Buffalo deliberately damaged at Church Fenton airfield.

On an unknown date in October 1940 three unknown Buffalo aircraft were deliberately crashed into the airfield to write them off. The reason for this is not known.

The identify of the aircraft is within the series of Brewster Buffalo's AS410 to AS437, which is a reasonably small number of aircraft in the batch. Five of the aircraft became instructional airframes, those being AS410, AS411, AS414, AS429 and AS430. AS414 has been previously listed on this website, so this can be ruled out but if damage was only slight then these three Buffalo's may have become instructional airframes but why intensionally damage them?

Pilot - F/O Andrew Mamedoff RAFVR (81621), of Thompson, Connecticut, USA.

Andrew Mamedoff was one of a number of American pilots to serve with the French Air Force until France fell, he arrived in England and joined the RAF and was posted to 609 Sqdn where he served until September 1940. He was one of a number of American pilots who transferred to the newly created 71 Sqdn in September 1940 initially based at Kirton Lindsey. F/Lt Mamedoff later transferred to command 133 Sqdn and was killed on 8th October 1941 flying Hurricane Z3781 from Fowlmere to an airfield in Northern Ireland, his aircraft crashed on the Isle of Man. His body was brought back to England and buried at Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey. Prior to his death he had married an English girl.