Mills, Harold (Leading Aircraftman)
Killed in Action 1941-August-21
Birth Date: 1918
Born:
Parents: JOSEPH AND ROSHANNAH ALICE MILLS, OF CHADDERTON, LANCASHIRE
Spouse:
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RAFVR
Unit
201 (AS) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Hic Et Ubique Here and everywhere
Base
RAF Sullom Voe, Shetland, Scotland
Rank
Leading Aircraftman
Position
Service Numbers
702322
Runnymede Memorial Surrey
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Sunderland W3982
Mission
Sunderland Mk.II W3982
Submarine Patrol 1941-August-21 to 1941-August-21
201 (AS) Sqn (RAF) RAF Sullom Voe, Shetland, Scotland
Graeme Stewart, Scottish aviation special interest group leader.
"From the ORB for 201 Squadron August 21st 1941 - 21.8.41 W.3982 (V/201) departed Sullom Voe at 1107 hours on AS patrol. After sending signal "Attacked by E/A" followed by SOS, aircraft failed to return to base."
Andrew Arthy of Air War Publications advised "There is one known German victory claim for a Sunderland on 21 August 1941. This was by Leutnant Fritz Karpf of the 3. Staffel of Kstenfliegergruppe 406. He claimed a Sunderland shot down in Luftwaffe map reference 16 West/3465, from an altitude of 50 to 100 metres.
This map reference equates to 63 22 30 N, 2 15 0 W, roughly 400 kilometres north-north-west of the Shetlands. The time of Leutnant Karpf"s victory claim is 17:25 (Source, Graeme Stewart, Scottish aviation special interest group leader).
The following two entries in the ORB provide information on the search area for Sunderland W3982 -
21.8.41 W3981 departed Sullom Voe at 1725 hours. Aircraft was detailed to carry out a search for V/201. At 1853 aircraft sighted u/n (unidentified) aircraft in position 63*04'N 02*15'W. A square search was made of area 63*57'N 03*15'W - 63*20'N 03*05'W - 63*20'N 01*40'W - 63*57'N 01*40'W, from 1913 to 2134 with no results. Aircraft sighted floating mine and investigated piece of white wreckage which may have been metal. Return to base 22/0210.
22.8.41 W.3981 departed base 1732 hours. Aircraft was detailed to carry out search for V/201. Aircraft intercepted two trawlers and saw three floating mines before sighting "Leicester City" and "KOS2" in positions 63*15'N 02*12'W and 63*15'N 02*07'W respectively. "Leicester City" had picked up a sleeping bag bearing Sergeant Haggar's name in position 63*30'N 02*50'W. Aircraft left trawlers at 2138 for this position and conducted search from 2152 to 2242, then abandoned search. Landed Invergordon at 23/0303..
(The only mystery about the ORB entries is the reference to Sergeant Hagger's sleeping bag; Sergeant Hagger was not listed on the crew manifest but he was part of the crew which flew in V/201 on the 2nd and 5th August. Thereafter he disappears completely from the ORB, but appears to have survived the war as his name is not recorded by the CWGC. One can only assume he probably left the squadron soon after 5th August. The way the 22nd August entry is written strongly suggests Haggar's sleeping bag came from the missing aircraft, possibly having been left there when Hagger left. Source RAF Commands)
Sunderland serial: W3982
Source: Harold A Skaarup Web Page (DND Photo)
Short Sunderland, coded Z, 15 Apr 1943
Short Sunderland, coded Z, 15 Apr 1943
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber, developed and constructed by Short Brothers for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The aircraft took its service name from the town (latterly, city) and port of Sunderland in North East England.
Developed in parallel with the civilian S.23 Empire flying boat, the flagship of Imperial Airways, the Sunderland was developed specifically to conform to the requirements of British Air Ministry Specification R.2/33 for a long-range patrol/reconnaissance flying boat to serve with the Royal Air Force (RAF). As designed, it served as a successor to the earlier Short Sarafand flying boat. Sharing several similarities with the S.23, it featured a more advanced aerodynamic hull and was outfitted with various offensive and defensive armaments, including machine gun turrets, bombs, aerial mines, and depth charges. The Sunderland was powered by four Bristol Pegasus XVIII radial engines and was outfitted with various detection equipment to aid combat operations, including the Leigh searchlight, the ASV Mark II and ASV Mark III radar units, and an astrodome.
The Sunderland was one of the most powerful and widely used flying boats throughout the Second World War. In addition to the RAF, the type was operated by other Allied military air wings, including the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), South African Air Force (SAAF), Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), French Navy, Norwegian Air Force, and the Portuguese Navy. During the conflict, the type was heavily involved in Allied efforts to counter the threat posed by German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic. Wikipedia
Wikipedia Short Sunderland
Harold A Skaarup Web Page
YouTube Short Sunderland (1940-1949)