1941-08-30-Loss of Hudson V9065 (Prager)

1941-08-30 The loss of Hudson V9065 NO-R (Prager)

Crash site: North Sea between Farsund and Lindesnes, Norway, also referred to as 'near Kristiansand', which is 90 km ESE, or 'near Kristiansund', which is 600 km North of the Lista peninsula.

Crash cause: shot down by enemy fighter

Note: there has been another 320 Squadron Hudson, called 'Moesi'. This was a Mk. I Nr. T9336 NO-B, that was taken off service on 23/08/1942. This aircraft is also called 'Moesi (2)'.

Name	1. Linden, Paulus Jacobus Christiaan van der					Dutch RAF aviator datasheet

P.J.C. van der Linden Source: @St.M.Vl.P. 1939-50

Rank	Telegr maat, Lac., Wop				Stb.Nr. 14888
Decorations	None known
Born	21/2/1921	Place	Leiden, Zuid-Holland, NL
Squadron	RAF 320 (Dutch) Sqn Coastal Command				Ops/hrs
Aircraft	Hudson Mk. III Nr. V9065 NO-R 'Moesi' Source: Henk Weltink
Base	RAF Leuchars, Fifeshire, GB
Mission	Stranded cargoship 'Troyburg' outside the small town of Farsund, Lista peninsula, Norway, position 58.0250N/06.4970E.
Status	MIA, shot down 15.33h by Ltn. K. Hammel or Fw. F. Flamm with Bf.109 of I./JG77 from Lista airfield. See Kracker Luftwaffe Archive for Flamm claim				age	20
Missing	30/8/1941	Place	North Sea between Farsund and Lindesnes, Norway
Known to	OGS	yes	CWGC	no
Other crew	2. Matr Vltg Maker K. van Os, Ag - MIA 3. Off Vl 2kl H.C. Prager, Pilot - MIA 4. Off Vl 3kl J. Weber, Obs - MIA
Memorial	Soesterberg	yes
Memorial	Other	yes	In Oslo Sørkedalen Kirkegård there is a Memorial stone carrying his name
GB arrival	31/5/1940 with Dutch vessel 'Batavier II' from Cherbourg, France, after an escape from Holland on 16/5/1940
Remarks
Data confusion

