[Kyt]

Great to see an original document for this event.

Various references to people who took part in the Circus.

Conscript Heroes

CIRCUS 81
Two CIRCUS (bomber escort) missions took place on 19 August 1941. CIRCUS 81 was flown in the late morning during an abortive raid against Gosnay power station. It was also known as OPERATION LEG because it was during this mission that a container with replacement artificial legs for W/C Douglas Bader was dropped at St Omer. JG 26 lost three pilots during this attack while the RAF lost four pilots and seven Spitfires.

Sergeant Pilot William A. Brew; From Pilot to POW in One Short Sweep

Date 19 August 1941
Up/Down 1005/1200 (Timings only for 41 Squadron, but not for other Squadron involved)
Sortie Circus 81, 11-Aircraft bomber escort targeting the Gosnay Power Station in France
Pilots Sqdn. Ldr. Gaunce, Flt. Lt. Marples, Plt. Off. Beardsley, and Sgts. Bodkin, Brew (P7267), Glen, Mitchell, Morgan, Palmer, Rayner and Swanwick
Bombers 6 Blenheims of No. 2 Group, Bomber Command
Escort Wing 41, 610 and 616 Squadrons (Tangmere)
Escort Cover Wing 452, 485 and 616 Squadrons (Kenley)
Target Support Wings 306, 308 and 315 Squadrons (Northolt) and 403, 603 and 611 Squadrons (Hornchurch)
Rear Support Wing 72, 92 and 609 Squadrons (Biggin Hill)

Whilst the aim of the sortie was to nock out Gosnay Power Station, the operation in fact had a secondary objective. In the end, the attack on Gosnay was abandoned and no bombs were dropped due to the amount of storm cloud cover over the target area. However, the secondary objective was successfully accomplished. The 11 Group ORB narrates,
. "The 6 Blenheims made rendezvous over Manston at 10.30 hours with the Escort Wing and proceeded via Dunkirk to St. Omer aerodrome where W/Cdr. Bader's 'Leg' was dropped by parachute which was seen to open." [TNA AIR 25/200]

Wing Co. Douglas R. S. Bader had become a Prisoner of War ten days prior to the sortie (see also Note 3), but he had lost one of his artificial legs when he was forced to bale out without it. Bader was highly respected by the Luftwaffe, and being in a rather uncomfortable position without his second leg, he used the opportunity to ask them if they might arrange for the RAF drop in his spare leg, which he kept on the base in England. In an rare case of collaboration, the Luftwaffe in fact agreed to Bader's request and radioed the RAF to arrange it. The Luftwaffe offered the RAF a safe journey to St. Omer but, after the leg was dropped, the truce was over and the bombers and fighters continued on to attack Gosnay. The cloud cover was 10/10ths at between 8,000 and 10,000 feet and large cumulus clouds reached up to 20,000 feet. Ironically perhaps, the very cloud cover, which hid their approach to Gosnay, was the same that made conditions over the target area unsuitable for the attack on the power station, and thus the objective was abandoned. The bombers turned for England, but their path back over occupied France was not as quiet as their way in. The Escort Wing, of which 41 Squadron was a part, only saw a few German aircraft on their return home, but noted they "showed no inclination to fight" [TNA AIR 25/200]. However, the weather continued to deteriorate to such a state that the Blenheims were forced to drop to just 1,000 feet to get under the cloud. This resulted in them being attacked with flak from German ground forces, which were probably shocked to see six RAF bombers roar over their heads at little more than 300 metres. The result, according to the 11 Group ORB, was that "all the aircraft were hit and one observer was wounded" [TNA AIR 25/200]. 41 Squadron remained unscathe

315 Squadron 1941 events

Aug 19 Circus 81 (Wing) 6 Blenheims escorted to Bethune. Led by F/Lt Szczesniewski were F/O Falkowski, F/O Nowak, F/O Wolinski, F/O Czaykowski, P/O Miksa, Sgt Matus, Sgt Blok, Sgt Kowalski, Sgt Jaworski, Sgt Stalinski and Sgt Cwynar. At 5:35 p.m. squadron took off with the whole Wing to fly medium-level cover. Few minutes after crossing a French coast "Deblinski" was attacked by 8 Bf109s. Section led by F/O Falkowski successfully engaged right Schwarm, shooting down three e/a. Some pilots landed in Manston and Biggin Hill with empty fuel tanks. For 315 scored: F/O Falkowski, F/O Nowak and Sgt Blok.