"Somehow we never met up with any other RAF unit. Buying food and clothing (from local shops) meant we were often short of cash. I fronted up to Army units on several occasions and managed to get advances of pay... It really was a case of 'Now You're on You're Own" (Richard Los)

Detached - but where? As mentioned above, the 59 Sqn maintence unit was first stationed at Coulommiers on the 18th of May 1940. It appears that at least one of the four crews that Los recalls were wating for them there, had arrived to Coulommiers on the 16th (P/O Grece & crew). The movements of the unit after Coulommiers are uncertain as the only aerodrome noted by Los 'by name' is the above mentioned. After which the only other information is that they were relocated to another French Air Force base and the only RAF unit there. As for the date of this move, the logbook of AC Joe Hurst (below) shows that P/O Grece & crew returned to the UK on the 24th of May but as the 59 ORB offers next to nothing on the servicing unit, it's not clear if the maintenance unit left at this time or not. Los recalls that at one time, they also had four 53 Sqn a/c to service, making 8 in total. The Logbook of AC Joe Hurst (below) shows that both squadrons were at Coulommiers in May but also no indication as to the movements of the unit. What does give us a clue, is a note in the 53 Sqn ORB that states that on the 11th of June, they sent their own maintenance unit to France. This would suggest that not only are 53 & 59 Sqn crews no longer detached together at this time but also that Los and his unit, are no longer available to the 53 crews. Thus the movements of both aircrews seperately prior to the 11th, may just give us some insight as to where the 59 maintenance unit were operating out of. As a "mobile" unit, they could for all intents and purposes be stationed to any airfield, as long as it was safely accessible to the aircrews. With this in mind there is another airfield that appears to be the new "landing ground" for both squadrons in May and that is Rouen (BOOS).

Rouen (BOOS): On the 24th when P/O Grece & crew returned to the UK from Coulommiers, another two aircrews (P/O's Carruthers & Ashton) left for France, this time destined for Rouen (BOOS). The 53 Sqn aircrews appear to be landing at "BOOS" from the 23rd of May. From Rouen, the 59 crews would either fly a recco or travel to another airfield such as Dreux (to fly a recco) and more often than not after all duties were preformed, return to the UK. This could sometimes take up to a week or just a few hours. Rouen fits Los' description of a "French Air Force base" and if the map showing the dispersal of the AASF units (on May 24th) is correct, then at this time Rouen also had no AASF unit stationed there. The 59 ORB shows Rouen in regular use up until the 10th of June. In combination with Rouen, Dreux appears to have also been used by 59 crews, so perhaps at some stage the unit moved to Druex? The 53 ORB only shows BOOS in regular use till the 25th but it appears that the detachment of 53 & 59 Sqn crews was slightly different. By his own description, Los gives the impression that the 59 Sqn crews on detachment, "interchanged" and the movements of the aircrews as described in the 59 ORB, does support this. This differs from the 53 Sqn detachment, that seems to have been detached permanently, which leads us to another possibility...

Orleans: Once again, the 53 Sqn ORB may give us a clue as to the date that Los and his unit left Coulommiers. On 08/06/1940 - it notes that 3 aircraft and crews "had been" operating from Coulommiers for BAFF since the 20th of May. Implying that on this date they had either returned to the UK or were no longer operating out of Coulommiers. It would seem that they had indeed returned to the U.K, for on the 9th another 4 a/c were sent to No.22 Group H.Q, for despatch to France. It is not known if they were sent back to Coulommiers but what is known (as mentioned above) is that on the 11th, 53 Sqn sent their own maintenance unit to France. Whilst it's possible that the 53 crews remained at Coulommiers with their own ground unit, it would appear that the 59 crews were no longer operating out of Coulommiers. The 59 ORB supports this as there no mention of Coulommiers after the 10th of June and on the 9th, two 59 a/c left for Orleans - P/O's Hopkin & Ayres and their crews. Could Orleans be the next stop for the maintenance unit? It certainly fits the bill as does Rouen, as a French Air Force base and may not have had any other RAF units there at the time. Los notes that they moved around quite a lot in June as airfields were lost and the Germans advanced. Orleans appears in use followed by Le Mans, Dinard and Nantes. However, if Los' account is correct and they didn't see any other RAF unit until the day they left for the UK, then all but Nantes must have had an all French Air Force contingent.

