Unidentified Buffalo deliberately damaged at Church Fenton airfield.
On an unknown date in October 1940 three unidentified 71 Squadron Buffalo aircraft are said to have been deliberately "crashed" onto Church Fenton airfield to write them off.
The reason for this is not known. The identity 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 AS414 can be ruled out but if damage was only slight then these three Buffalo's may have become instructional airframes but why intentionally 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 Squadron where he served until September 1940. He was one of a number of American pilots who transferred to the newly created 71 Squadron in September 1940
initially based at Kirton Lindsey. F/Lt Mamedoff later transferred to command 133 Squadron 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.
