Operation: Rhubarb, Oosterschelde

Date: 28th November 1942 (Saturday)

Unit No: 485 (NZ) Squadron, 11 Group, Fighter Command

Type: Spitfire Vb

Serial: EP595

Code: OU:?

Base: RAF Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire

Location: Walcheren region, the Netherlands

Pilot: Flt Lt. Michael Moray Shand DFC, 391368 RNZAF Age 27. PoW No: 883 *

* Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia, Germany, now Żagań in Poland.

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 28th November 1942 five (5) aircraft, led by Sqn Ldr. Grant, took-off from RAF Kings Cliffe and flew down to RAF Martlesham from where they took-off at 11:30 hrs to attack shipping in the Zuid Beverland Canal in the Netherlands.

Sqn Ldr. Grant, left the other four (4) shortly after reaching the Dutch coast and flew south to Sehouwen, near Zierikzee, where he met some light Flak. He there encountered an He115 floatplane which he shot down over the sea south of Haamstede and then returned to RAF Kings Cliffe at 13:10 hrs.

Above left to right: Flt Lt. Ronald L. Baker, Sqn Ldr. Reginald J.C. Grant, Flt Lt. Michael M. Shand

Sqn Ldr. Reginald Joseph Cowen Grant DFM, DFC and Bar 391352 RNZAF. Wg Cdr. Grant was Wg Cdr. Flying of No.122 Wing and was killed on the 28th February 1944 when his in Mustang III, FX996 suffered an engine failure.

The other four (4) aircraft crossed Zuid Beverland east of the Zuid Beverland Canal and attacked an oil barge in the Western Schelde, which was left on fire. Fg Off. Black and Sgt. Norris then climbed into cloud and set course for base. Fg Off. Black landed at RAF Kings Cliffe at 13:10 hrs but Sgt. Norris was missing.

Flt Lt. Lindsay Stuart Black 40961 DFC, RNZAF was killed on the 5th March 1945 whilst flying in Spitfire IX, LZ924 of the Day Fighter Leaders School (DFLS), which crashed onto the beach at Selsey having failed to recover from a dive bombing practice;

Sgt. Francis William Norris 412724 RNZAF was KiA when his Spitfire Vb, BM232 crashed at Kruiningen after being shot down.

Flt Lt. Shand and Sgt. Tucker attacked a train near Goes. Sgt. Tucker hit a mound of earth when going into attack the train but managed to pull up although his mainplane was damaged at the roots. Strikes were seen on the train but no damage observed. The two pilots climbed to 800 feet and they were attacked by two (2) Fw190s. Sgt. Tucker’s aircraft was hit in the tailplane, mainplane and radio which went u/s. He eluded the attacking fighters and returned to RAF Kings Cliffe via Flushing, where he met Flak at 1240 ft. but continued and later in arrived that afternoon.

Sgt. Hugh Somerset Tucker 415042 RNZAF was flying Spitfire Vb EP115. The aircraft was Cat “AC”, which required repair on site by another unit or contractor.

Flt Lt. Shand was last seen taking evasive action from the Fw190s and was shot down by Uffz. Heinz Fuchs, his 1st Abschuss from 4./JG1, 4 km south of Kamperland, Noord Beveland at 12:10 hrs.

He was captured that day in the Walcheren region and was transferred to Dulag Luft, Oberursel arriving there on the 3rd December. After the statutory solitary confinement and interrogation he was transferred to Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia on the 8th December arriving there 3 days later.

It is not know what role he played in the tunnelling operations but he was one of the two-hundred (200) officers selected for the escape.

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.

Flt Lt. Reavell-Carter was the seventh-sixth (76) man out followed by Flt Lt. Ogilvie and Flt Lt. Shard. Flt Lt. Reavell-Carter reached the trees when he saw one of the perimeter guards leave his route to relieve himself. He saw the guard raise his rifle at Flt Lt. Shand and stepped into the open and shouted at him in German not to shoot but this startled the guard and he fire anyway but missed. (Ref 1, p 182).