Name	2. Os, Krijn van					Dutch RAF aviator datasheet

K. van Os Source: @St.M.Vl.P. 1939-50

Rank	Matr Vltg maker, Ac2., Ag				Stb.Nr. 90100/Z
Decorations	None known
Born	23/6/1913	Place	Waddinxveen, Zuid-Holland, NL
Squadron	RAF 320 (Dutch) Sqn Coastal Command				Ops/hrs
Aircraft	Hudson Mk. III Nr. V9065 NO-R 'Moesi' Source: Henk Weltink
Base	RAF Leuchars, Fifeshire, GB
Mission	Stranded cargoship 'Troyburg' outside the small town of Farsund, Lista peninsula, Norway, position 58.0250N/06.4970E.
Status	MIA, shot down 15.33h by Ltn. K. Hammel or Fw. F. Flamm with Bf.109 of I./JG77 from Lista airfield				age	28
Missing	30/8/1941	Place	North Sea between Farsund and Lindesnes, Norway
Known to	OGS	yes	CWGC	no
Other crew	1. Telegr maat P.J.C. van der Linden, Wop - MIA 3. Off Vl 2kl H.C. Prager, Pilot - MIA 4. Off Vl 3kl J. Weber, Obs - MIA
Memorial	Soesterberg	yes
Memorial	Other	not known
GB arrival
Remarks	Krijn van Os was born on June 23, 1913 in Waddinxveen as the 2nd child of the couple Gerrit van Os and Jaantje de Jong. The family, consisting of 7 boys and 1 girl, lived at 85 Zuidkade. Father van Os worked at Van Lange's paper factory. Krijn himself was a painter at the 'Zuid Holland' pottery factory in Gouda. In 1936 he moved to The Hague. He went to work at a scale factory as a typesetter. His brother Johan describes his 14-year-old brother as a somewhat surly man: 'Once he drew me out and I didn't sit still, he got angry and crumpled up the sketch. Too bad, because then I would have had a very personal memento of my brother. Krijn was an anti-militarist. He was inspired by people like Gandhi. We do have a small panel painted by him for 'Church and Peace' with the text from Matthew 5 verse 43 and 44: You have heard that it was said to you: You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies; bless those who curse you; do good to those who hate you; and pray for those who abuse you and persecute you. Krijn did not want to carry a weapon, not even in time of war. He was a recognized conscientious objector and exempted by the law of July 13, 1923. My brother was also an adventurer, who at that time already went to Switzerland by bicycle to visit youth camps. He could swim like the best, in the Gouwe in front of our house for example, and excelled as a gymnast at the TOOS gymnastics club. He was straightforward in many matters. For example, he was once imprisoned because he received a ticket for cycling unlit in the dark; he thought that was so childish that he refused to pay, his friends were not allowed to help him either… In 1937 Krijn went to England, following his acquaintances from Boskoop, who tried their luck there as growers. On the Scottish Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides, he became a tweed weaver. There he met his wife Kitty McCloud. Soon after, war broke out. Krijn was completely upset. He discussed with Kitty whether he should enlist after all. It went against his principle, but he could not accept that his country was just being conquered. The bombing of Rotterdam on May 14, 1940 was decisive. My brother volunteered. He became a gunner and aircraft maker 3rd class with the 320th Squadron of the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service at Leuchars air base in the Scottish hills. It was flown with twin-engined Lockheed-Hudsons. The aircraft bore names that recalled the fighting during the May days: the Ypenburg, the Waalhaven, the Kornwerderzand; Indonesian names also appeared, since the population of the Dutch East Indies had formed an aircraft fund for the liberation of the Netherlands: the Moesi, the Balikpapan. My parents learned through the Red Cross that Krijn was doing well and that he had married Kitty in April 1941. On 30 August 1941 - the day before Queen's Birthday - 4 aircraft of the 320th Squadron were ordered to attack a German convoy of 3 ships of 1000 tons and 2 of 700 tons sailing eastwards under the Norwegian coast. One of the aircraft was the 'Moesi V 9065 R' with our Krijn on board. On the day before the birthday of H.M. Queen Wilhelmina, who was also staying in England, preparations were made at the base for a festive evening. There was rehearsal: music, singing and a birthday revue and there were red, white and blue flowers. In a letter dated 31 August 1941, commander J.M. van Olm of the Royal Netherlands Navy to the Commander of the Naval Forces in London: On Saturday 30 August, four aircraft from 320 Squadron attacked a merchant ship near Christiansund. The 'Waalhaven' (T 9380), 'Islawreker' (V 9063) and 'Moesi' (V 9065) did not return from this assignment. As far as can be ascertained from the German news reports, it is suspected that the planes were shot down. Further investigation revealed that no trace of a convoy could be found. A merchant ship was sighted. There was hardly any cloud cover. The ship, which was anchored, was attacked by the 4 bombers. In an official report, which we received later -I think in 1969-, Officer Vlieger 2nd Class Schaper wrote exactly what the order for the attack on August 30, 1941 was. However, it all turned out differently. Suddenly two Messerschmitt-109 appeared. There was no escape; all but one, the "Asahan" (T 9339). The officer pilot and sergeant pilot of the 'Islawreker' were rescued and taken prisoner. The 'Waalhaven' and the 'Moesi' have perished with man and mouse. This is how Krijn van Os, Waddinxvener by birth, died; 28 years old. The Queen's Day was immediately cancelled. A terrible event; the writer K. Norel, in his book 'Klies in the fire' - about the N Source: oorlogsgravenstichting
Data confusion

Name	3. Prager, Henri Carlo					Dutch RAF aviator datasheet

H.C. Prager, May 1940 Source: @St.M.Vl.P. 1939-50

Rank	Off Vl 2kl, F/Lt., Pilot
Decorations	None known
Born	22/8/1916	Place	Tangunan, Java, NEI
Squadron	RAF 320 (Dutch) Sqn Coastal Command				Ops/hrs
Aircraft	Hudson Mk. III Nr. V9065 NO-R 'Moesi' Source: Henk Weltink
Base	RAF Leuchars, Fifeshire, GB
Mission	Stranded cargoship 'Troyburg' outside the small town of Farsund, Lista peninsula, Norway, position 58.0250N/06.4970E.
Status	MIA, shot down 15.33h by Ltn. K. Hammel or Fw. F. Flamm with Bf.109 of I./JG77 from Lista airfield				age	25
Missing	30/8/1941	Place	North Sea between Farsund and Lindesnes, Norway
Known to	OGS	yes	CWGC	no
Other crew	1. Telegr maat P.J.C. van der Linden, Wop - MIA 2. Matr Vltg Maker K. van Os, Ag - MIA 4. Off Vl 3kl J. Weber, Obs - MIA
Memorial	Soesterberg	yes
Memorial	Other	not known
GB arrival	22/5/1940 from France after he, in a group of 24 aircraft, mostly Fokker trainers, had escaped from Holland on 14/5/1940
Remarks	He was credited with a 1000t cargo vessel sunk in the Bokna Fjord, North of Stavanger, Norway, on 20/8/1941
Data confusion

