Warbird Information Exchange

On August 13 1940 Wing Commander Lart led a formation of 12 Blenheims of 82 squadron in an attack on the enemy occupied aerodrome at Aalborg in Denmark. 11 aircraft of this formation were shot down over the target area.

Wing Commander Lart was shot down and killed with 19 other airmen, 13 others all wounded were taken prisoner. UX-N was shot down at approximately 12.23 on 13th August 1940 on the Aalborg raid

Mac and R3821

Don “Mac” McFarlane, an Observer on 82 Squadron flew in R3821 on a number of occasions prior to 13th August 1940 and was scheduled to fly on the 13th August. After engine start on the morning of the 13th and just prior to taxying out for take-off, a member of the squadron ground crew gave the signal to cut the engines.

At fist they thought the raid had been scrubbed after all but on talking on the telephone to Mac’s pilot, Donald Wellings, announced that they had all been posted as instructors to Operational Training Units and the standby crew of Hale, Oliver and Boland took R3821 instead. They of course, did not return.

Here Mac recalls some of the raids R3821 took part in prior to Aalborg:

Unluckily for her, (if I may call a beautiful aircraft “her”) she lasted only from May to August, and was lost on 13th August when eleven aircraft of 82 Squadron were shot down during a raid to Aalborg aerodrome in Northern Denmark.

This time my crew did appear on the flying programme, but by an amazing stroke of luck, we were informed as we were running up the engines, that all three of us had been posted, and that the spare crew would take our places.

They did not return.

And a remarkable story has been told about the eventual excavation of R3 821 from the crater on Aalborg aerodrome, and the subsequent burial of the remains of the crew, in 1995!