Flt Lt. Reavell-Carter was arrested outside the tunnel;

Flt Lt. Ogilvie was returned to Stalag Luft 3.

Flt Lt. Shand left the tunnel at about 05:00 hrs and was crawling in the snow from the tunnel exit when he received the signal on the rope to keep still. He was about 10 yards for the tunnel exit and as he stopped he heard a couple of shots being fired. (Ref 2, pp 210-211)

He looked back and saw a sentry at the exit so he and Flt Lt. Ogilvie got to their feet and ran into the woods. Flt Lt. Shand then walked west until dawn at 06:00 hrs and hid in a wood for the day. At dusk he started off again and hid again during the day which he repeated until the 29th March. That morning at 08:00 hrs he reached Kohlfurt (Węgliniec, Poland) where he hid near a railway station waiting for a good train to pass. He was discovered by a German railway worker who handed him over to local policeman. Later that day he was then taken to a civil prison in Görlitz where he was put in a cell with Flt Lt. Langford, Fg Off. Pohe and WO. Hake. (Ref 1, pp 210-211)

Flt Lt. Langford, Fg Off. Pohe and WO. Hake were amongst the fifty (50) officers murdered by the Gestapo.

On about the 30th March there were individually taken to the Gestapo prison were he was put into a cell Plt Off. Churchill, Flt Lt. Broderick and Flt Lt Street. They remained together until the 6th April on which day Flt Lt. Street was taken away. Later in the day he, Plt Off. Churchill, Flt Lt. Brodrick and nine (9) other officers were taken back to Stalag Luft 3. (Ref 1, pp 210-211)

Flt Lt. Street was amongst the fifty (50) officers murdered by the Gestapo.

On the night of the 27th January 1945, with Soviet troops only 26 km (16 mls) away, orders were received to evacuate the PoWs to Spremberg which is to the West in Germany. The PoW’s were informed of the evacuation, which was on foot, at about 22:00 hrs the same night and were given 30 mins to pack and prepare everything for the March. The weather conditions were very difficult, with freezing temperatures, and it was snowing accompanied by strong winds. There was 15 cm (6 in) of snow and 2000 PoWs were assigned to clear the road ahead of the main groups.

After a 55 km (34 mls) march, the PoWs arrived in Bad Muskau where they rested for 30 hours. The PoWs were then marched the remaining 26 km (16 mls) to Spremberg where they were housed in empty garages, storerooms and in military barracks. There they were provided with warm soup and bread.

During next days, PoWs were divided up according to Compounds, and they were led to railway sidings and loaded into tightly packed carriages. Flt Lt. Shand was amongst the PoWs who were sent to Marlag und Milag Nord at Westertimke on the 2nd February arriving there on the 7th February.

Marlag is an acronym for Marinelager (naval prisoner of war camp), Milag is short for Marine-Internierten-Lager(naval internment camp), and Nord is German for ‘north’

On the 2nd April 1945 the Commandant announced that he had received orders to leave the camp with most of his guards, leaving only a small detachment behind to hand over the camp to Allied forces, who were already in Bremen.

However, that afternoon a detachment of over a hundred SS-Feldgendarmerie entered the camp, mustered over 3,000 men and marched them out, heading east. The next day, at around at 10:00 hrs the column was strafed by RAF aircraft, and two PoWs were killed.

Over the next few days the column was attacked from the air several times. Finally the Senior British Naval Officer (SBNO), who was later killed in a strafing attack by RAF aircraft, offered the Germans the PoW’s parole, in return for being allowed to rest during the day and march at night. The Germans agreed.

On the 9th April 1945 the guards at Marlag-Milag moved out and were replaced by older men, presumably local Volkssturm. Meanwhile, the column slowly headed east, finally crossing the River Elbe, north of Hamburg, on the 18th April.

On the 27th April the camps were liberated by elements of the British Guards Armoured Division. The next day, the 28th April, the column finally arrived at Lübeck on the Baltic coast. They were liberated by the British 11th Armoured Division on the 1st May 1945.

