)
Lancaster Mk.VI: 315 mph (507 km/h)
Cruising speed: 207 mph (333 km/h)
Range: 2,530 mi (4,073 km)
Service ceiling: 23,500 ft (7,162 m)
Armament:
Standard:
Two 0.303-inch (7.7 mm) Browning Mark II machine guns in:
Nash and Thompson FN5 nose and
FN50/150 mid-upper turrets,
four 0.303-inch Browning Mark II machine guns in Nash and Thompson FN20/120/121 rear turret
Alternative/additional:
Nash and Thompson FN64 ventral turret with two 0.303-inch (7.7 mm) Browning Mark II machine guns
Glenn Martin 250CE electrically operated mid-upper turret with two 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) Browning AN/M2 machine guns (Lancaster Mk.VII and late production Lancaster Mk. X only)
Nash and Thompson FN82 rear turret with two 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) Browning AN/M2 machine guns (Lancaster Mk.VII &late production Lancaster Mk.I only)
Rose Brothers Type R rear turret with two 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) Browning AN/M2 machine guns (late production Lancaster Mk.I & III only)
Ventral 0.303-inch (7.7 mm) Browning Mk.II machine gun in a free mount (Lancaster Type 464 only)
Ventral 0.5-inch (12.7 mm) Browning AN/M2 machine gun in a free mount
ARI 5559 A.G.L.T. 'Village Inn' Mk.I: Radar guided gun laying system (incorporating Infrared IFF recognition system) fitted to FN121 rear turret with four 0.303-inch (7.7 mm) Browning Mark II machine guns
Bomb loads:
Typical:
14,000 lb (6,350 kg) consisting of varying combinations of 2,000 lb AP, 2,000 lb HC, 4,000 lb HC, 8,000 lb HC, 250 lb, 500 lb, 1,000 lb bombs, or various sizes of incendiary bombs installed in Small Bomb Containers or Cluster Projectiles
1 x 12,000lb (5,443 kg) HC bomb
6 x 1,850 lb (839 kg) Parachute Anti-Shipping Mines
Specialized:
1 x 5,500 lb (2,494 kg) Capital Ship Bomb
12 x 500 lb (226 kg) JW 'Johnny Walker' Oscillating Mine
1 x 9,250 lb (4,195 kg) Vickers-Armstrongs Type 464 'Upkeep' revolving depth charge
1 x 12,000lb (5,443 kg) MC Vickers-Armstrongs 'Tallboy' deep penetration bomb
1 x 22,000 lb (9,979 kg) MC Vickers-Armstrongs 'Grand Slam' deep penetration bomb
Communication and navigation equipment:
TR9F: HF R/T radio transceiver
TR1196: HF R/T radio transceiver
TR1143/SCR522: VHF R/T radio transceiver
T1154: Medium and High frequency W/T transmitter
R1155: Medium and High frequency W/T & direction finding receiver
ARI 5033/5083 GEE Mk.I/II: Radio navigation system
ARI 5560/5564 H2S Mk.II/III: Radar navigation/target finding system
TR3190/3160 Lucero Mk.I & II: H2S adapter to permit interrogation of radar navigation beacons, Eureka beacons & IFF
ARI 5525/5597 GEE-H Mk.I/II: Radio navigation/target finding system
AN/APN-4 LORAN: Long range radio navigation system
ARI 5148/5514/5582 Oboe Mk.I & II: Radar bomb aiming system
AN/AP1 (AYD): Low range radar altimeter
SCR-718-C: High range radar altimeter
Lorenz Standard Beam Approach: Runway blind approach system
Radio Countermeasures:
ARI 5000/5025/5640 IFF Mk.II & III: Friend or Foe radar identification system
ARI 5171/5625/5672/5769 Mandrel: Freya and Wurzburg radar jamming system
ARI 5538/5557 Boozer Mk.I & II: Passive radar warning receiver
ARI 5122/5281 Monica Mk.I, III & V ('Lulu'): Active tail warning radar
Tinsel/Special Tinsel: Night fighter radio control jamming system
TR3549 Airborne Cigar (ABC): Night fighter radio control jamming system
ARI 5549 Carpet II: Wurzburg radar jamming system
Coming Soon!
Ventral Turrets
ventralturret.jpeg image not found
As originally designed the Lancaster was provided with ventral defence in the form of a Nash and Thompson FN64 turret, which was fitted to some early production aircraft. However, in common with all other periscope sighted ventral turrets, the narrow viewing angle made it almost impossible for gunners to acquire and track targets, and the few turrets which were installed were soon removed from service.
2_DS707_7-6-44.jpg image not found Mod_925ventral50calMG-1.jpg image not found 3 _W4766.jpg image not found
The ventral .50 inch (50 calib) was approved as Lanc Mod.925 during February 1944, and was one of a number of unsuccessful measures taken to counter night fighter attacks from below.
The growth of the Luftwaffe night fighter force was followed by an increase in the in the number of attacks from below, exacerbated from August 1943 onward by the introduction of aircraft equipped with Schrage Musik upward firing 20mm cannon. A number of responses were considered by Bomber Command including a free mounted ventral .50 calibre Browning machine gun, which was approved on the Lancaster as Modification 925 during February 1944.
The modification was very basic, consisting of little more than an enlarged bicycle seat for the gunner and a simple free mounted gun with open sights which fired through the ventral turret/H2S aperture. On aircraft with bulged bomb doors the mounting (often unpainted) was incorporated into the fairing at the rear of the doors.
Non-H2S fitted aircraft were sporadically equipped with the gun from February 1944 onward, although a clear plan for installation appears to have been lacking. The quantity of aircraft which actually had the gun installed is unknown and photos of the mounting with a Browning actually installed are very rare.
Serious problems quickly became apparent, as noted in the following V Group monthly newsletter for April 1944:- "With the gunner strapped in his seat it is difficult to follow the gun round on the beam; it is difficult for the gunner to get his head down behind the sight as it tends to push the oxygen mask upwards on the gunners face; and also considerable vibration is experienced on the sight when the gun is fired."
These problems, plus the gradually more widespread introduction of H2S saw the gun fall out of use quite quickly, although it does appear to have been retained on some aircraft until war's end (most notably in 3 Group).
The quantity of aircraft which actually had the gun installed is unknown and photos of the mounting with a Browning actually installed are very rare.
75SqnORBextractMarch1945.jpg image not found
Notice on these aircraft the extra position in the eight person crew of Mid-Under-Gunner.
St Pierre du Mont
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)
Lancaster Bomber
Wikipedia
Harold A Skaarup Web Page