Name	4. Weber, Jacobus					Dutch RAF aviator datasheet

J. Weber Source: @St.M.Vl.P. 1939-50

Rank	Off Vl 3kl, F/O., Obs
Decorations	None known
Born	29/7/1917	Place	Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, NL
Squadron	RAF 320 (Dutch) Sqn Coastal Command				Ops/hrs
Aircraft	Hudson Mk. III Nr. V9065 NO-R 'Moesi' Source: Henk Weltink
Base	RAF Leuchars, Fifeshire, GB
Mission	Stranded cargoship 'Troyburg' outside the small town of Farsund, Lista peninsula, Norway, position 58.0250N/06.4970E.
Status	MIA, shot down 15.33h by Ltn. K. Hammel or Fw. F. Flamm with Bf.109 of I./JG77 from Lista airfield				age	24
Missing	30/8/1941	Place	North Sea between Farsund and Lindesnes, Norway
Known to	OGS	yes	CWGC	no
Other crew	1. Telegr maat P.J.C. van der Linden, Wop - MIA 2. Matr Vltg Maker K. van Os, Ag - MIA 3. Off Vl 2kl H.C. Prager, Pilot - MIA
Memorial	Soesterberg	yes
Memorial	Other	yes	On Oslo Sørkedalen Kirkegård there is a Memorial stone with his name on it.
GB arrival	31/5/1940 with Dutch vessel 'Batavier II' from Cherbourg, France, after an escape from Holland on 16/5/1940
Remarks
Data confusion

Map 10. Lista Peninsula area, where four 320C Hudsons were lost to German fighters

This account is from oorlogsgravenstichting.nl

On August 30, 1941, four Lockheed Hudson bombers of RAF 320 Squadron took off from their base in Leuchars (England). They were the aircraft “Asahan”, “Moesi”, “Waalhaven” and “Isla Wreker”.

The intended target was a convoy that would stop off the Norwegian south coast. The sinking of the enemy ships should have been a present for Queen Wilhelmina, who had her birthday the following day, August 31.

The convoy was not found. However, a few days earlier at the shoal "Færøyflua" an abandoned freighter was found, the 2288 gross register tons measuring s.s. Troyburg. This ship was bombed, with only one of the twelve bombs dropped detonating on the target.

However, the four aircraft had already been tracked on their way to their target by the German anti-aircraft defenses, which immediately alerted the fighter pilots at the nearby airfield.

After the bombing, three of the four aircraft immediately turned around in order to fly back to Leuchars via the shortest route. The fourth aircraft, the “Asahan”, flew a short distance within the coast to the east and made a large turn to the south before also turning back.

The three aircraft that returned immediately were intercepted shortly after the bombing by the alerted German Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighters from Lister airfield.

With the help of directional shots from the Flak at Vestbygd, these fighters were guided further to their target, which they found within a few minutes. The Moesi and the Waalhaven were fired upon and these aircraft crashed into the sea. The entire crew lost their lives. The Isla Avenger made an emergency landing on water, after which two of the crew members would eventually be rescued. The remaining crew members of the Isla Avenger were killed.

The following 12 Dutch people did not survive this mission:

Aircraft Moesi (I) V9065 NO-R, Lockheed Hudson Mk 3, in service from 18-7-1941

Linden van der, Paulus Jacobus Christiaan, born 21-2-1921 in Leiden, Telegraphist mate

Os van, Krijn, born 23-6-1913 in Waddinxveen, sailor aircraft mechanic III

Prager, Henri Carlo, born 22-8-1916 in Tangunan, Off. Flyer II

Weber, Jacobus, born 29-7-1917 in Rotterdam, Off. Kite III

Aircraft Isla Wreker V9063 NO-M, Lockheed Hudson Mk 3, in service from 3-7-1941

Chateau, Eddy Herman, born 11-7-1915 in Paramaribo, Seinersmaat

Deen, Klaas, born 21-7-1916 in Groningen, Ltz II

Heeren, Hubertus Johannes, born 14-8-1916 in Amsterdam, Marine I

Device Waalhaven T9380 NO-H, Lockheed Hudson Mk 2, in service from 22-2-1941

Bielfeldt, Johan Pieter Jurgen, born 23-11-1910 in Rotterdam, sergeant aviator

Hendriks-Jansen, Stephan, born 23-11-1906 in Velp, Ltz II

Moll, Hendrikus Johannes, born 04-5-1917 in Ede, corporal pilot

Recourt, Ary Antoon, born 18-4-1914 in Den Helder, Matroos I

Smidt, Romke, born 04-6-1920 in Rinsumageest, Sailor III

The place where the aircraft came down is roughly shown in the following image.

320 Sqn Loss off Norway 1941-08-30

Source E. van der Most “The Debacle of 320 Squadron on August 30, 1941”, self-published, Gouda August 30, 2021

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