Flt Lt. Shand is not listed amongst those that remained at the camp, escaped the column or at Lübeck but the lists are incomplete. He was interviewed on the 3rd May

Michael Moray Shand was born on the 20th February 1915 in Wellington, New Zealand. He was educated at Nelson College.

On the 15th June 1937 he was fined £10 and disqualified from driving for 6 months by a court in Dunedin, for being intoxicated in charge of a motor car. He was a employed as a clerk in Wellington prior to enlisting on a short service commission in the RNZAF in November 1939. The RAF was desperately short of fighter pilots and he was rushed through training He was appointed to a temporary commission in the General Duties Branch in the rank of Plt Off. on the 4th May 1940. After just 20 hours flying on the Spitfire, during which time he never fired its guns, he was posted to 54 Squadron.

After returning to New Zealand he farmed at Wairarapa, in the SE of North Island, until he retired in 1978. Michael passed away on the 20th December 2007 in Masterton, Wellington, New Zealand. His wife died in 2000, a son and a daughter survive him.

On the 25th August 1940 Plt Off. Shand’s 54 Sqn, Spitfire Ia R6969 was damaged and he was seriously wounded in an engagement with an Me109 off Dover at 19:20 hrs. He successfully force-landed at RAF Manston. The aircraft was Cat “B” which was salvaged and repaired 49 Maintenance Unit (MU).

On the 4th May 1942 was leading “B” Flight during a fighter sweep Fg Off. Shand claimed an Fw190 as a probable over Ambleteuse on the Pas-de-Calais, France.

His general report reads: “As Blue 1, I was flying with Blue 2 & 3 and saw two Fw190s flying west 2000 feet below. I dived on the tail of the second one who was flying at 15,000 feet, opening fire at 200 yards and closing in to point blank range. I fired cannon and MG in long bursts an owing to my greater speed had to break off the attack to avoid hitting the E/A. The E/A took no evading action and did not observe our attack. I then fired a short burst at No.1 who was turning to port.

Breaking off this attack I saw E/A No. 2 climb and fall on its back and go down in a vertical dive. When last seen he showed no sign of pulling out but owing to the ground haze the final results were not seen.

Blue 3 attacked E/A No. 1 after he had turned inland and was followed for a short time by Blue 2 who afterwards returned alone”.

Blue 2 was Sgt. Leckie and Blue 3 was Flt Sgt. Robson who claimed E/A No. 1 as a probable.

Sgt. Hector Ronald Leckie 411909 RNZAF was promoted to Plt Off. with effect 29th July 1942. His last mission for 485 (NZ) Sqn was recorded on the 9th October 1942 before being posted to 152 Sqn, Middle East Command. On the 29th March 1943 Fg Off. Leckie’s Spitfire Vc JK334 was hit by Flak and force-landed in Tunisia. PoW No: 984, Stalag Luft 3.

Flt Sgt. Anthony Ridley Robson, DFM 403990 RNZAF. The then Plt Off. Robson flying Spitfire Vb EP107 whilst on a Rodeo to Le Touquet was shot down by Fw190s on the 13th February 1943. PoW No 201, Stalag Luft 3.

Flt Lt. Shand was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) whilst with 485 (NZ) Sqn which was promulgated in the London Gazette on the 29th September 1942.

Citation: “Flight Lieutenant Michael Moray SHAND (NZ 391368), Royal New Zealand Air Force, 485 (NZ) Squadron. A skilful pilot and a fearless leader this officer has completed 60 sorties over Northern France. In low-level attacks against the enemy's transport he has achieved much success”.

Burial details:

None – Pilot Survived

Researched by Kelvin Youngs (Webmaster) and dedicated to the relatives of this pilot with thanks to the research by Errol Martyn and his publications, Weekly News of New Zealand and Len for the grave photographs (Oct 2018). Thanks to John Jones for the update to the shooting down of Plt Off. Shand (Oct 2018). Reviewed, updated and reorganised with new information, corrections and links (Mar 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.

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