Evacuation from Nantes: Los and his unit left for the UK on June 15th 1940. This was the day that all remaining air units were recalled from France. Los notes that another ground crew was sent back to Nantes after they returned on the 15th, this team was headed by Cpl Fred Battley. When he had left France, Los recalls that as the planes taxied on the runway for take off, some of the locals who resented the RAF pulling out, tried to blockade the runway to prevent the planes from leaving. It was decided that the turret gunners should give them a "burst" if necessary but thankfully all the planes managed to take off without incident. Joe Hurst also remembers this happening and deemed it "outrageous". Los and the rest of the unit rejoined the Squadron at RAF Odiham to a grand welcoming. The last 59 aircraft (P/O Grece & crew) left France via Jersey to return to the UK on the 17th of June. Los received a "Mention in Despatches for Distinguished Service" in keeping the squadron Blenheims "flying".. he recalls that he felt that all of the team should have received the same... On the 22nd of June, an armistice was signed between France and Germany, the Battle of France was lost...

The Aircrew Movements: As noted above, the logbook confirms that P/O Grece & crew left Poix for Coulommiers on the 16th of May (same day as Los notes the servicing unit left Poix) and that the last flight from Coulommiers was on the 24th, when they returned to the UK with a broken tail wheel. Interestingly, it appears that the day before returning to the UK, they undertook an air test with PZ-R (a 53 Sqn Blenheim) with a broken tail wheel. I guess they felt they needed a bit of "take-off" practice before returning with the damaged 59 Sqn Blenheim, TR-L. According to Los, the method they worked out for take off was to prop the aircraft tail end up on hay bails, pilot would rev the engines up to full throttle and the chocs would be pulled away, slinging the aircraft forward with enough momentum to keep the tail end off the ground. As well as the logbook showing us that both squadrons were in Coulommiers in May, the 53 Sqn ORB (AIR27-503) - notes the following on the 20th of May... "(2) Aircraft despatched to Headquarters B.A.F.F. for special sorties. No details available".

Why fly from France and not the UK? Strategic and tactical reccos were flown to gather important information quickly, which meant that the a/c had to be over the 'area' A.S.A.P. for the intel' to be most effective. This explains the neccesity for ACAB to have a/c on standby in France, as flight times from the UK were upwards of 30mins, so in terms of gathering information 'quickly', this was far too slow... The advantage of having a servicing unit for these a/c on the ground in France, meant that the crews and a/c could remain close by for longer periods of time and be on standby, ready to go when needed. The mission reports of 59 Sqn crews show that they often used multiple airfields once in France, although the 'initial landing ground' was often the same. It's possible that this was the airfield that the servicing unit was stationed, although as mentioned above it's not at all clear. From here, planes would be refuelled, checked and crews either put on standby, be on their way to another destination, or undertake an operation.

The following information was sent in by Roy Reader...

"At 1600 hours (on 2 June 1940) the Wing (Polish 1/145 Warsaw Fighter Squadron) took off for Dreux and upon landing was welcomed by a departing RAF contingent of No.59 (Blenheim) Squadron." (The Polish Air Force at War, Schiffer Military History, Atglen, 1998, Jerzy B. Cynk, vol.1, p.114)..."

Roy discovered the above whilst researching Polish 1/145 Warsaw Fighter Squadron. During the Battle of France, this squadron was the only unit operating the French Fighter Caudron_C.714.

The following is taken from the book "Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer", the memoirs of Alastair Panton. A 53 Squadron pilot who was the commanding officer of the squadron's detached unit in France during June, 1940. The detachment, like that of 59's, had been operating since May. Most likely formed prior to the 20th May, when the 53 ORB notes that 2 aircraft were despatched to HQ BAFF for special sorties. Panton took charge on June 5th, arriving to Coulommiers to replace the c/o who had been lost in action. Panton himself, along with his crew had been shot down on 11th May and then endured an epic two week journey to rejoin 53 back in the UK. Panton recovered from his injuries but the war was over for both his navigator and air gunner.

From Panton's description, it appears that his detachment differed from that of 59's in several key areas of establishment. The ground crew was over double the size of 59's, with eleven personnel (59 had five). Unlike 59's flight of four aircraft, which appear to have "rotated" somewhat, with crews flying from the UK, to carry out op's from airfields in France, 53's flight of three aircraft, operated exclusively in France with the same 3 crews. This "self containment" could explain the larger ground crew size.

Pantone never mentions 59 Squadron and with Los recalling that they never saw another RAF unit, I'd suggest that the only time 53 & 59 were together was at Coulommiers during May, before both units moved their separate ways. It makes sense that they would be stationed in different areas. Not just to broaden the scope of reconnaissance but also lessen the chance of both detachments being put out of action by a single enemy attack.

This book is a great read and I recommend it highly! Available on ebook here