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Operation: Jubilee, France
Date: 19th August 1942 (Wednesday)
Unit No: 332 (Norwegian) Sqn, 132 Wing, RAF Fighter Command
Type: Spitfire VB
Serial: AB269
Code: AH:D
Base: RAF North Weald, Essex, England
Location: Sea east of Dieppe, France
Pilot: Sgt. Per ‘Peter’ Bergsland 373 RNoAF Age 24. PoW*/Great Escaper
* Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland
Above left to right: Sgt. Per Bergsland, Løytnant (2nd Ltn) Halldor Espelid, Løytnant (2nd Ltn) Jens E.Müller
Løytnant (2nd Ltn) Halldor Espelid was one of the fifty (50) officers murdered by the Gestapo.
REASON FOR LOSS:
On the 19th August 1942 twelve (12) Spitfires from the Sqn took-off from RAF Manston at 06:20 hrs as part of the RAF North Weald Wing, led by Wg Cdr. Scott-Malden, to provide air cover to the ships and troops on Operation ‘Jubilee’.
Wg Cdr. Francis David Stephen Scott-Malden 74690 RAFVR, DSO, DFC and Bar, Norwegian War Cross. He survived the war and retired from the RAF as an Air Vice- Marshall. He passed away on the 1st March 2000 in Cambridge.
Operation ‘Jubilee’ or the Dieppe Raid was a disastrous Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the WW2. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regiment of tanks, were put ashore from a naval force operating under the protection of RAF fighters.
The port was to be captured and held for a short period, to test the feasibility of a landing and to gather intelligence. German coastal defences, port structures and important buildings were to be demolished. The raid was intended to boost Allied morale, demonstrate the commitment of the UK to re-open the Western Front and support the Soviet Union, fighting on the Eastern Front.
The Luftwaffe made a maximum effort against the landing as the RAF had expected, and the RAF lost one-hundred and six (106) aircraft of which at least thirty-two (32) were to Flak or accidents, against forty-eight (48) German losses.
The RN lost thirty-three (33) landing craft and a destroyer. Aerial and naval support was insufficient to enable the ground forces to achieve their objectives. The tanks were trapped on the beach and the infantry was largely prevented from entering the town by obstacles and German fire.
After less than six (6) hours, mounting casualties forced a retreat. Within ten (10) hours, 3,623 of the 6,086 men who landed had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner. 5,000 were Canadians, who suffered a 68% casualty rate, with 3,367 killed, wounded or taken prisoner. The operation was a fiasco in which only one landing force temporarily achieved its objective, and a small amount of military intelligence was gathered.
The Sqn were flying on top cover, 331 (Norwegian) Sqn below and 242 Sqn, below 331 (Norwegian) Sqn. Just north of Dieppe the first enemy aircraft were observed when the Sqn was flying at 6-7000 ft. The enemy aircraft split up in sections of three (3) and four (4) and attacked. Some Sections were detailed to meet them and several dog-fights ensued.
The Sqn continued on to Dieppe and circled the town. Continuous attacks were made by Fw190s and several dog-fights took place. As a result Sgt. Bergsland and Sgt. J. Staubo were shot down. Sgt. Bergsland baled out of his Spitfire and was pulled from the sea east of Dieppe by the Germans and became PoW.
Sgt. Jan Staubo 725 RNoAF was flying Spitfire VB BL819 AH:?. He baled out and became a PoW No.747, at Stalag Luft 3.
The Sqn claimed three (3) Fw190s destroyed, one (1) Fw190 probably destroyed and four (4) Fw190s damaged.
The Spitfires of Sgt. Per Bergsland and Sgt. Jan Staubo were claimed by Ofw. Josef ‘Sepp’ Wurmheller from 1./JG2 flying a Fw190 A-3. These were his 54th and 55th Abschüsse.
Maj. Josef ‘Sepp’ Wurmheller was KiA on the 22nd June 1944 at Alencon, France when his Fw190 was shot down by Fg Off. J.W, Fleming from 441 (Silver Fox) RCAF, Sqn. Maj. Wurmheller was credited with one-hundred and three (103) confirmed Abschüsse and four (4) unconfirmed from 300 sorties. (Luftwaffe ACES - Biographies and Victory Claims (Mathews and Foreman) - Volume 4).
Fg Off. John Wallis Fleming J25138 was shot down 8 days later, on the 30th June 1944, by an Fw190 near Flers whilst flying Spitfire IX MK737 9G:? He became PoW No. 4703 at Stalag Luft 1. Previously he had claimed 1/3 of a Fw190 on the 25th April 1944 and the one (1) Fw190 on the 22nd June 1944;
On the night of the 24th/25th March 1944, seventy-six (76) officers escaped from the north compound of Stalag Luft 3 which, at that time, held between 1000 and 1500 RAF PoWs. The escape was made by the means of a tunnel. At about 05:00 hrs on the 25th March the 77th PoW was spotted by guards as he emerged from the tunnel.
Sgt. Bergsland was selected as one of the escapees because he spoke fluent German and was the forty-forth (44th) out of the tunnel at about 01:00 hrs. He was joined by Løytnant (2nd Ltn) Müller and together they walked to Sagan Railway Station.
Løytnant (2nd Ltn) Jens Einar Müller was flying 331 Sqn Spitfire VB AR298 FN:N which was shot down by a Fw190 on the 19th June1942 during ‘Roadstead’ near Belgium.
At about 02:04 hrs they caught a train to Frankfurt-an-der-Oder. Their papers identified them as Norwegian electricians from an Arbeitslager (Labour camp) in Frankfurt who were working in the neighbourhood of Sagan but were reassigned and ordered to report to the Bürgermiester (Mayor) of Stettin (Szczecin).
Frankfurt-an-der-Oder is some 100 km (62mls) to the NE of Sagan (Żagań) in Poland.
Stettin (Szczecin) is some 120 km (75 mls) due north of Sagan (Żagań) in Poland.
The train arrived in Frankfurt an der Oder at 06:00 hrs and they then caught the train to Kustrin (Kostrzyn nad Odra) at 08:00 hrs.
Kustrin (Kostrzyn nad Odra) is some 26 km (16 mls) due north of Frankfurt-an-der-Oder.
Whilst waiting at Kustrin (Kostrzyn nad Odra) their papers were examined by a Feldwebel (Sgt) in the Feldgendarmerie (Military Police) and passed scrutiny. They left Kustrin (Kostrzyn nad Odra) for Stettin (Szczecin) at 10:00 hrs arriving there at 13:00 hrs.
They walked around the town, visited a cinema and a beer hall. After dusk they headed to an address provided by the Escape Committee, which was a brothel. Their first attempt of obtaining passage on a Swedish ship failed when they saw the ship set sail.
Because of the time they took a small room in a hotel and remained there until 18:00 hrs and returned to the brothel and made contact with two Swedish sailors who agree to help. They took them by tram about 4 km out of Stettin to their ship which was berthed at a dock just south of Parnitz.
They reached the ship at about 18:30 hrs where the papers of the sailors were checked by the German guard who told him that Müller and Bergsland were crew and were let through without being checked.
They were hidden in the anchor-chain compartment which was searched when the Germans came aboard but did not find them. The ship sailed at 07:00 hrs on the 28th March. Only the two sailors and a friend knew that they were aboard. The ship docked at Goteborg at about 23:00 hrs on the 29th March and disembarked with the two sailors. They presented themselves to the British Consulate and were then sent by train to Stockholm on the 30th March (Ref 2, pp 237-239).
They were then each flown in a Mosquito to RAF Leuchars in Scotland from Bromma airport. Early on the morning of the 8th April 1944 they were sent by train to London and shortly afterwards flown to ‘Lille Norge’ (Little Norway) in Canada where they served as Flight Instructors.
‘Lille Norge’ (Little Norway) was officially Flyvåpnenets Treningsleir (FTL, "Air Force Training Camp"), was a Norwegian Army Air Service/Royal Norwegian Air Force training camp in southern Ontario, Canada
Per Bergsland was born on the 17th January 1918 in Bærum, Norway. In 1946, Per Bergsland began as a pilot inFred Olsen Air Transport. He later became Chief Pilot and Operational Manager. He became CEO of Fred Olsen Air Transport in 1968 and CEO of regional airline Widerøe from 1970 to 1981. Per passed away on the 9th June 1992.
Burial details:
None – Survived
Researched by Ralph Snape from Aircrew Remembered as dedicated to this crew and their families (May 2025).
Other sources listed below:
References:
1. The Great Escape – The full dramatic story with contributions from survivors and their families - Anton Gill - ISBN: 878-0-75531-037-1.
2. Stalag Luft III - An official history of the “Great Escape” PoW Camp - Published by Frontline Books - ISBN: 978-1-47388-305-5.
RS 28.05.2025 - Additional updates
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